Chapter 1 - The Name Daniel Knew

The man on my recording wasn't the worst surprise.

The worst surprise was that Daniel knew his name before Richard did.

The room was still full of gasps when Daniel whispered, "Victor."

His father turned slowly. "What did you say?"

Daniel's face drained white.

I held my phone tighter. "Who is Victor?"

Nobody answered me.

Then Richard did. "Victor Hale is my company's chief financial officer. He has handled our books for nineteen years."

Evelyn made a small sound in her throat. Not a scream this time. Fear.

That told me more than any confession could.

I tapped the screen and replayed the last ten seconds of the recording. Evelyn's voice came first, low and nervous.

"Once Claire looks like a thief, nobody will believe anything she says about the transfers."

Then the man's voice.

"Five hundred is enough to start. After that, Daniel takes the hit for the rest."

Richard grabbed the back of a chair.

"The rest of what?" he asked.

Evelyn shook her head so hard her earrings flashed. "It's fake. She edited it. She hates me. She's been trying to turn everyone against me since the wedding."

I laughed once. No humor in it.

"You just pulled me across a kitchen floor by my hair, and somehow I'm the dangerous one?"

Daniel flinched.

Good. I wanted him to.

His brother, Eric, stepped away from the wall and looked at him. "You knew Mom was talking to Victor?"

Daniel swallowed. "I knew they talked. I didn't know this."

"That isn't what Claire asked," Richard said.

Daniel stared at the floor.

My chest went cold.

"Daniel. How long have you known?"

Before he could answer, my phone buzzed in my hand.

Unknown number.

A text message appeared.

YOU SHOULD HAVE KEPT WASHING DISHES.

I looked toward the windows.

A dark sedan sat across the street with its lights off.

Then another message came.

DELETE THE RECORDING, CLAIRE.

OR YOUR HUSBAND GOES TO PRISON TONIGHT.

I raised my eyes to Daniel.

He looked terrified.

Not confused.

Terrified.

And that was when I understood: whatever Evelyn had been hiding, my husband was already standing inside it.

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