Chapter 2 - The Photograph From Five Years Ago
Claire grabbed the photograph so quickly that its edge cut across Dominic's finger.
"Give me that."
She shoved it into her coat.
Dominic watched her.
"Who took it?"
"I don't know."
"You recognized it."
"I recognized myself."
"That's not what I meant."
Claire pulled Lily closer.
"We're leaving."
Dominic looked beyond them into the alley.
"No."
Claire's anger appeared immediately.
"You don't get to decide that."
"There's a former corrupt detective watching your home, somebody knew exactly which restaurant I'd be sitting in tonight, and someone placed a photograph of you carrying your newborn daughter outside the door we're currently standing behind."
He lowered his voice.
"Until I understand why, nobody walks into that alley."
Claire stared at him.
Lily tugged her mother's hand.
"Mommy?"
Claire looked down.
Lily's confidence had disappeared.
She was frightened now.
That changed Claire.
She crouched.
"You're okay, baby."
"Are we in trouble?"
"No."
Dominic said nothing.
Claire looked at him sharply.
He understood the warning.
"Mr. Moretti is going to help us get somewhere safe."
Lily relaxed slightly.
"I knew he'd help."
Claire closed her eyes.
Dominic almost felt sorry for her.
Almost.
Twenty minutes later, they were inside a black SUV traveling north through Manhattan.
Dominic sat opposite Claire.
Lily had fallen asleep against her mother's shoulder.
Marco drove.
Another security vehicle followed.
Claire stared through the window.
"Where are you taking us?"
"A townhouse."
"Whose?"
"Mine."
"No."
"Then suggest somewhere Raymond Shaw can't find you."
Claire remained silent.
Dominic leaned back.
"Exactly."
"You don't understand what you're involved in."
"Then explain it."
"I can't."
"Can't or won't?"
"Both."
Dominic looked at Lily.
"Does this involve her?"
Claire's expression became guarded.
"Everything I do involves her."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting."
Dominic's phone rang.
Marco's second-in-command.
Dominic answered.
"Yes?"
"We entered Bennett's apartment."
Claire looked over immediately.
Dominic put the call on speaker.
"Was anyone inside?"
"No. But somebody had been."
Claire's breathing changed.
"What did they take?"
The voice continued.
"Hard to tell. Bedroom was searched. Desk drawers opened. Computer is gone."
Claire shut her eyes.
"Anything else?"
A pause.
"There's writing on the bedroom wall."
Claire whispered, "What writing?"
Dominic waited.
The answer came.
"WHERE IS THE ORIGINAL?"
Lily shifted in her sleep.
Claire went completely still.
Dominic ended the call.
"What original?"
Claire stared out the window.
"Claire."
Nothing.
"Somebody broke into your home looking for something. Your daughter knew about an envelope. The envelope contained photographs of me. Now somebody wants an original."
Dominic leaned forward.
"You can keep protecting your secret, or you can protect Lily. I'm beginning to think you can't do both."
Claire looked down at her daughter.
That landed.
She remained silent for almost a minute.
Then she said, "Five years ago, I was investigating a network of shell companies."
Dominic waited.
"Some were connected to your family."
"Some?"
"Three."
"Which ones?"
"Moretti Development. Hudson Meridian. Bellrose Holdings."
Dominic recognized all three.
Only one was legitimately connected to his family.
"The other two aren't ours."
"I eventually discovered that."
"When?"
"Too late."
Dominic frowned.
Claire continued.
"Someone was using your name."
"For what?"
"Moving money. Buying judges. Paying police officers. Making witnesses disappear."
Dominic's expression hardened.
"Who?"
"I never found out."
"But you found something."
Claire looked at him.
"A ledger."
Dominic stopped breathing for half a second.
"What kind?"
"Names. Payments. Dates. Accounts."
"Where is it?"
"Gone."
"Who has it?"
"I don't know."
Dominic didn't believe that.
Claire noticed.
"I really don't."
"What happened?"
"I gave it to someone I trusted."
"Who?"
Claire's voice dropped.
"Raymond Shaw."
Dominic stared at her.
"You gave evidence of organized corruption to Raymond?"
"He was a detective then. I thought he was helping me."
"When did you realize he wasn't?"
"When people started dying."
The SUV became quiet.
"How many?"
"Three sources. One accountant. And my editor."
Dominic had heard about the editor.
Official cause: robbery.
Apparently not.
"So you stopped reporting."
"I disappeared."
"And Lily?"
Claire's eyes moved toward the sleeping child.
"She gave me a reason to stay disappeared."
Dominic studied her.
There was still something missing.
The photograph.
HE STILL DOESN'T KNOW.
Know what?
The SUV turned into a private underground garage.
They entered the townhouse through an interior elevator.
Dominic's Manhattan residence was secure, quiet, and deliberately anonymous from the street.
Claire hated being there.
He could see it.
But Lily woke up and immediately became fascinated by the enormous staircase.
"Do you live here alone?"
"Mostly."
"Why?"
Dominic paused.
"No one ever asked me that before."
"Maybe they were scared."
Claire almost choked.
Dominic looked at Lily.
"Maybe."
Lily smiled.
Dominic arranged food, blankets, and a guest bedroom.
Claire refused to sleep.
After Lily finally drifted off, she joined Dominic in the study.
He placed the hospital photograph on the desk.
Claire had reluctantly surrendered it.
"Tell me about this."
"There's nothing to tell."
"The message says otherwise."
"Messages can lie."
"People can too."
Claire met his eyes.
"Are you accusing me?"
"I'm trying to understand why someone thinks there's something I don't know."
Claire's phone buzzed.
She looked at it.
Unknown number.
Dominic held out his hand.
She ignored him and opened the message.
Her face changed.
"What?"
She showed him.
A photograph.
Taken perhaps ten minutes earlier.
It showed Lily asleep upstairs.
Dominic was moving before Claire could speak.
He pulled a gun from a locked drawer and headed toward the stairs.
Claire followed.
"What does this mean?"
"It means someone is inside."
Dominic called Marco.
No answer.
They reached the second floor.
The hallway lights flickered.
Claire stopped.
"Lily."
They ran.
The bedroom door was closed.
Dominic reached it first.
He tried the handle.
Locked.
From inside.
Claire whispered Lily's name.
No answer.
Dominic stepped back.
Then a man's voice came softly through the door.
"Claire."
She froze.
Dominic looked at her.
The voice continued.
"You should have told him five years ago."
May you like
The lock clicked.
The door slowly began opening.
