Chương 7
Claire looked through the window.
“This is your headquarters?”
“One of them.”
“It looks like an accounting firm.”
“That is intentional.”
The elevator opened directly into a private reception area.
A young receptionist behind a walnut desk stood when Alexander entered.
She saw Claire.
Then the girls.
Her professional expression struggled.
“Good morning, Mr. Hayes.”
“Morning, Nina.”
Lily waved.
Nina waved back before remembering herself.
Alexander noticed.
So did Lily.
“Do you have snacks?”
Claire said, “Lily.”
Nina glanced at Alexander.
He nodded.
“We have granola bars, crackers, and something Marcus bought that claims to be cheese.”
Marcus entered behind them.
“It is cheese.”
Nina said, “It does not require refrigeration.”
“That does not make it fake.”
“It has a shelf life longer than I do.”
Sophie whispered, “I want to try it.”
Claire gave her a horrified look.
“No.”
Marcus pointed toward the hallway.
“See, someone appreciates me.”
Alexander walked them through the reception area.
Men in suits lowered their voices when he passed.
Two stopped speaking entirely.
A woman carrying a stack of folders stepped aside too quickly and nearly dropped them.
Claire noticed everything.
The girls noticed almost nothing.
They were more interested in a large abstract painting beside the conference room.
Grace tilted her head.
“What is that?”
Alexander looked at it.
“I don’t know.”
“You bought it.”
“That doesn’t mean I understand it.”
Emma said, “It looks like a bird got mad.”
Alexander considered the painting.
“That is better than the explanation the gallery gave me.”
They reached his office.
It was large but not ostentatious, with dark wood, a long wall of windows, two leather chairs, and a low bookshelf containing more actual books than visitors expected.
A framed photograph sat near the edge of the desk.
Claire noticed it first.
A teenage boy stood beside Alexander at a baseball game, holding a paper tray of nachos and squinting at the sun.
“Your son?”
Alexander looked at the photograph.
“Yes.”
“How old?”
“Seventeen.”
Lily walked over.
“Is he a criminal too?”
Claire made a strangled sound.
Marcus leaned against the doorframe.
Alexander looked at Lily.
“No.”
“Does he want to be?”
“No.”
“How do you know?”
“Because he wants to study architecture.”
Lily thought about that.
“He can still become a criminal later.”
Marcus covered his mouth.
Alexander pointed toward the hallway.
“Go away.”
“I’m leaving.”
Marcus stepped out.
His shoulders were shaking.
Claire pressed her lips together.
“You are all enjoying this too much.”
Grace climbed onto one of the leather chairs.
Emma stood near the window.
Sophie found the bookshelf.
Lily remained beside Alexander’s desk studying the photograph.
Claire placed her portfolio on the second chair and finally took a full breath.
Alexander watched some of the tension leave her shoulders.
Not all of it.
Enough to be visible.
Her phone rang.
Michael.
She answered immediately.
“What did you find?”
Everyone became still.
Claire listened.
Her face changed slowly.
“What do you mean there’s nothing?”
Alexander stepped closer.
She turned away from him.
“The lobby camera, then.”
A pause.
“What?”
Her fingers tightened around the phone.
“No, that doesn’t make sense.”
Emma moved nearer.
Claire’s voice dropped.
“Michael, the camera was working yesterday morning.”
Another pause.
Alexander held out his hand.
Claire shook her head.
He lowered it.
She listened another ten seconds.
“Send me whatever you have.”
Michael said something.
“No.”
Her eyes moved to Alexander.
“I’m not alone.”
Another pause.
“I said no.”
Then she ended the call.
Alexander waited.
Claire stared at the screen.
“The hallway camera outside my apartment stopped recording at six twelve last night.”
“What time did Mercer arrive?”
Grace answered.
“After seven.”
Claire looked at her.
“About seven twenty.”
Alexander turned to Grace.
“How do you know?”
“Jeopardy was on.”
Claire looked surprised.
“You hate Jeopardy.”
“Mrs. DeLuca likes it.”
Alexander nodded.
“And the lobby?”
Claire swallowed.
“Same problem.”
Marcus had returned silently during the call.
Now he stood inside the doorway.
“Both cameras?”
Claire nodded.
“Michael says the building manager thinks the system lost connection.”
Marcus looked at Alexander.
Alexander looked back.
Neither needed to say anything.
Claire saw the exchange.
“What?”
Marcus pushed away from the doorframe.
“Could be a coincidence.”
“You don’t believe that.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
Alexander walked to his desk.
“Did your brother send the footage?”
“He’s sending the system logs.”
“Good.”
“For what?”
“To see whether it was an outage or someone disabled the feeds.”
Claire’s eyes narrowed.
“And how exactly are you going to determine that?”
Alexander looked at Marcus.
Marcus said, “Legally.”
Claire folded her arms.
“Try again.”
Marcus sighed.
“We have a security consultant.”
“Who?”
“Nathan Cole.”
“Is that a real person or the name you give police?”
Marcus looked offended.
“He has a LinkedIn.”
Claire stared.
Marcus added, “A very boring LinkedIn.”
Alexander picked up the office phone.
“Have Nathan come upstairs.”
Nina acknowledged him.
Claire shook her head.
“You really do just order people around.”
“Usually.”
“Does anyone ever tell you no?”
Marcus raised one finger.
Alexander looked at him.
Marcus lowered it.
Claire noticed.
“I see.”
Alexander sat behind his desk.
“Your brother may need to authorize access to the logs.”
“He already sent them to me.”
“That helps.”
“It also means he believes Grace now.”
Grace looked down.
Claire’s expression softened.
She crossed the office and crouched beside her daughter.
“Hey.”
Grace stared at the arm of the chair.
“I’m sorry Uncle Michael said that.”
Grace shrugged.
“You believed me.”
Claire hesitated.
The hesitation was tiny.
Grace saw it anyway.
Children saw the pauses adults hoped they missed.
Claire sat on the edge of the chair.
“I should have asked you more questions this morning.”
“You were busy.”
“That isn’t an excuse.”
Grace picked at a loose thread on her coat.
“Are you mad?”
“At you?”
“No.”
Grace looked toward the door.
“At him.”
Claire’s mouth tightened.
“Yes.”
Grace nodded as if that answer was safer than reassurance.
Alexander looked away.
May you like
His phone buzzed.
This time it was Ethan.
