Chương 11
“Then hear her.”
“You just told me not to talk to people.”
“I told you not to confront her about evidence.”
“That seems like a distinction invented by lawyers.”
“It is.”
I hesitated.
“Can I record the call?”
“Your state’s consent law matters, and I am not giving you an offhand answer without checking the exact circumstances.”
“Fine.”
“If you take the call, assume nothing she says is automatically reliable.”
“I already do.”
“Good.”
I texted Claire.
Put her on.
The phone rang less than thirty seconds later.
I answered.
Nobody spoke.
Then Evelyn said, “Emily.”
Her voice sounded smaller than it had in the foyer.
“Evelyn.”
“I suppose you’re enjoying this.”
I almost hung up.
“You asked to speak to me.”
“Yes.”
“Then speak.”
She let out a sharp breath.
“You always did like giving orders.”
“Goodbye.”
“Wait.”
I stayed silent.
“I need you to understand something about Daniel.”
“I understand plenty.”
“No, you don’t.”
Her voice trembled, and for once I could not tell whether it was performance.
“You think he has been supporting me.”
“I know he has.”
“He hasn’t.”
I looked at the hotel wall.
“What do you mean?”
“The money was never for me.”
That answer was so unexpected I did not respond.
Evelyn continued.
“The ten thousand, yes.”
Her words came faster now.
“That was mine.”
“You seem very comfortable saying that.”
“You gave it willingly.”
“I gave it to Daniel for you.”
“Yes.”
“But the other transfers?”
Silence.
“Evelyn.”
“They weren’t mine.”
“Then what was EBR Holdings?”
Another silence.
Long enough that Rachel, still on my other line, sent me a text.
Do not fill the silence for her.
I obeyed.
Finally, Evelyn spoke.
“It was an account Daniel told me to open.”
My pulse quickened.
“Why?”
“He said the company needed somewhere temporary to move money.”
“Why would he need your company for that?”
“I didn’t ask.”
“That is difficult to believe.”
“I didn’t care.”
That, at least, sounded honest.
“What did you think the money was for?”
“Business.”
“What business?”
“Daniel’s.”
“That is not an answer.”
“It is the only one I have.”
“You let hundreds of thousands of dollars move through a company in your name without asking questions?”
Her voice hardened.
“You have no idea what I have done for that man.”
I nearly laughed.
“I have some idea.”
“No.”
She sounded suddenly tired.
“You only know the version where he rescues everyone.”
I sat very still.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying Daniel has always needed to be the one standing at the center.”
“That sounds like philosophy.”
“It isn’t.”
“Then give me facts.”
She was silent again.
I heard Claire somewhere in the background open a cabinet.
Then Evelyn said, “Three years ago, Brooks Development was already in trouble.”
I frowned.
“That’s not what Daniel told me.”
“I know.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I was there when the bank refused to increase his credit line.”
My hand tightened around the phone.
“When?”
“Before your wedding.”
I stopped breathing for a second.
“How long before?”
“Six weeks.”
The hotel room seemed suddenly too bright.
Daniel had proposed eleven months before the wedding.
We had bought the mansion four months before.
He had spent those months telling me his company was expanding.
“What happened after the bank refused?”
Evelyn’s voice lowered.
“He told me he had another way.”
“What way?”
“You.”
I closed my eyes.
“Be careful.”
“I am not insulting you.”
“You have spent three years insulting me.”
“I know.”
The admission startled me more than a denial would have.
“Then why should I believe you now?”
“You shouldn’t.”
For once, her answer came without hesitation.
“You should believe documents.”
I opened my eyes.
“What documents?”
“The ones in this folder.”
I stood.
“What is in it?”
“Copies of agreements Daniel had me sign.”
“What agreements?”
“Consulting agreements, reimbursement schedules, things I barely read.”
“Why do you have copies?”
“Because I stopped trusting him.”
“When?”
“Tonight.”
I almost laughed.
“That is convenient.”
“No.”
Her voice cracked.
“Tonight is when I stopped pretending I trusted him.”
I said nothing.
Then she added, “There is also something with your signature.”
Cold moved across my shoulders.
“What?”
“A guarantee.”
“I know about the guarantee.”
“No.”
Evelyn’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“I don’t think you know about this one.”
My fingers went numb around the phone.
“What does it say?”
“I don’t know exactly.”
“You just told me it has my signature.”
“It does.”
“Then read the first page.”
Evelyn was quiet.
Paper shifted near her.
Claire said something in the background that I could not make out.
Then Evelyn said, “It says personal guaranty.”
Rachel’s message appeared immediately on my screen.
Ask for date and lender.
“What date?”
Evelyn read it.
My stomach dropped.
The date was eleven months after the guarantee I remembered signing.
“Who is the lender?”
She gave me the name.
It was not the same bank.
I closed my eyes.
I had never done business with that lender.
“Turn to the signature page.”
More paper moved.
“There’s your name.”
“Printed?”
“Yes.”
“Signature?”
“Yes.”
“What does it look like?”
“What do you mean?”
“Does it look like mine?”
“I suppose.”
“That is not good enough.”
Evelyn snapped, “I am not a handwriting expert.”
For one absurd second, she sounded exactly like herself again.
Almost reassuring.
“Is there a notary block?”
“Yes.”
“Name?”
She read it.
Rachel texted again.
Do not react.
I did anyway.
The notary was someone I knew.
Not personally.
Professionally.
A woman named Denise Howard who had notarized documents for Brooks Development several times.
I had met her once at Daniel’s office Christmas party.
She had worn a blinking reindeer pin.
The memory arrived so vividly that I could see the green bulb flashing against her red sweater.
“Emily?” Evelyn said.
“I’m here.”
“What does this mean?”
“It means I need to see it.”
“Then come get it.”
“No.”
“Why?”
May you like
“Because I’m not coming to Claire’s apartment tonight.”
“You think I’m going to attack you?”
