[CHAPTER 10]
Margaret's bond was revoked.
She spent the next three weeks in county jail while prosecutors expanded the financial case.
Andrew hired a lawyer.
Then he started talking.
That frightened Margaret more than anything else.
According to Andrew, Margaret had asked him to reactivate her company access because she needed to “protect Daniel from Claire.”
She'd also paid him twenty thousand dollars over two years.
He claimed he didn't know where the money came from.
Nobody believed that either.
The accountants found another six hundred thousand dollars missing.
Then another three hundred thousand.
The total climbed past three million.
Almost the exact amount sitting in accounts that should have been protected for Daniel's descendants.
Sophie.
My five-year-old daughter.
The child Margaret claimed wasn't family.
One evening Thomas showed me the transaction history.
“She began accelerating withdrawals six months ago.”
“When she started questioning paternity.”
“Yes.”
“So she knew Sophie's birthday would trigger the audit.”
“Yes.”
I looked at the dates.
Then I saw something.
“What's this?”
A transfer had been made two days before the party.
$180,000.
Thomas frowned.
“That went into the Hale Consulting account.”
“Where did it go after?”
“Cashier's checks.”
“To whom?”
“We're tracing them.”
My phone vibrated.
Daniel.
I considered ignoring it.
Then answered.
“What's wrong?”
“Is Sophie with you?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“At Rachel's.”
“Don't leave.”
My body went cold.
“Why?”
“Someone just tried to pick her up from preschool.”
I stopped breathing.
“What?”
“The school called me.”
“Sophie isn't at preschool.”
“I know.”
She had stayed home because therapy ran late.
My knees nearly gave out.
“Who?”
“A woman gave the office a letter saying she was authorized by you.”
My hand shook.
“What woman?”
“They won't tell me.”
“Call Detective Grant.”
“I already did.”
I looked toward the living room.
Sophie sat on the floor coloring.
Safe.
For now.
Rachel saw my face.
“What happened?”
I covered the phone.
“Someone tried to pick up Sophie.”
Rachel went white.
Daniel continued.
“Claire, lock the doors.”
“They're locked.”
“Check the back.”
Rachel ran toward it.
“Daniel, Margaret is in jail.”
“I know.”
“So who did this?”
“I don't know.”
Ten minutes later, police cars filled Rachel's street.
The woman at the preschool had left before staff could detain her.
Security footage showed a middle-aged woman with dark hair.
Rachel didn't recognize her.
Neither did I.
Daniel did.
“That's Denise Porter.”
“Who?”
“My mother's house manager.”
I stared at the image.
Margaret's longtime employee.
The woman who organized parties.
Managed deliveries.
Knew Sophie's schedule.
“Where is she?”
Police went to her apartment.
Gone.
Her phone was disconnected.
Her car was missing.
Detective Grant found me in Rachel's kitchen.
“We've issued an alert.”
“Do you think Margaret told her to take Sophie?”
“We don't know.”
“She worked for Margaret.”
“I know.”
“She had a forged letter.”
“I know.”
“Stop saying that.”
Detective Grant gave me a look that almost made me laugh despite myself.
Apparently everyone in my life had learned those two words.
“I need Sophie protected.”
“We're assigning patrols.”
“That's not enough.”
“Your sister's address is now compromised.”
My stomach tightened.
“So where do we go?”
“A hotel isn't ideal.”
“No.”
“Do you have somewhere Denise wouldn't know?”
I thought.
Then Rachel said, “My father's cabin.”
I turned.
Our father had died four years ago.
Rachel had inherited his tiny lake house two counties away.
Margaret had never been there.
“Perfect,” Detective Grant said.
We left that night.
No social media.
No telling friends.
Only police, my lawyer, and Daniel knew.
Sophie thought we were going on an adventure.
I let her believe it.
She fell asleep in the back seat holding Mister Buttons.
When we arrived, Rachel made hot chocolate.
For a few hours, everything was quiet.
Then someone knocked on the cabin door.
All three of us froze.
No one should have known we were there.
Rachel grabbed the fireplace poker.
I pulled Sophie behind me.
Another knock.
“Claire?”
Daniel.
I exhaled.
Rachel did not lower the poker.
“What is he doing here?”
I opened the door only two inches.
Daniel stood outside.
Alone.
“What are you doing?”
“Detective Grant called me.”
“Why?”
“Denise was arrested.”
My shoulders dropped.
“Where?”
“At the bus station.”
“Did she say why she tried to get Sophie?”
Daniel's face was grim.
“Yes.”
“What?”
“She says my mother paid her.”
I felt sick.
“How? Margaret's in jail.”
“She arranged it before the party.”
I stared at him.
“What do you mean?”
Daniel held up a photocopy.
“Police found this in Denise's bag.”
I took it.
It was a typed instruction sheet.
Sophie's preschool address.
Emergency contact names.
My work schedule.
Then one sentence underlined twice.
If the paternity challenge fails, remove Sophie before the audit hearing.
Rachel whispered, “Remove?”
My skin crawled.
“Where was Denise supposed to take her?”
Daniel looked at Sophie behind me.
I stepped outside and closed the door.
“Tell me.”
He lowered his voice.
“A rental property my mother owns across state lines.”
I couldn't speak.
“She was supposed to keep Sophie there for seventy-two hours.”
“Why?”
“To create an emergency custody crisis.”
My stomach twisted.
Daniel's voice cracked.
“Mom planned to claim you took Sophie and disappeared.”
I stared at him.
“That makes no sense.”
“It would if Denise had access to your phone.”
“What?”
“She was supposed to steal it.”
Cold moved through me.
“Send messages pretending to be me?”
“Yes.”
“To make it look like I was running?”
Daniel nodded.
“And then Margaret would step forward as the worried grandmother.”
“Yes.”
I leaned against the porch railing.
The plan was monstrous.
And careful.
Daniel whispered, “Claire.”
“What?”
“I've been trying to understand why my mother did this.”
I looked at him.
“I think that's the wrong question.”
His eyes filled.
“She did it because she wanted control.”
May you like
I nodded.
“You don't need a better reason.”
