Chương 3
Evelyn nodded once.
The hallway lights hummed above them.
A man carrying a bouquet of grocery-store carnations came around the corner, saw their faces, and quietly turned toward the elevators instead.
Daniel unfolded the email again.
“Who paid him?”
“I don’t know.”
“You said you saw what he was paid.”
“I saw transfers.”
“From who?”
“A holding company.”
“That means nothing.”
“I know.”
“Then why did you come in there acting like you had the entire story?”
Evelyn flinched.
“I didn’t.”
“You hit her.”
“I know.”
“You accused her of lying to this family.”
“She did lie.”
“You don’t know why.”
“No.”
Daniel pressed both palms against his eyes.
For a second he saw the inside of his eyelids glowing red.
When he lowered his hands, Evelyn had sagged against the vending machine as if whatever had held her upright was beginning to fail.
“Did you call anyone before coming here?”
“No.”
“Did you call a lawyer?”
“No.”
“Did you call whoever manages Dad’s estate records?”
“No.”
“Did you contact this Caleb person?”
“No.”
“So you found some files, drove to the hospital, and assaulted my wife.”
Evelyn looked down.
“Yes.”
The simplicity of the answer left him with nowhere to put his anger.
Rachel opened the door again.
“Mr. Carter, you can come in now.”
Daniel folded the papers into quarters and shoved them into the pocket of his scrubs.
His mother noticed.
“Daniel.”
“Go home.”
“There are copies.”
“Good.”
“I’m not threatening you.”
“I know.”
He looked at her then.
“I just don’t know what you’re doing anymore.”
Evelyn closed her eyes.
“Neither do I.”
Daniel followed Rachel into the room.
Maya had shifted higher against the pillows.
Someone had placed a cold pack against the side of her face, and she held it there with two fingers.
Their son still slept in the bassinet.
The absurdity of that peaceful sleep almost made Daniel laugh.
Maya watched him cross the room.
“You know the name now.”
It was not a question.
Daniel stopped beside the bed.
“Caleb Mercer.”
Her eyes closed.
The movement was small, but it answered more than anything she could have said.
Rachel stood near the foot of the bed.
“Maya, do you want me to stay?”
Maya opened her eyes again and looked at Daniel.
“No.”
Rachel hesitated.
“I’ll be right outside.”
“Thank you.”
When the door clicked shut, Daniel pulled the visitor chair closer and sat.
He did not take Maya’s hand.
She noticed.
He noticed that she noticed.
For six years, they had known each other’s smallest changes in temperature.
Now neither of them moved.
“Who is Caleb Mercer?” Daniel asked.
Maya’s fingers tightened around the cold pack.
“He worked for a man named Thomas Vale.”
Daniel waited.
She swallowed.
“Vale ran a private investigations firm.”
“Ran?”
“He died two years ago.”
“And what did Caleb do for him?”
“Mostly field work.”
“That could mean anything.”
“Yes.”
“Maya.”
She looked at the bassinet.
“Finding people.”
Daniel felt something cold move through his chest.
“Finding me?”
“Yes.”
He stood so quickly the chair legs scraped across the floor.
The baby stirred.
Both of them froze.
Their son made a soft clicking sound with his tongue and settled again.
Daniel lowered his voice.
“Start again.”
“I don’t know where you want me to start.”
“Before you met me.”
Maya looked toward the window.
Daylight flattened the city beyond the glass into pale rectangles.
“I was twenty-four.”
“I know how old you were.”
“I’m trying.”
“Try faster.”
Her face changed.
Not dramatically.
Just enough for him to hear himself.
Daniel turned away and put one hand on the windowsill.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
He faced her.
“I’m sorry I snapped.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“No.”
Maya adjusted the cold pack.
The edge of the plastic crinkled.
“Thomas Vale was hired to locate you.”
“By who?”
“I never knew.”
Daniel laughed once.
It came out ugly.
“Convenient.”
“I knew you would say that.”
“Did you?”
“Yes.”
“Because we’ve rehearsed this conversation?”
“No.”
“Because you were always planning to tell me?”
Maya looked down.
“No.”
Daniel felt the answer land harder than the accusation.
“Okay.”
He sat again.
“Keep going.”
“I was working for Vale.”
Daniel stared at her.
“What?”
“I wasn’t an investigator.”
“You were photographed with Caleb.”
“I know.”
“You saw the picture?”
“Your mother showed me on her phone before she hit me.”
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“What did you do for Vale?”
“Administrative work at first.”
“At first.”
“Scheduling.”
“Maya.”
“Background searches.”
She took a breath.
“Public records.”
“You investigated people.”
“I helped investigators.”
“That’s the same thing with nicer wording.”
“It wasn’t the same thing to me then.”
“Why did Vale want me found?”
“I don’t know.”
Daniel stood again but forced himself to stay beside the chair.
“Stop saying that.”
“It’s true.”
“You knew enough to approach me.”
Maya’s eyes filled but the tears did not fall.
“I was supposed to confirm where you lived, where you worked, who you spent time with.”
“Why?”
“I wasn’t told.”
“And that didn’t bother you?”
“It did.”
“Not enough.”
“No.”
That answer hurt because she did not defend herself.
Daniel looked at the bassinet.
“Was the fundraiser planned?”
Maya did not answer immediately.
Daniel nodded to himself.
“Of course it was.”
“I knew you would be there.”
“Did you spill the drink on purpose?”
“No.”
He turned sharply.
She almost smiled.
The expression died before it formed.
“That part really was an accident.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“No.”
Daniel paced two steps and stopped because the room was too small.
His hand went to the back of his neck.
He had done that on their first date, Maya remembered.
He had been nervous about choosing a restaurant because she had mentioned once that she hated places where menus called fries pomme frites.
The memory arrived so naturally that it made her chest ache.
“We were supposed to meet casually,” she said.
“We?”
“Caleb and me.”
May you like
Daniel’s face hardened.
“He was there?”
