Chương 13
“Did he threaten you?”
“Not directly.”
“Oh my God.”
Her shock sounded real.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then she said, “Mom told him not to let you leave, didn’t she?”
The question chilled me.
“How did you know?”
“Because she used to do that with Dad.”
My stomach dropped.
“What?”
“When they fought.”
Lauren’s voice flattened.
“She’d stand between him and the garage door or tell David to hide his keys so he couldn’t drive away.”
I sat down.
Megan pulled out the chair beside me.
“How old were you?”
“Thirteen, fourteen.”
“And David?”
“Seventeen.”
“Did he hide the keys?”
A long pause.
“Yes.”
I looked at the box of his belongings by the wall.
For him, this morning might not have felt like an unprecedented act.
It might have felt familiar.
Normal, even.
That did not excuse it.
But suddenly I could see the shape of the behavior extending backward through years I had never witnessed.
“Lauren, I need the cousin’s name.”
She whispered, “I know.”
“Please.”
Another long silence.
Then she gave it to me.
“Marcus Vale.”
I wrote it down.
“He works at the Northfield branch?”
“Yes.”
“What does he do?”
“Teller, I think.”
“Anything else I should know?”
Lauren breathed shakily.
“Mom has been telling people for months that your condo will belong to the family after the wedding.”
I stared at the wall.
“She said that?”
“Yes.”
“To who?”
“Everybody.”
“What does everybody mean?”
“Aunts, cousins, Dad.”
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“Because we thought it was her talking.”
“She had documents.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“You knew she was planning my property.”
“I knew she was fantasizing.”
“You didn’t think that mattered?”
Her voice sharpened again.
“Do you want me to say I should’ve warned you?”
“Yes.”
“Fine.”
She swallowed.
“I should’ve warned you.”
The anger went out of me almost immediately.
Not because she had apologized.
Because the apology sounded miserable.
“What else?”
“She kept saying David finally made one good financial decision.”
I felt sick.
“What did that mean?”
“I thought it meant marrying someone responsible.”
“You thought?”
“Yes.”
“And now?”
Lauren started crying.
Very quietly.
“I don’t know what any of it means now.”
I looked at Megan.
She was staring at the table.
“Lauren, did David ever say anything about marrying me because of money?”
“No.”
“Ever?”
“No.”
“That’s important.”
“I know.”
“Don’t protect him.”
“I’m not.”
“Don’t protect me either.”
“I’m not.”
The words came out angry.
Then softer, she added, “David loved you.”
Loved.
Past tense.
Neither of us corrected it.
“What about Brenda?”
“She loved the idea of you.”
“That isn’t the same.”
“No.”
“What idea?”
Lauren gave a shaky breath.
“Stability.”
I almost laughed.
“Meaning money.”
“Meaning you had everything our family pretends it has.”
I looked around my condo.
The tightened hinges.
The bagels.
The boxes.
My new locks.
Everything ordinary had become evidence of something.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“Rachel.”
“Yes?”
“If Mom finds out I gave you Marcus’s name, she’ll come after me.”
I believed her.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Nothing.”
“That’s not realistic.”
“I know.”
“Do you want me to keep your name out of what I tell the bank if I can?”
She hesitated.
“Yes.”
“I can say I received a personal lead.”
“Thank you.”
“I can’t promise investigators won’t trace it back.”
“I know.”
There was a pause.
Then Lauren said, “David is going to call you again.”
“I assumed.”
“He’s at Dad’s.”
“How do you know?”
“Dad texted me.”
“What’s he doing?”
“Apparently Mom is there too.”
Of course she was.
“Are they fighting?”
“I think so.”
“About what?”
Lauren gave a tired laugh.
“You.”
I looked at the rain moving down the window.
“No.”
“What?”
“They’re fighting about themselves.”
Lauren went quiet.
Then she whispered, “Maybe they finally are.”
We ended the call.
I immediately emailed Elena only the necessary information.
Potential connection to Northfield employee Marcus Vale.
Possible social contact between employee’s extended family and Brenda Mercer.
Please route to compliance.
I did not mention Lauren.
I did not mention Eric.
I sent it and closed the laptop.
Megan watched me.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“Good answer.”
I leaned back in the chair.
For the first time all day, I did not try to make myself feel better.
I just sat there.
At six forty-three, Elena replied.
Thank you.
Compliance already has Marcus Vale under review.
My stomach dropped.
Below that was a second sentence.
Rachel, do not contact him.
There was no third sentence.
There did not need to be.
I turned the laptop toward Megan.
She read the message.
“Oh.”
“Yes.”
“So Lauren wasn’t guessing.”
“No.”
My phone buzzed again.
David.
This time the message was different.
Not angry.
Not defensive.
Please talk to me before the police do.
I stared at it.
Then another arrived.
Mom lied to me too.
I did not answer.
Thirty seconds later, a third message appeared.
I found out what she did with the $2,850.
My thumb hovered over the screen.
Then the final message came through.
Rachel, she wasn’t saving it for the wedding.
I read the last sentence three times before opening the message thread.
“What did she do with it?” I typed.
David’s answer came almost immediately.
Paid off Lauren’s credit card.
I looked across the kitchen at Megan.
She saw my face and put down her chopsticks.
“What?”
I turned the phone toward her.
She read the message.
“Lauren knew?”
“I don’t know.”
David sent another message.
Lauren didn’t ask for it.
Mom told me it was a vendor deposit.
Then:
Dad found the statement.
I called Lauren before I could talk myself out of it.
She answered sounding exhausted.
“Please tell me you didn’t tell Mom.”
“I haven’t spoken to her.”
“Okay.”
“Did Brenda pay your credit card?”
Silence.
Then Lauren whispered, “What?”
“Two thousand eight hundred fifty dollars.”
“No.”
“David says she did.”
“No, she didn’t.”
“Check.”
“I would know.”
“Would you?”
May you like
That stopped her.
I heard movement, then a drawer opening.
