Chapter 8 - The Files in the Locked Drawer
Nora Bell refused to meet at a restaurant.
She refused to meet at Rachel's house.
She refused to talk through company email.
"He checks everything," she told Evelyn.
So we met in the parking lot of a public library two towns away.
It was cold enough that my breath fogged the windshield.
Emily stayed with my mother.
Rachel drove.
Evelyn sat in the back seat beside a folder of court papers.
Nora arrived seven minutes late in an old blue Subaru.
She parked three spaces away and stayed inside for almost a minute before getting out.
I barely recognized her.
At company events, Nora always looked polished and invisible.
That morning, she wore jeans, a puffy coat, and fear.
She climbed into the back seat beside Evelyn.
"I can't stay long."
Evelyn handed her a business card.
"Before you say anything, I need you to understand that I represent Megan."
"I know."
"I cannot represent you."
"I know."
"If you obtained materials in a way that could create legal problems for you, I may advise you to speak to your own lawyer before giving them to us."
Nora nodded quickly.
"I didn't steal anything."
Her voice trembled.
"He asked me to back up his files."
I turned in my seat.
"Why?"
"Because he doesn't trust the company system."
That sounded like Derek.
Nora rubbed her hands together.
"He keeps a portable drive in the locked drawer on the right side of his desk."
"How did you access it?" Evelyn asked.
"He gave me the key six months ago."
"For what purpose?"
"To update client presentations when he travels."
Evelyn nodded.
"Go on."
Nora looked at me.
"I didn't know he was recording you at first."
I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the weather.
"At first?"
"The folders had names like Q1, Q2, home backup."
She swallowed.
"Then one day he asked me to find an audio file by date."
"What date?"
"February fourteenth."
The rocking-chair argument.
"He told me to cut out dead space and export a shorter copy."
Evelyn's expression sharpened.
"Did he tell you what to remove?"
"Yes."
Nora stared at her hands.
"He sat beside me and gave me timestamps."
My heart began beating faster.
"You edited the recording?"
"I used the software."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I didn't know why."
"When did you know?"
"When I saw the court filing."
Silence filled the car.
"How did you see it?" Evelyn asked.
"He printed it at work."
Nora looked ashamed.
"The audio description was in the draft."
She turned toward me.
"He described the edited clip as if those words were continuous."
I could not speak.
Rachel did it for me.
"And that's when you sent the full recording?"
Nora nodded.
"I still had the original backup because he asked me to copy the whole drive two weeks ago."
Evelyn leaned forward.
"Why did he ask for a complete backup?"
Nora looked through the windshield before answering.
"Because he said his personal situation was about to change and he didn't want anything left at home."
My stomach turned.
"Two weeks ago?"
"Yes."
Two weeks before I left.
Two weeks before Emily was born.
Derek had not been surprised by the collapse of our marriage.
He had been preparing for it.
Evelyn asked, "What else was on the drive?"
Nora hesitated.
"Financial spreadsheets."
Rachel went still.
"What kind?"
"Accounts."
"Personal?"
"Some."
"Anything else?"
Nora looked at me again.
"A folder with your name."
I felt my hands turn cold.
"My name?"
"MEGAN."
"What's in it?"
"Screenshots."
"Of what?"
"Texts."
"Emails."
"Photos."
"Notes."
She paused.
"And recordings."
I stared at her.
"How many?"
"I don't know."
"Ten?"
"More."
"Twenty?"
Nora shook her head.
"More."
My skin prickled.
"How long has he been doing this?"
"The oldest folder I saw was from your first year of marriage."
Rachel whispered, "Jesus."
I turned toward the window.
The library parking lot blurred behind tears.
Derek had spent years accusing me of remembering conversations incorrectly.
He told me I twisted his words.
He said I was too sensitive.
He said my memory became unreliable when I was upset.
Meanwhile, he had been archiving me.
Not our life.
Me.
"Why?" I asked.
Nora's voice was barely audible.
"I asked him once."
I turned back.
"What did he say?"
"He said marriage is a business relationship and smart people keep receipts."
For a second, I could not breathe.
Evelyn took over.
"Do you still have access to that backup?"
Nora nodded.
"It's on an encrypted company drive."
"Do not send anything else to us right now."
Nora looked confused.
"Why?"
"Because I need to make sure we obtain it properly."
She nodded.
"Will I lose my job?"
Evelyn did not lie.
"Possibly."
Nora's face crumpled.
"I have two kids."
I turned around fully.
"Then don't risk your job for me."
Rachel glanced at me.
Nora did too.
"I mean it."
My voice shook.
"You already gave us enough to challenge the recording."
Nora stared at me.
"There's something else."
Evelyn raised a hand.
"Before you continue, is it something you personally saw or heard?"
"Yes."
"Then tell us what you remember without opening any files."
Nora took a breath.
"About three months ago, Derek started asking me to reserve a furnished apartment for a visiting executive."
My stomach tightened.
"Where?"
"Short North."
A neighborhood in Columbus less than fifteen minutes from our house.
"What executive?"
"There wasn't one."
"How do you know?"
"Because the lease was in a holding company Derek created."
Evelyn's pen stopped.
"Do you know the name?"
"D.W. Consulting LLC."
Derek Walsh.
Rachel muttered, "Subtle."
Nora continued.
"He asked me to have mail redirected there."
"What kind of mail?"
"Bank statements."
My pulse jumped.
The missing money.
"Did Alyssa ever go there?"
Nora hesitated.
"I don't know."
That answer felt careful.
"But?"
"She had the door code."
The car went silent again.
I thought of the red dress.
The jewelry box.
Some promises are worth waiting for.
Derek had been building another life while telling me I could not afford a rocking chair.
Evelyn asked Nora whether she would be willing to sign an affidavit describing only what she had personally done and seen.
Nora said she wanted to speak to a lawyer first.
Evelyn agreed.
Before getting out, Nora looked at me.
"I'm sorry."
"You didn't make him do this."
"I helped edit the clip."
"You also gave me the full one."
She wiped beneath one eye.
"He used to joke about you."
I did not want to ask.
I did anyway.
"What did he say?"
"That you would never leave because you couldn't function without him."
The words landed exactly where he intended them to, even though he was not there.
Nora opened the door.
Then she paused.
"He said something else the day after you left."
"What?"
"He said the baby would bring you back faster than money ever could."
She closed the door behind her.
Rachel gripped the steering wheel.
"I hate him."
I watched Nora walk to her car.
"I don't."
Rachel looked at me sharply.
"How can you not?"
I thought about it.
"Because hate would still make him the center of my day."
The answer surprised me.
Maybe it was not entirely true yet.
But I wanted it to become true.
On the drive back, Evelyn called Martin Kessler.
She did not mention Nora by name.
She demanded production of the original audio and asked whether Derek possessed additional recordings relevant to the allegations in his petition.
Martin sounded irritated.
"This is becoming a fishing expedition."
"Your client introduced edited audio."
"My client disputes any deceptive manipulation."
Evelyn looked out the window.
"Then production should clear that up."
Martin said nothing.
"We will also be seeking full financial disclosure relating to transfers from marital accounts."
Another pause.
"You are turning a custody case into a divorce case."
"Your client did that when he emptied a joint account and filed for custody in the same twelve-hour period."
Martin ended the call soon after.
Back at Rachel's house, my mother handed Emily to me before I removed my coat.
The feel of her body against mine reset the room.
She smelled like milk and baby soap.
Her eyes opened briefly.
I whispered, "I'm here."
The parenting app chimed.
It was Derek's first message under the temporary order.
I am confirming visitation tomorrow at 10 a.m.
I will bring my mother.
I showed Evelyn.
She shook her head.
"The order gives Derek supervised visitation."
"Can Helen come?"
"Not unless the center allows it and you agree."
"I don't agree."
Evelyn nodded.
"Then say that."
I typed slowly.
I confirm your visit at 10 a.m. at the court-approved center.
I do not consent to additional visitors at this time.
His response arrived seconds later.
She's Emily's grandmother.
I wrote:
The order is for your visitation.
Another response.
You are doing everything possible to punish my family.
My fingers hovered over the keyboard.
I wanted to answer with everything.
The fifteen dollars.
Alyssa.
The money.
The recordings.
The apartment.
Instead I typed:
I will follow the order.
Then I put the phone down.
Rachel smiled.
"That had to hurt."
"It did."
"No, I mean him."
I laughed.
For the first time, the laugh did not hurt.
The next morning, we arrived at the visitation center fifteen minutes early.
The supervisor was a woman named Claire Benton.
She explained that I would wait in a separate room while Derek had forty-five minutes with Emily.
"If she needs to feed, I'll bring her to you."
I nodded.
My chest felt tight.
This was the first time I would hand Emily to someone who would hand her to Derek.
Claire must have seen my face.
"You can end the visit if there is a medical issue."
"Okay."
"Otherwise, let us supervise."
I nodded again.
At 10:03, Derek entered alone.
No Helen.
No lawyer.
Just Derek.
He saw me across the lobby.
For one second, his face softened.
Then he looked at Emily.
Something changed in him.
Real emotion.
Maybe love.
Maybe grief.
Maybe possession.
I could no longer tell the difference from across a room.
Claire took Emily from me.
I kissed her forehead.
"Mommy's right here."
Derek heard me.
His jaw tightened.
I went into the waiting room.
For twenty minutes, I heard nothing.
Then Claire knocked.
"She needs to feed."
I stood quickly.
Emily was crying in her arms.
Derek followed to the doorway.
"She was fine until you came near."
Claire turned.
"Mr. Walsh, return to the visitation room."
He ignored her.
He looked at me.
"You made her dependent on you."
I stared at him.
"She's five days old."
His expression hardened.
"Exactly."
Claire stepped between us.
"Mr. Walsh."
This time he returned to the room.
The visit resumed after Emily ate.
At the end, Claire handed me a written observation sheet.
Most of it was ordinary.
Father held infant appropriately.
Father spoke softly.
Father changed diaper with guidance.
Then I reached the final line.
Near conclusion of visit, father repeatedly stated to infant, "Daddy will get you home soon," and "Your mother cannot keep you away forever."
I read it twice.
Claire lowered her voice.
"I document direct statements."
"Thank you."
Derek walked past us on his way out.
He did not look at me.
But the parenting app chimed before the front door closed.
I expect next time to be longer.
I did not answer.
Then another message appeared.
And you should prepare yourself, because the temporary arrangement is about to change.
I showed it to Evelyn.
She frowned.
"Why would he think that?"
An hour later, we found out.
Martin filed a new motion.
May you like
Attached to it was a declaration from someone I never expected to see on Derek's side.
My former obstetrician.
