Chương 14
She knew where every document lived because she was usually the person who put it there.
“She hated Lucas,” I said.
Daniel corrected me.
“She distrusted him.”
“She once told me he was turning the company into a laboratory experiment.”
“That sounds like Marlene.”
“Would she steal six million dollars?”
“I have no idea.”
Samantha asked, “Did she have any relationship with Elliot Mercer?”
Daniel stopped.
“I don’t know.”
“Check without contacting her.”
“I can search company email metadata.”
“Do that.”
The call ended.
My daughter made a tiny squeaking noise.
I looked down.
Her fist had escaped the blanket.
I offered my little finger.
She closed her hand around it with surprising force.
“You have terrible timing,” I told her.
Samantha smiled.
“She may disagree.”
My phone buzzed again.
This time the caller was my father.
I stared at his name.
Samantha saw it.
“You do not have to answer.”
“I know.”
The ringing continued.
My daughter held my finger.
I thought about Lucas writing that I would confront Charles too quickly.
I thought about spending my entire life either obeying my father or rebelling against him fast enough to prove I was not obeying.
Both reactions still let him choose the rhythm.
I declined the call.
Thirty seconds later, a voicemail appeared.
Samantha looked at me.
“Your choice.”
I pressed play.
Charles’s voice filled the room.
He sounded tired rather than angry.
“Victoria, I know what this looks like.”
He paused.
“I did things I should have told you about.”
Another pause.
“But I did not kill Lucas.”
My whole body went cold.
Samantha reached for the phone.
I pulled it away.
The message continued.
“And if anyone has told you his accident was only an accident, do not believe them.”
The voicemail ended, and for several seconds neither Samantha nor I moved.
My daughter stirred against my chest, unaware that her grandfather had just turned the worst day of my life into something darker.
“Call Harrison,” I said.
Samantha already had her phone in her hand.
The deputy answered on the third ring.
She told him exactly what Charles had said and nothing more.
There was a pause while Harrison spoke.
Samantha’s face tightened.
“What?”
She held up one finger.
Then she said, “Yes, preserve the voicemail.”
Another pause.
“No, Victoria is not leaving the hospital.”
When she ended the call, I was waiting.
“Harrison says Charles made a similar statement during the interview.”
“What statement?”
“That Lucas’s crash may not have been accidental.”
My skin went cold.
“Why didn’t he say that three weeks ago?”
“That is the obvious question.”
“And?”
“He said he didn’t have proof.”
“That didn’t stop him from accusing Lucas of fraud.”
Samantha looked at me carefully.
“He claims he received an anonymous message the morning after the accident telling him to stop asking questions about North Harbor.”
“Anonymous how?”
“Encrypted email forwarded to a private account.”
“Does Harrison have it?”
“Charles says he deleted it.”
I laughed once.
“Of course he did.”
My daughter made a soft sound and opened her mouth against the blanket.
The nurse had shown me how to position her, but my hands suddenly felt clumsy.
Samantha noticed.
“Want help?”
“No.”
The answer came too fast.
Then I shook my head.
“Yes.”
She stood and awkwardly helped adjust the pillow under my elbow.
Neither of us knew what we were doing.
My daughter apparently did not care.
She settled against me again.
“You should call her something,” Samantha said.
“I know.”
Lucas and I had chosen a name two months earlier.
We had argued about middle names in the grocery store beside a display of canned beans because that was where married people apparently made permanent decisions.
I had wanted Rose after my mother.
Lucas had wanted June because he said Rose appeared in every family tree in America.
We had compromised on Clara June Gallagher.
I looked down at her.
“Clara.”
Samantha smiled.
“Clara.”
The name made Lucas feel present and absent at the same time.
My phone rang again.
This time it was Deputy Harrison.
I answered.
“Mrs. Gallagher, I need to ask you something about your husband’s accident.”
The word husband punched deeper now that Clara existed in the room.
“Okay.”
“Did Lucas usually drive the company SUV?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“He hated it.”
“Why?”
“He said it handled like a refrigerator.”
Harrison made a small sound that might have been a laugh.
“What did he usually drive?”
“His Subaru.”
“Was there a reason he took the company SUV that day?”
I searched the morning of the accident.
Lucas had left before dawn.
I had been half asleep.
He kissed my forehead.
He said he was taking the bigger car because he had equipment to bring back.
“What equipment?”
Harrison asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Did he say where he was going?”
“Utica first, then Syracuse.”
“Was that normal?”
“Yes.”
“Mrs. Gallagher, the company SUV was serviced two days before the crash.”
My stomach tightened.
“What kind of service?”
“Brake inspection.”
I looked at Samantha.
She moved closer.
“Was there a problem?”
Harrison hesitated.
“The original accident report lists brake failure as a possible contributing factor.”
“I was told he lost control in the rain.”
“That was the preliminary conclusion.”
“So which is it?”
“We’re reopening parts of the investigation.”
The room seemed to tilt.
“Because of my father?”
“Because of several new facts.”
“What facts?”
“I can’t discuss everything yet.”
“Then discuss something.”
He sighed.
“The mechanic who serviced the SUV says the brake system was functioning when it left his shop.”
“That does not mean someone sabotaged it.”
“No.”
“Did you find sabotage?”
“We found that a brake line showed damage inconsistent with ordinary wear.”
My hand went numb around the phone.
Samantha reached for Clara without asking.
I let her.
“Cut?”
I asked.
“Possibly.”
“Possibly?”
“We need an automotive forensic examination.”
I closed my eyes.
“Who had access to the vehicle?”
May you like
“That is what we are working on.”
I thought of the company garage.
