Chapter 7: Evelyn’s Lie
Denise stared at the image.
“That isn’t me.”
The woman on the screen had Denise’s height, her short blond hair, and the same green staff jacket she had worn at the gala.
Nora stepped away from her.
“Your jacket is in Evelyn’s car.”
Denise immediately removed the tablecloth from Nora’s shoulders and hurried downstairs.
They found the jacket on the back seat.
One sleeve had been cut near the cuff.
“It was used as a disguise,” Denise said. “Someone took it while we were inside the building.”
Evelyn examined the photograph.
“The woman is wearing gloves. The hair could be a wig.”
Nora wanted to believe Denise.
But belief had become dangerous.
Back inside the apartment, Nora faced Evelyn.
“Tell me why my mother did not trust you.”
Evelyn sat in the only chair that had not been overturned.
“Claire came to me once before she disappeared. She showed me three transfers connected to Mercer Holdings.”
“And?”
“I told her the foundation could not survive a public accusation without complete evidence.”
“You told her to stay quiet.”
“I told her to give me forty-eight hours.”
“And during those forty-eight hours, she vanished.”
Evelyn looked toward the broken photograph.
“Yes.”
“You protected the foundation.”
“I thought I was protecting the scholarships, the hospitals, and the employees.”
“You protected the institution that carried your name.”
Evelyn accepted the accusation without defending herself.
Nora unfolded Claire’s note.
“What did my mother believe you had done?”
“She believed I had warned the Mercers.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
“Did anyone know she had spoken to you?”
“My husband.”
Nora knew the name Charles Shaw. His portrait hung above the foundation’s main staircase. He had died seven years earlier and was still described in brochures as a visionary philanthropist.
“What did he do?”
“He told me Claire was mistaken. He said the transfers were part of a private donor arrangement.”
“And you believed him?”
“I wanted to.”
Nora laughed bitterly.
“That sounds like a yes.”
Evelyn stood.
“There is something else you need to hear.”
She removed her phone and called a number saved without a name.
An older woman answered.
Evelyn put the call on speaker.
“Marian, tell Nora what you told me.”
The woman hesitated.
“I was Mr. Shaw’s secretary,” she said. “The morning after Claire’s accident, a voicemail appeared on the private office line.”
Nora’s skin prickled.
“From my mother?”
“Yes.”
“After she died?”
“The police said the accident happened shortly after midnight. The voicemail was recorded at 2:17 the following afternoon.”
Nora gripped the edge of the table.
“What did she say?”
Marian’s voice shook.
“She said she was alive.”
May you like
A pause followed.
“She also said someone from the foundation had tried to kill her.”
