Chương 9
“Did she?”
“I don’t know.”
“You didn’t check?”
“I live three hours away.”
Claire sounded defensive now.
“She never came.”
Mina heard traffic on Claire’s end and guessed she was already driving.
“What exactly did she tell you about the attorney?”
“That someone at Mercer Capital had been moving client money through accounts that didn’t make sense.”
“Thomas?”
“She never said.”
“Daniel?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
“I told you, I don’t know.”
Claire exhaled hard.
“She was trying to verify it before she accused anyone.”
Mina leaned back against the seat.
Evelyn had never mentioned Mercer Capital to her except to complain about dinners where everyone discussed numbers over food until the food went cold.
“What made her suspicious?”
“A client called the house.”
“When?”
“About a month ago.”
“Why would a client call the house?”
“He couldn’t get anyone at the office to answer him.”
Claire paused.
“He told Evelyn a withdrawal had been made from an account after his wife died.”
Mina looked down at her injured hand.
“What kind of withdrawal?”
“I don’t know.”
“He called Evelyn instead of Daniel?”
“He knew her father-in-law.”
“So what did she do?”
“She started asking questions.”
That sounded like Evelyn too.
Not because she was fearless.
Because she hated being told not to worry about something.
Mina said, “Did she tell Daniel?”
“Eventually.”
“And?”
“He told her it was probably an administrative mistake.”
“Did she believe him?”
“No.”
“Did he?”
Claire went quiet.
“I don’t know.”
The distinction mattered.
Mina started the car.
This time her hands were steadier.
“Text me when you get to the hospital.”
“Mina.”
“Yes?”
“If Evelyn wakes up, don’t let anyone pressure her before she can speak to somebody independent.”
Mina looked at the windshield.
“Independent from whom?”
Claire did not answer quickly.
“Everyone.”
The call ended.
Mina drove.
At the first red light, she realized she was still wearing the bright orange uniform.
It looked absurd against the dark interior of Evelyn’s car.
People in the next lane glanced over.
One man looked twice at the dried blood on her sleeve.
She turned her face toward the light.
Her phone buzzed again.
Daniel.
She let it ring until she could pull into a pharmacy parking lot.
“What happened?”
His voice was lower now.
“They stabilized her blood pressure.”
“That’s good.”
“They think she was heavily sedated.”
Mina closed her eyes.
“Did they say with what?”
“Not yet.”
“Can they test?”
“They’re testing everything.”
Daniel swallowed audibly.
“They said some drugs clear quickly.”
“Did you tell them about the prescriptions?”
“Yes.”
“And what Thomas said?”
“Yes.”
“What did they say?”
“That they’re documenting it.”
He sounded irritated by the answer.
Mina understood.
He wanted someone to tell him what had happened.
Doctors were giving him measurements.
Police would give him procedures.
Nobody was giving him certainty.
“Claire called me,” Mina said.
Daniel went silent.
“She knows Evelyn is alive.”
“Of course she does.”
“There’s already video online.”
“Of course there is.”
He sounded exhausted now.
“She told me Evelyn was supposed to go to Chicago.”
Silence.
Daniel said, “With Claire.”
“You knew?”
“I knew she had a trip.”
“For an attorney?”
“No.”
Mina waited.
Daniel added, “She said it was personal.”
“Did you believe her?”
“No.”
“What did you think?”
“That she was meeting someone.”
Mina looked across the parking lot at a woman loading bottled water into an SUV.
“You thought she was having an affair.”
“Yes.”
“Was she?”
“I don’t know.”
He laughed bitterly.
“That’s the humiliating answer.”
“Did you confront her?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“The night she collapsed.”
Mina sat straighter.
“What did she say?”
“That I was missing the point.”
“Meaning?”
“She said she was leaving because I didn’t trust her.”
Daniel stopped.
“Which was difficult to argue with while accusing her of sleeping with someone.”
Mina said nothing.
“I followed her downstairs.”
His voice grew flatter.
“She opened the pantry drawer.”
Mina’s fingers tightened around the phone.
“The medication drawer?”
“Yes.”
“What did she take?”
“I don’t know.”
“You were there.”
“She put something in her mouth.”
“What?”
“I thought it was one of the migraine pills.”
“How many?”
“One.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
“Then what happened?”
“She told me to move.”
“From the hallway?”
“Yes.”
“Did you?”
“Eventually.”
Mina stared at the dashboard.
“How long is eventually?”
“Maybe a minute.”
“That’s a long time when someone is trying to leave.”
“I know.”
The immediate answer disarmed her.
Daniel continued before she could speak.
“I grabbed the suitcase.”
“Thomas said you did.”
“I did.”
“Did you grab Evelyn?”
“No.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
Another pause.
“I caught her sleeve.”
Mina closed her eyes.
“That’s not the same answer.”
“I know.”
“What happened?”
“She pulled away.”
“Did she fall?”
“No.”
“Did she hit her head?”
“No.”
“Daniel.”
“She didn’t.”
His voice broke with frustration.
“I swear to you.”
Mina breathed out slowly.
“Then how did she end up unconscious?”
“I don’t know.”
“Where were you when she took the pill?”
“In the kitchen.”
“And Thomas?”
“He wasn’t there.”
“You didn’t see him.”
“No.”
“Those aren’t the same thing.”
Daniel was silent.
Mina heard an announcement through the hospital speakers.
Then he said, “I keep replaying it.”
“Don’t.”
“I can’t stop.”
“I know.”
“She went toward the back door.”
“And?”
“I went upstairs.”
“Why?”
“To get my phone.”
“Because you couldn’t find it before?”
“No.”
He paused.
“I wanted to call Claire.”
Mina frowned.
“Why?”
“To ask if Evelyn was really going there.”
“You were checking her story.”
“Yes.”
“Did you call?”
“No.”
“What stopped you?”
“I heard something downstairs.”
“The fall.”
“Yes.”
Mina looked at the time on the dashboard.
“Then you came down.”
“Yes.”
“And Thomas was already there.”
Silence.
Mina gripped the steering wheel.
“Daniel.”
“Yes.”
“How could he already be there?”
“I don’t know.”
“Was the back door locked?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did Evelyn open it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Could Thomas have come in through the garage?”
“Yes.”
“Did he have the code?”
“Yes.”
May you like
Mina’s mouth went dry.
“What did he say when you saw him?”
