Chapter 11 - Someone Was Inside
Emily kept her phone raised.
“Put the envelope down.”
Peter glanced toward the front window.
“I’m not here to hurt you.”
“You entered my house without permission.”
“Margaret said the key still worked.”
“That does not make it permission.”
Peter swallowed.
For the first time, Emily noticed how bad he looked. His shirt was wrinkled. His eyes were red. Sweat darkened his collar even though the house was cool.
“Why did she send you?” Emily asked.
“She didn’t.”
“Then why are you here?”
“To fix a mistake.”
“You mean steal evidence.”
His eyes dropped to the envelope.
“Yes.”
The answer surprised her.
Peter slowly placed it on the floor.
“I moved money for her,” he said. “I thought it was hers.”
“You work in finance. You knew it wasn’t normal.”
“I knew she had old authority. She said Daniel approved it.”
“And my identity?”
Peter looked ashamed.
“I didn’t know about that until yesterday.”
Emily heard a car outside.
Peter flinched.
Daniel’s truck pulled into the driveway.
Emily almost cried from relief.
Peter stepped toward the door.
“Stay where you are.”
“I can’t.”
“You can explain this to the police.”
“No.”
He moved faster.
Emily backed into the nursery doorway and shouted, “Daniel!”
The front door opened.
Peter stopped.
Daniel saw him and went rigid.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
Peter raised his hands. “I came to return something.”
“You broke into my house.”
“I had a key.”
Daniel looked at Emily.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
Only then did he turn back to Peter.
“Sit down.”
Peter obeyed.
Daniel called Ruiz.
While they waited, Peter stared at the carpet.
Finally he said, “Margaret had a plan.”
Emily’s skin prickled.
“What plan?”
Peter looked at her.
“She wanted you gone before the baby was born.”
Daniel took a step forward.
“Gone how?”
“Not dead,” Peter said quickly. “Nothing like that. She wanted you to leave.”
“Why?”
“She said you were turning Daniel against the family. She said once the baby came, Robert’s trust would lock everything away.”
Emily frowned. “What does that mean?”
Peter rubbed his face.
“She asked me to prepare records showing money transferred under your name. Enough to make it look like you stole from the company.”
Daniel’s voice dropped. “You did what?”
“I never finished it.”
“You moved money.”
“Yes.”
“You used my credentials.”
Peter closed his eyes. “Yes.”
Emily pointed toward the envelope.
“And what were you taking?”
Peter looked at it.
“The draft.”
Daniel picked up the envelope and emptied it onto the table.
Behind the signature pages was a typed letter neither of them had seen before.
It began:
Daniel, by the time you read this, I’ll be gone.
May you like
Emily stopped breathing.
At the bottom was a nearly perfect copy of her signature.
