Chapter 8
I called Claire before Michael reached the end of the street.
She didn’t answer.
I called again.
Nothing.
Michael’s final words kept repeating in my head.
Ask Claire what happened the night my father died.
Richard Collins had died from a heart attack in his study three years earlier.
That was what I had been told.
Michael and I had been married for three years by then.
I remembered that night.
Diane called around midnight.
Michael rushed from our house.
I stayed with Emma because she was sick.
By the time I arrived the next morning, Richard’s body had already been taken away.
Nothing had seemed strange.
Now everything did.
Claire finally called at ten.
“What did Michael say to you?”
I sat up.
“How do you know he said something?”
“Because he called me.”
“When?”
“Five minutes ago.”
“What did he want?”
“To remind me of our agreement.”
My heart accelerated.
“What agreement?”
Claire sighed.
“I should have told you.”
“Yes.”
“Richard didn’t die alone.”
I waited.
“Diane and I were with him.”
I stared at the wall.
“Why were you at your ex-father-in-law’s house near midnight?”
“Because he called me.”
“About what?”
“Noah.”
She paused.
“And money.”
Of course.
Richard had apparently decided to clean up the financial mess he had spent years creating.
He wanted to establish a trust for Noah.
He also intended to admit that he had been responsible for part of the forged loan during Claire’s marriage.
“He wanted to put it in writing,” Claire said.
“What happened?”
“Diane found out.”
My stomach tightened.
“She confronted him.”
“About giving Noah money?”
“About everything.”
Claire’s voice became quieter.
“They argued.”
I leaned forward.
“Then?”
“Richard started having chest pain.”
“Oh God.”
“I called 911.”
“Did Diane?”
“No.”
Claire’s silence felt heavy.
“What did she do?”
“She kept arguing.”
My skin prickled.
“While he was having a heart attack?”
“She thought he was exaggerating.”
I closed my eyes.
It sounded exactly like Diane.
“What does this have to do with the payments?”
“Richard had prepared documents creating a trust for Noah. They weren’t finalized.”
“So Diane pays voluntarily?”
“Not exactly.”
Claire explained that after Richard’s death, she told Diane she would disclose everything about the forged accounts unless Diane honored what Richard intended for Noah.
I stood slowly.
“You blackmailed her.”
Claire didn’t deny it.
“I protected my son.”
“With threats.”
“Yes.”
I paced the room.
“You made it sound like you were completely innocent.”
“I was innocent of what Michael did to me.”
“But not this.”
“No.”
I appreciated the admission even while it angered me.
“How much has Diane paid?”
“Two thousand a month.”
“That doesn’t explain four hundred thousand dollars of debt.”
“No.”
“Then what does?”
“I don’t know.”
I believed her this time.
Claire continued.
“There’s something else.”
I almost laughed.
“There always is.”
“Richard left a ledger.”
“What kind?”
“A handwritten record of loans and payments.”
“Where is it?”
“Diane took it the night he died.”
“How do you know?”
“I saw her.”
“Does Michael know?”
“Yes.”
I stopped pacing.
“Then why hasn’t he mentioned it?”
“Because the ledger probably proves Richard wasn’t acting alone.”
My stomach dropped.
“Michael.”
“And possibly others.”
I thought of Kevin.
Lauren.
Raymond Pike.
Family dinners full of people who would not meet my eyes.
“Do you have proof?”
“No.”
I ended the call feeling more alone than before.
Claire had helped me.
Claire had also lied by omission.
Michael had lied.
Lauren had lied.
My mother had withheld things.
Diane treated truth like a weapon she alone was allowed to use.
I needed facts.
That night, Rebecca called.
“We found something.”
I sat at Marissa’s kitchen table.
“What?”
“Pike Financial has run credit inquiries connected to you twice in the past year.”
My mouth went dry.
“I didn’t authorize them.”
“I didn’t think so.”
“Can they do that?”
“Not legally without a permissible purpose or authorization.”
I rubbed my forehead.
“There’s more, isn’t there?”
“Yes.”
Rebecca paused.
“Your sister is listed as an employee consultant for Pike Financial.”
I stopped breathing.
“What?”
“She has been paid monthly for at least eight months.”
Lauren had never mentioned working for Raymond.
She told me her only job was managing rental properties.
Rebecca continued.
“I need you to be very careful now.”
“I will.”
“Do not meet Lauren alone.”
“I won’t.”
I ended the call.
Then I noticed three missed calls from my mother.
The fourth came immediately.
I answered.
“Sarah, I’m at Lauren’s apartment.”
My mother sounded frightened.
“What happened?”
“She’s gone.”
“What do you mean?”
“Her closets are empty.”
I stood.
“Maybe she left for a few days.”
“No.”
Mom’s breathing quickened.
“Her landlord is here.”
“What landlord?”
“He says she moved out two weeks ago.”
I gripped the counter.
“Where has she been staying?”
“That’s why I called you.”
My mother started crying.
“He said she moved to Oak Brook.”
The secret apartment.
I closed my eyes.
Then Mom whispered, “Sarah, I found something in her mailbox.”
“What?”
“A hospital bill.”
I waited.
“It’s from an obstetric clinic.”
My stomach twisted.
May you like
Mom’s next words barely came out.
“Lauren is pregnant.”
