Chapter 14 - The Marriage That Was Arranged
Vanessa sat across from us in an interview room, still wearing the ivory dress from the hotel. A police officer had brought her a sweater. Her mascara had smudged, and for once she looked like someone who hadn't rehearsed her expression.
“I knew who Daniel was when we met,” she said.
Daniel recoiled. “What does that mean?”
“My father showed me an article about the hotel. He said you were lonely, that your mother kept you small, that you'd do anything to prove yourself.”
“You pursued me because he told you to?”
“At first.” She wiped her eyes. “Then I fell in love with you. I did.”
Daniel looked at the wall. “Which part am I supposed to believe?”
Vanessa didn't answer.
She admitted copying his passwords, taking the folder, and sending the edited succession letter to investors. She said Charles had promised the transfer documents were legal and that he'd handle the lender.
“And Ruth Bell?” I asked.
Her face crumpled. “I knew she had something. Dad said Thomas left papers with an older couple and they'd come back eventually. When her name appeared on the bookings, I panicked.”
“You put her out in her slippers.”
“I did.”
I let the silence stay where it belonged.
“Did you forge my signature?” I asked.
“No. Dad had someone do that. But I knew the papers weren't right.”
Detective Grant asked about Paul Mercer. Vanessa explained that Charles had promised Paul a share of the eventual sale. Paul had altered liabilities and staged the financial weakness needed for the purchase clause.
“Where is the money?” Grant asked.
Vanessa's fingers trembled. “A trust account. My father said he was using it to pay off something from Pier Nine.”
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“What?”
She took a shaky breath. “A witness. Someone who was supposed to disappear twenty-two years ago.”
