Chapter 3 - The Woman Who Attended the Funeral
Claire forgot how to breathe.
Evelyn Shaw had aged, but not enough to erase the face from Claire’s childhood.
Same narrow eyes.
Same sharp cheekbones.
Same habit of tilting her head before saying something unpleasant.
At Michael Mercer’s funeral, Evelyn had held Claire while she cried.
Then she vanished.
Claire had not seen her since.
Dominic stood between them.
“How did you get upstairs?”
Evelyn smiled.
“You really should change your security codes more often.”
Gabriel cursed under his breath.
Claire stepped sideways.
“You have my key.”
Evelyn raised it.
“Yes.”
“Were you in my apartment?”
“No.”
“Who was?”
“Someone less sentimental.”
Dominic’s voice hardened.
“Give me the key.”
“No.”
“Evelyn.”
“Still giving orders.”
“You have thirty seconds.”
“To what?”
Dominic took one step forward.
Evelyn’s smile faded.
Claire moved between them.
“No.”
Dominic looked at her.
“Move.”
“This is about my father.”
“That makes her more dangerous, not less.”
Evelyn studied Claire.
“You look like Michael.”
Claire ignored the comment.
“Who were you to him?”
“A friend.”
Dominic said, “That’s not what she was.”
Evelyn’s eyes shifted.
“You want to tell her?”
Claire turned to Dominic.
“Tell me what?”
He didn’t.
Evelyn answered.
“I worked for Victor Raines.”
Claire felt cold.
“As what?”
“Attorney.”
Dominic’s mouth tightened.
“She cleaned problems.”
Claire looked back at Evelyn.
“What does that mean?”
Evelyn sighed.
“It means powerful men make mistakes, and somebody has to make those mistakes disappear.”
“My father?”
“No.”
The answer came too quickly.
Claire noticed.
“Was he one of those mistakes?”
Evelyn looked at Dominic.
Then back at Claire.
“He became inconvenient.”
Claire’s fists clenched.
Dominic moved toward Evelyn.
Gabriel said, “Dominic.”
He stopped.
Evelyn held up the key.
“Michael gave me this before he died.”
“No,” Claire said. “He gave it to me.”
“He gave you a copy.”
“Why?”
“Insurance.”
Claire glanced toward Noah.
He was watching from behind the couch.
She lowered her voice.
“What’s at Pier 19?”
Evelyn smiled faintly.
“The reason your father died.”
Dominic grabbed her wrist.
Evelyn didn’t flinch.
“Don’t,” Claire said.
Dominic released her.
Evelyn rubbed her wrist.
“You always were impatient.”
“Midnight has passed.”
Fireworks exploded beyond the windows.
The city erupted in celebration.
Inside, nobody moved.
Evelyn walked toward the window.
“Michael discovered Victor had been paying city officials to steer redevelopment contracts.”
Claire looked at Dominic.
He said nothing.
“Not just money,” Evelyn continued. “Judges. Inspectors. Police. Union officials. People who could make permits appear and investigations disappear.”
“Why keep a ledger?” Claire asked.
“Because Michael was frightened.”
“Of Victor?”
“Yes.”
“Did Victor kill him?”
Evelyn paused.
Dominic stared at her.
Claire whispered, “Answer me.”
“No.”
Claire’s shoulders loosened slightly.
Then Evelyn added, “But he ordered it.”
Claire shut her eyes.
Dominic looked away.
She opened them again.
“Who did it?”
Evelyn said nothing.
“Who?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“You came here after twenty-three years carrying my father’s key and now you can’t tell me?”
“Because the person who killed Michael believes the ledger can still destroy him.”
“Him?”
Evelyn nodded.
“And he knows you’re alive.”
Dominic said, “Name him.”
Evelyn laughed.
“You think I survived Victor by naming people?”
“Victor is dead.”
“Yes.”
“Then what are you afraid of?”
Evelyn looked directly at him.
“You.”
Silence.
Claire turned toward Dominic.
Evelyn continued.
“Because Michael didn’t trust Victor.”
She raised the key.
“But he trusted you.”
Dominic’s face changed.
“Don’t.”
“He believed you might become better than your father.”
“Stop.”
“He left the second key for you.”
Claire stared.
“Then why does she have it?”
Evelyn smiled without humor.
“Because Dominic never showed up.”
Claire looked at him.
“What?”
Dominic closed his eyes briefly.
“Michael asked me to meet him at Pier 19.”
“When?”
“The night he died.”
“And you didn’t go?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“My father told me Michael had been stealing.”
Claire laughed bitterly.
“You believed him.”
“Yes.”
“And the next morning?”
“Michael was dead.”
The room seemed to shrink.
Claire thought of her father in the photograph.
Smiling.
Alive.
Waiting for a seventeen-year-old boy who never came.
She wanted to hate Dominic.
Part of her did.
But the man standing before her was not seventeen.
And the regret on his face had clearly been living there a long time.
Evelyn placed the brass key on the table.
“Pier 19 still exists.”
Gabriel shook his head.
“Warehouse was condemned.”
“Not the lower storage level.”
Dominic looked at him.
“You know it?”
“Old freight building. River side.”
Evelyn nodded.
“Michael rented a locker under another name.”
“Which name?”
Evelyn looked at Claire.
“Anna Mercer.”
Claire’s chest tightened.
“My mother.”
“She knew?”
“Not everything.”
“Did she know my father was murdered?”
Evelyn hesitated.
“Yes.”
Claire backed away.
“My mother lied to me for the rest of her life.”
“She protected you.”
“She lied.”
“She kept you alive.”
Claire wanted to shout.
Instead, she turned toward Noah.
He was sitting quietly.
Too quietly.
She went to him.
“You okay?”
“Did Grandpa get hurt?”
Claire swallowed.
“Yes.”
“By bad people?”
“Yes.”
Noah looked toward Dominic.
“Is he bad?”
Dominic’s expression became unreadable.
Claire glanced at him.
“Noah…”
Dominic answered.
“I’ve done bad things.”
Noah considered this.
“Did you hurt Grandpa?”
“No.”
“Then help Mom.”
Dominic looked at Claire.
“I’m trying.”
Evelyn picked up her purse.
Claire stood.
“You’re coming with us.”
Evelyn laughed.
“No.”
“You’re the only person who knows where that locker is.”
“I’ll give you directions.”
“No.”
“Claire—”
“My father trusted you enough to give you a key. You attended his funeral. You hugged me while I cried. Then you disappeared for twenty-three years. You don’t get to walk away again.”
Evelyn’s smile vanished.
For a moment, she looked old.
Tired.
“All right.”
Gabriel muttered, “Wonderful.”
They left Noah with a trusted housekeeper Dominic called Mrs. Alvarez.
Claire knelt before him.
“I’ll be back.”
“You promise?”
“Yes.”
Dominic crouched beside her.
Noah pointed at him.
“You too.”
Dominic seemed startled.
“I’ll try.”
“That’s not a promise.”
Claire almost smiled.
Dominic looked at Noah.
“I promise.”
They drove toward the river.
Snow continued falling.
Pier 19 stood behind rusting fences and abandoned loading docks.
Gabriel parked without headlights.
Dominic handed Claire a flashlight.
“Stay behind me.”
“I’m not one of your employees.”
“Tonight you are.”
“I quit.”
“Rejected.”
Despite herself, Claire smiled.
Evelyn noticed.
“So that’s happening.”
“Nothing is happening,” Claire said.
Dominic opened the door.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
They entered through a side entrance.
The warehouse smelled of damp wood and river water.
Evelyn led them downstairs.
At the bottom was a narrow corridor.
Metal lockers lined both sides.
“Number nineteen,” Evelyn said.
Claire found it.
The brass key fit.
She turned it.
The lock clicked.
Inside sat a steel case.
Gabriel lifted it out.
No explosives.
No wires.
Dominic opened it.
Empty.
Claire stared.
“That’s it?”
Evelyn stepped closer.
“No.”
“What?”
“There should be a ledger.”
Dominic examined the case.
Nothing.
Then Claire noticed scratches inside the lid.
Words.
MICHAEL MERCER.
Beneath the name was a date.
And beneath the date:
ASK EVELYN WHY SHE CHANGED THE CAR.
Claire slowly turned.
Evelyn had gone pale.
Dominic looked at her.
“What car?”
Evelyn stepped backward.
Claire whispered, “What did you do?”
Evelyn’s eyes filled with tears.
“I was trying to save him.”
Dominic moved closer.
“Explain.”
A sound came from the corridor.
Footsteps.
Several.
Gabriel shut off his flashlight.
“Company.”
Dominic pulled Claire behind a concrete pillar.
Evelyn whispered, “They found us.”
A voice echoed down the hall.
Male.
Calm.
Familiar to Dominic.
“Evelyn.”
Dominic froze.
Claire could feel the change in him.
Not fear.
Recognition.
The man stepped into view.
Silver hair.
Dark overcoat.
A face Claire had seen on television dozens of times.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Robert Vale.
Gabriel’s father.
May you like
Gabriel whispered one word.
“Dad?”
