Chapter 12 - The Mother's Bargain

Celeste's lawyer advised her to stop talking. She looked at Nathan and continued anyway.

"Owen told me Evie had stolen confidential files and planned to destroy the company. He said he could convince her to hand them back. I thought he meant a settlement."

"And you did nothing when you saw her today?" Nathan asked.

"I didn't know it would be this bad."

My skin felt hot beneath the dressing. "How bad did you think it was allowed to be?"

Celeste pressed one manicured hand to her mouth.

"Tell them about Lark Street," I said.

She shook her head. "I didn't manage those properties."

"You chaired the foundation that promised the survivors housing," Nathan said. "You announced the donations with me."

"And I meant every word."

Moreno held up a copy of a bank statement. "Did you know Northline Compliance received a payment from the Mercer Family Foundation?"

Celeste stared at it. "Owen called it remediation."

Nathan sat down abruptly. He'd spent years defending his mother's coldness as a hard shell over a decent heart. I saw him realize that the shell had become an excuse.

"Where is Mia?" I asked.

Celeste met my eyes. "I don't know. I swear."

The detective separated Celeste from the others for a formal interview. Her lawyer followed. Nathan remained beside me, staring at the floor.

"You can hate me if you need to," he said.

"I don't know what I need."

"Tell me one thing. Did you ever stop believing in us?"

I thought of the promises we'd made while painting our first apartment, laughing as blue paint dried in his hair. I thought of the recording in his voice, and how quickly fear had made those memories feel unreal.

"I never stopped wanting us to be real," I answered. "That's not the same thing."

He nodded, accepting the difference.

Moreno's phone lit up. A traffic camera had caught the white truck turning onto an unpaved road beside the abandoned county pumping station. Officers were closing in.

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Then a second report arrived. The truck's registered driver was Caleb Dunn, but a toll camera showed another man in the passenger seat.

It was Owen Mercer.