Chapter 13 - Five Chimes
Alex wanted me to block every unknown number.
I wanted that too, but Detective Chen asked us to preserve the voicemail first.
It became another piece of evidence, although we could not establish who made the call.
I wondered whether the five chimes were meant to return me to the kitchen at five in the morning.
Whoever sent them understood how frightening a memory could be.
Nicole's laughter on the recording was brief enough that it might have been something else.
Chen warned me not to confuse a reasonable suspicion with proof.
She wasn't dismissing me.
She was making sure that if the case reached trial, each fact would stand on its own.
Claire visited the city for a scheduled interview with investigators.
We met in a secure conference room and drank coffee that neither of us finished.
She told me that after her divorce, she had spent years bracing for punishment whenever she made a mistake.
“The strange part,” she said, “is that freedom can feel dangerous until you learn it isn't.” I asked how she had learned.
“Slowly,” she said.
“With people who kept their promises.” She handed Hannah a sealed packet of letters from Trent.
One was dated after their separation.
It threatened to take everything Claire loved if she spoke publicly about their marriage.
I felt a surge of fury for both of us.
While investigators studied the documents, the lender froze certain disbursements pending review.
Richard accused me online of trying to bankrupt a respectable family.
But the Mercers still had money for advertisements, consultants, and legal filings.
Their resources weren't disappearing as quickly as they claimed.
Then something genuinely unexpected happened.
Nicole showed up at Hannah's office without warning.
She wore a baseball cap and held her phone in both hands.
Hannah would not allow her into the building while I was there.
Nicole left a message through reception.
“I want to tell Emma what really happened that morning.” I assumed it was another trick.
Hannah didn't.
She asked whether Nicole wanted to speak through counsel or with police.
Nicole answered, “Not if my father finds out.” Then she sent a photograph of an open desk drawer.
Inside was a printed calendar.
May you like
Across the page for the month of my due date someone had written, in thick black marker, “TRANSFER COMPLETE.”
