Chương 11
Claire picked at a loose thread on her coat sleeve.
“I told him I had plans with the girls.”
“He stayed?”
“He said he’d only be ten minutes.”
“How long?”
“Two hours.”
Alexander’s expression hardened.
Claire noticed.
“I let him.”
“You were trying not to make a scene.”
“I was trying not to admit I had made a mistake.”
That answer was quieter.
More important.
Alexander waited.
Claire continued.
“I had told the girls he was nice.”
She swallowed.
“I had told Emma to give him a chance because she was rude the first time she met him.”
Alexander looked at the purple mitten on the floor.
“When did Emma stop liking him?”
“Before I did.”
Claire’s voice broke slightly.
“She said he talked about me like I was one of his employees.”
Alexander looked back at her.
“What did you say?”
“I told her she was being disrespectful.”
The words hurt her as she said them.
Claire pressed her palm against her forehead.
“I grounded her for talking back.”
Alexander did not offer comfort.
Not yet.
Claire looked at him.
“You can say it.”
“Say what?”
“That she was right.”
“She was.”
Claire closed her eyes.
Alexander continued.
“And you were still her mother.”
“That doesn’t excuse it.”
“No.”
“I hate that she saw him clearly before I did.”
“That is not unusual.”
“Please don’t turn this into a tactical lesson.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“You were thinking about it.”
“I was thinking that children sometimes see behavior without needing to protect their own pride.”
Claire looked at him.
“That was definitely a tactical lesson.”
“It may have escaped.”
She smiled faintly.
Then the smile disappeared.
“They asked whether I had deleted any messages.”
“Had you?”
“One.”
Alexander’s attention sharpened.
Claire saw it.
“It was months ago.”
“What was it?”
“He sent me something after the kiss.”
“What?”
Claire looked out the side window.
“A picture.”
Alexander waited.
Her face tightened.
“Not sexual.”
He did not react.
“Just us.”
“From where?”
“A charity dinner.”
“Who took it?”
“Somebody from work.”
“And why did you delete it?”
“Because I looked happy.”
Alexander understood.
Not evidence destroyed.
Evidence that felt disloyal to the story she needed now.
“I told counsel.”
“Good.”
“They asked if I could recover it.”
“Can you?”
“Probably from cloud backup.”
“Then do that.”
Claire gave him a tired look.
“There’s the colonel.”
“Occupational damage.”
“They also asked for every message between us.”
“That makes sense.”
“I know.”
“And you hate it.”
“Yes.”
Her voice became sharper.
“They get to inspect every stupid joke, every dinner plan, every message where I flirted back, and then decide exactly when I became credible.”
Alexander looked at her.
“That is not necessarily what they are deciding.”
“It’s what it feels like.”
He nodded.
“That matters too.”
Claire stared at him.
“You’re getting better at this.”
“At what?”
“Not correcting the emotional part with the procedural part.”
“I had excellent breakfast training.”
She laughed quietly.
Then her phone buzzed.
Claire looked down.
Her face changed before she opened the message.
Alexander saw the sender name.
Richard.
“Don’t open it while driving,” he said.
Claire stared at him.
“We are parked.”
“I was attempting normal advice.”
“That was terrible.”
“Open it or don’t.”
Claire hesitated.
Then she tapped the screen.
Alexander watched her read.
“What?”
She handed him the phone.
The message was short.
I heard what you did.
There is still time to stop this before people get hurt.
Alexander read it twice.
His first impulse was immediate and useless.
Call him.
His second was worse.
Find him.
He handed the phone back.
“Do not respond.”
Claire nodded.
Then the phone vibrated again.
Another message.
Ask your colonel friend whether he plans to be around when your company closes.
Claire’s face drained of color.
Alexander felt something inside him go very still.
“He knows who you are,” she whispered.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“He heard my name in the café.”
“No.”
Claire looked at him.
“He knows you’re still involved.”
Alexander read the second message again.
Claire’s breathing shortened.
“He’s watching me.”
“Maybe.”
“That is not reassuring.”
“I’m not trying to reassure you with something we don’t know.”
She gripped the phone.
Alexander looked toward the concrete pillars, the ramps, the rows of parked cars.
No obvious observer.
That meant nothing.
He looked back at Claire.
“Did you tell anyone I was coming here?”
“No.”
“Did you message me from your personal phone?”
“Yes.”
“Does Mercer have access to it?”
“No.”
“Shared account?”
“No.”
“Family location app?”
“The girls have one.”
“Is he connected?”
“No.”
Claire frowned.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“He bought Sophie a tablet for Christmas.”
Alexander looked at her.
“You kept it?”
“Not after we ended things.”
“Where is it?”
“At home.”
“Turned on?”
“I don’t know.”
Claire’s eyes widened.
“He set it up.”
Alexander reached for his phone.
Then stopped.
He was not a digital forensics specialist.
Knowing enough to be suspicious was not the same as knowing enough to be right.
“Call Daniels.”
Claire blinked.
“Why?”
“Ask whether Mercer was told you were meeting counsel today.”
She dialed.
Daniels answered on the fourth ring.
Claire put him on speaker.
“Claire?”
“Did you tell Richard about this morning’s meeting?”
A pause.
“No.”
“Did anyone?”
“I don’t know.”
“Who knew?”
“Me, counsel, HR, two board members.”
Alexander looked at Claire.
“Ask whether Mercer’s firm was notified of your leave.”
Claire repeated the question.
Daniels hesitated.
“They were informed we were conducting an internal review.”
“When?”
“About forty minutes ago.”
Claire and Alexander looked at each other.
Alexander checked the time.
That explained part of it.
Not the reference to him.
Claire asked, “Did you mention Colonel Hayes?”
“No.”
“Did anyone?”
“Not that I know of.”
Daniels sounded more alert now.
“Why?”
Claire read the two messages aloud.
Silence followed.
Then Daniels said, “Send screenshots to counsel.”
“And Claire.”
“What?”
“Do not meet Richard.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“I mean it.”
Claire’s expression hardened.
“I heard you.”
Daniels exhaled.
“Sorry.”
May you like
“No, you’re not.”
Another pause.
