Chapter 2 - The Woman in My Kitchen
I stared at the brass key in Emily’s hand.
Nathan stared at her as if she had pulled out a weapon.
“Give me that,” he said.
Emily backed away.
“No.”
“Emily.”
“No.”
His voice lowered.
“That isn’t yours.”
She gave a bitter laugh.
“Neither was Claire’s money.”
That stopped him.
For the first time, Nathan seemed to remember I was standing there.
I folded my arms.
“Good. Now that we’ve established theft, maybe someone can tell me why the woman my husband apparently lived with for seventeen months has a key to something he needs from my house.”
Emily blinked.
“My house?”
Nathan said quickly, “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
Emily looked at me.
“He always says that when someone gets close.”
Nathan stepped toward her.
I moved between them.
“Don’t touch her.”
His expression changed.
“Claire, she is not who you think she is.”
“Wonderful. Neither are you.”
He rubbed a hand across his face.
“Can we please sit down?”
“No.”
“Then at least let me explain.”
“You had three years.”
“I couldn’t.”
“Why?”
His eyes flicked toward Emily.
She said, “Because he wasn’t working overseas.”
“I know.”
Nathan looked at me.
“You know?”
“I know you spent most of last year in Virginia. I know about the townhouse. I know about Emily. I know about the shell company. I know about the account.”
Nathan’s face became unreadable.
“How long?”
“Long enough.”
“And you let me come home?”
“I wanted to know why.”
A quiet realization passed through his eyes.
“You’ve been investigating me.”
“Yes.”
He laughed once without humor.
“That’s rich.”
“What exactly is rich about it?”
“Nothing.”
He turned away.
Emily whispered, “Tell her about the trust.”
“I already know.”
Emily looked surprised.
“Then you know he forged your authorization?”
Nathan spun toward her.
“Stop talking.”
“No.”
“You don’t understand what you’re doing.”
“I understand exactly.”
“Do you?”
Something in his tone frightened her.
I noticed.
“Emily,” I said, “who is he protecting?”
Nathan answered before she could.
“No one.”
Emily’s eyes filled with tears.
“That’s a lie.”
My phone rang.
Rebecca.
I answered immediately.
“Claire?”
“I’m here.”
“The emergency freeze went through.”
Nathan’s head snapped toward me.
Rebecca continued.
“The account is locked. No withdrawals, no transfers, no movement pending the court hearing.”
Nathan went completely still.
“When?” I asked.
“Effective twelve minutes ago.”
Nathan swore under his breath.
Rebecca heard him.
“He’s there?”
“Yes.”
“Claire, leave.”
Nathan crossed the kitchen.
“Give me the phone.”
I stepped back.
“No.”
“Claire, this is bigger than you think.”
“I’m starting to understand that.”
“No, you aren’t.”
Emily moved closer to me.
Nathan saw.
His anger vanished.
What replaced it was panic.
“Emily, if you told her about 317—”
“I did.”
Nathan shut his eyes.
Rebecca’s voice came through the phone.
“What is 317?”
I looked at the brass key.
“I’m about to find out.”
“No,” Nathan said.
“Where does it go?”
“Claire.”
“Where?”
He looked at me.
Then at Emily.
Neither answered.
I turned toward the hallway.
Nathan caught my wrist.
Not violently.
But firmly.
“Do not do this.”
I looked down at his hand.
He released me immediately.
“Tell me why.”
“Because once you open it, we can’t put any of this back.”
“Good.”
“Claire.”
“Three years, Nathan.”
His face tightened.
“Three years I slept alone. Three years I defended you when my friends asked why my husband never came home for Christmas. Three years I told myself you were working because that was easier than admitting you might not want me anymore. Then you walk into my bed and tell me I can keep being your wife if I pretend I don’t know.”
His eyes softened.
“Claire—”
“No. You don’t get to say my name like that.”
Emily wiped her face.
“He did love you.”
I looked at her.
Nathan said, “Don’t.”
“He did,” Emily repeated. “That was part of the problem.”
I almost laughed.
“Part of what problem?”
She looked at the key.
“317 isn’t in this house.”
Nathan exhaled slowly.
Emily continued.
“It’s at Union Station.”
“A locker?”
“Yes.”
Nathan said, “It’s empty.”
Emily shook her head.
“No, it isn’t.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I moved what was inside.”
Nathan stared at her.
“You what?”
“I knew you’d go back.”
“When?”
“Yesterday.”
His face changed.
That was the first time I saw genuine betrayal between them.
Nathan whispered, “You had no right.”
Emily laughed through her tears.
“You keep saying that to people after you steal from them.”
I stepped closer.
“What was in the locker?”
She looked at me.
“A drive.”
“What kind?”
“Encrypted.”
“What’s on it?”
Nathan said, “Nothing that matters to you.”
Emily’s eyes hardened.
“It has every transfer.”
I looked at Nathan.
“All the money?”
“Not just yours,” Emily said.
Nathan shut his eyes.
Rebecca was still on the phone.
She spoke.
“Claire, put me on speaker.”
I did.
“Emily,” Rebecca said, “if you are in possession of records showing financial theft or fraud, do not destroy or alter anything. Do you understand?”
Emily nodded before realizing Rebecca could not see her.
“Yes.”
“Where is the drive now?”
Emily hesitated.
Nathan watched her.
“Don’t,” he said.
She looked at me.
“I mailed it.”
“To whom?”
“To Claire.”
My stomach dropped.
“What?”
“I sent it yesterday by overnight courier.”
“To this house?”
“No.”
Nathan’s expression changed instantly.
“Where?”
Emily stepped back.
“I used the address from the trust paperwork.”
Rebecca inhaled sharply over the phone.
“My office?”
“Yes.”
Nathan grabbed his jacket from the stool.
I blocked him.
“Where are you going?”
“To stop this.”
“The account is frozen.”
“It’s not about the account anymore.”
“Then what is it about?”
He looked at me.
For one second, I saw the man I used to know.
Terrified.
Exhausted.
Almost pleading.
“Claire, if that drive reaches Rebecca, you need to give it to me unopened.”
Rebecca said, “That is absolutely not happening.”
Nathan ignored her.
“Please.”
“Why?”
“Because the account isn’t the worst thing on it.”
Emily whispered, “Nathan.”
He looked at her.
She shook her head.
Too late.
I stepped closer.
“What is worse than stealing two million dollars from me?”
Nathan’s phone buzzed.
He glanced down.
Whatever he saw drained the color from his face.
I noticed the sender.
UNKNOWN.
The message preview contained only four words.
THE PACKAGE WAS INTERCEPTED.
Nathan looked at Emily.
“What did you do?”
Her fear returned.
“I mailed it.”
“To Rebecca?”
“Yes.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
Another message arrived.
This one had a photograph attached.
Nathan tried to hide the screen.
I took one step closer.
The photograph showed a smashed courier envelope lying on concrete.
Rebecca’s office address was visible.
Beside the envelope sat a black encrypted drive.
Someone had written a message across the photograph in red marker.
BRING CLAIRE TO US.
Rebecca heard my breathing change.
“What happened?”
Nathan slowly lifted his eyes toward me.
Then the doorbell rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Nathan whispered, “Don’t answer it.”
A man’s voice came through the other side of my front door.
“Mrs. Cole?”
Nathan stepped backward.
May you like
The voice continued.
“We need to talk about what your husband did three years ago.”
