Chapter 10 - The Wrong Villain
Patricia was arrested for evidence tampering and obstruction before midnight.
Not for poisoning me. Not yet.
The pharmacy records were incomplete, and the lab Daniel used years earlier had closed.
Still, I watched police lead my mother-in-law out of the house in handcuffs.
I expected satisfaction.
I felt nothing.
Richard remained at the table as if the arrest had happened to a neighbor.
"You knew," I said.
He folded his napkin. "I suspected she panicked."
"Panicked about what? A baby?"
"About leverage."
Daniel lunged toward him. Evelyn grabbed Daniel's arm.
"Don't give him what he wants," she said.
Richard looked at me. "You think Patricia is the monster because she is emotional. She's not. She's weak. Weak people are useful because they do ugly things when strong people apply pressure."
"You pressured her."
He smiled faintly.
I understood then.
Patricia might have touched my vitamins.
But Richard had built the system around her.
He was still building it around all of us.
I walked out without another word.
Daniel followed me to the driveway.
"Claire, please."
I turned. "Did you know who I was before our first date?"
He closed his eyes.
"Yes."
That hurt worse than I expected.
"Did your father send you?"
"He told me to meet you. He wanted to know whether you knew about the Mercer claim."
"And you married me."
"Because I fell in love with you."
I laughed through tears. "You don't get credit for falling in love after spying on me."
He nodded like he had no defense.
I got into Evelyn's car instead of his.
Halfway to Boston, she pulled into a gas station and shut off the engine.
"There's something else," she said.
I stared ahead. "Of course there is."
She handed me an old envelope.
My name was written on the front in my mother's handwriting.
CLAIRE - WHEN YOU'RE READY.
"Where did you get this?"
May you like
Evelyn's voice softened.
"Daniel's father kept it in a safe for twenty-eight years."
