Chapter 5 - The Night in the Rain
Mara did not answer immediately.
Julian’s face told her he already knew.
“Were you there?” he asked again.
“Yes.”
Celeste shook her head. “This is insane.”
Mara ignored her.
“I was coming back from a catalog shoot. Celeste was in the car with me.”
Rachel looked sharply at Celeste.
“You were there too?”
Celeste’s lips parted.
Mara continued.
“It was raining hard. We saw headlights below the road. I made the driver stop.”
Julian’s eyes never left hers.
“You came down the hill.”
“Yes.”
“You cut my seat belt.”
“With a box cutter from the van.”
Rachel covered her mouth.
Julian’s voice dropped. “And you kept talking to me.”
Mara remembered his blood on her hands.
“You kept trying to sleep.”
“You told me I wasn’t allowed.”
“You weren’t.”
For the first time that night, something broke through Julian’s control.
Not tears.
Recognition.
He pointed at the locket.
“I remember that hitting my cheek when you leaned over me.”
Mara looked down.
“The hinge got dented on the door frame.”
Celeste stepped forward.
“She is making this up because she heard the story.”
Julian turned on her.
“What story?”
Celeste stopped.
Mara stared.
Julian’s jaw tightened.
“You told me you pulled me out.”
Celeste’s face drained.
Rachel whispered, “Oh my God.”
Mara felt something old and ugly click into place.
The morning after the crash, Celeste had arrived at the model apartment with mud on her coat and a strange new confidence. She had told Mara to keep quiet about leaving the shoot van because the agency would fine them.
Three weeks later, Celeste had landed a major campaign through a connection Mara never understood.
Six months after that, the bracelet had appeared in Mara’s bag.
Julian took one step toward Celeste.
“You told me you stayed until the ambulance came.”
“I did stay.”
“No. You arrived after.” Mara’s voice was flat. “You refused to come down the hill. You said your shoes would get ruined.”
Celeste spun toward her. “Shut up.”
The room froze.
Mara’s heart pounded.
There was the real Celeste.
Julian saw her too.
Celeste looked at him and softened instantly.
“I was scared. I was nineteen.”
“So was she.”
“I found your phone. I called your family.”
Mara frowned.
“You told me you called 911.”
Celeste’s eyes flashed.
Julian caught it.
He turned back to the screen.
“Brent. Pull the camera feed from tonight again. Everything from six p.m. onward.”
Brent’s hand trembled near the keyboard.
Julian noticed.
“So help me,” he said quietly, “if you delete one frame, I will know.”
Brent swallowed.
Then an alert popped onto the monitor.
REMOTE ARCHIVE ACCESS: 8:07 P.M.
USER: B.COLE
May you like
Julian slowly turned toward his security chief.
“Why were you inside my backup system before the necklace disappeared?”
