Chapter 14 - The Empty Nursery
Police reached the house before I did.
The back door had been forced.
Drawers were open. Claire's office had been searched. The filing cabinet was empty.
But nothing expensive was missing.
No television.
No jewelry.
No computer.
Only papers.
"They wanted documents," Officer Lee said.
I looked toward the nursery.
The door was open.
My knees weakened.
Noah was safe with Rachel at Olivia's office, but the sight of the empty bassinet made fear flash through me anyway.
In the nursery, one thing had changed.
Claire's framed photo was face down on the floor.
Behind it, taped to the back panel, was a small key.
I stared at it.
"That wasn't there before," I said.
Officer Lee bagged it.
Then we searched for what it opened.
The answer was in Claire's office.
A narrow fireproof box sat beneath the bottom drawer of her desk, hidden behind a removable wood panel.
The key fit.
Inside were copies of bank records, printed emails, and a USB drive.
There was also another letter.
This one wasn't addressed to me.
It was addressed to Diane.
I read it standing beside Officer Lee.
Diane,
If you ever try to use my child to recover money you believe the Vale family owes yours, I will make sure Evan learns everything about the 2011 settlement, including what you did after it.
What you did after it.
I looked at the records.
A transfer from the settlement account to a shell company.
Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
Authorized by Diane.
Then transferred again to Thomas.
It looked like theft.
The front door opened downstairs.
Every officer in the house reacted.
"Police! Identify yourself!"
A woman answered, frightened.
"I'm Claire's mother."
I froze.
Claire's mother, Linda Vale, had not attended the funeral.
I had been told she was too ill to travel.
Now she stood in my entryway holding a suitcase.
May you like
And the first thing she said to me was, "Your mother tried to pay me to stay away from Noah."
The Message on Grandma's Phone
