Chapter 18 - The Marriage Was a Search
Claire’s voice came out flat.
“Tell me the truth. All of it.”
Daniel leaned against the doorway.
“When I was twenty-six, I found part of my father’s private files. He had written your father’s name beside Martin’s.”
“So you hired Evan.”
“Yes.”
“To find me.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I thought your father had hidden evidence with his family.”
Claire laughed once, stunned. “So our first date was an investigation.”
“At first.”
“At first?”
Daniel’s eyes filled. “I fell in love with you.”
“That does not erase why you walked into my life.”
“I know.”
“You married me while searching my things?”
“I stopped searching before we got engaged.”
“You expect that to matter?”
“No.”
Claire turned away because she could not stand the look on his face.
Evan said, “This is touching, but I still want my money.”
Daniel looked at him. “You’re not getting it.”
Evan pulled a gun from his coat.
Claire froze.
Daniel stepped forward.
“Bad idea,” Evan said.
Daniel did not stop.
“You don’t want to shoot me. You want leverage.”
“I already have leverage.”
Evan aimed at Claire.
Daniel stopped.
Then the boathouse doors burst open.
“FBI! Drop the weapon!”
Evan spun.
Claire ducked.
The gun fired into the ceiling.
Agents tackled him to the floor.
Torres seized the ledger.
Daniel sank onto a bench, one hand pressed against his healing wound.
Claire stood across from him.
He looked at her for a long moment.
“I’ll testify,” he said.
“You should.”
“Against Martin. Hale. Evan. Everyone.”
“You should testify against yourself too.”
“I will.”
Claire nodded.
There was no dramatic forgiveness.
No embrace.
Some betrayals did not become romantic because someone finally admitted them.
Torres approached with the ledger.
“We need to take this into evidence.”
Claire touched the worn cover once.
“Do it.”
Torres hesitated.
“There’s one more thing.”
“What?”
“We ran the hospital toxicology again.”
Claire felt dread settle over her.
“The substance in Eleanor’s wine wasn’t enough to cause the collapse by itself.”
Claire stared.
May you like
“Then what was?”
Torres answered, “Something she had been taking every day for weeks.”
