Chapter 10 - The Garage Chase
For a woman in a formal silver dress and low heels, Patricia moved fast.
She ran between parked cars toward the stairwell.
Emily followed.
“Mom!”
Marcus caught up beside her.
“Don’t corner her.”
“She has Dad’s file.”
“Exactly.”
Patricia shoved through the stairwell door.
Emily reached it three seconds later.
By the time she entered, she heard footsteps climbing.
Second level.
Third.
Emily ran.
Her lungs burned.
At the fourth-floor landing, Patricia was waiting.
She held something in her hand.
Not a weapon.
A lighter.
And three folded sheets of paper.
Emily stopped.
“Mom.”
Patricia’s hands shook violently.
“Stay back.”
Marcus came through the door and froze.
“What are those?” Emily asked.
Patricia laughed. It sounded broken.
“Your father’s insurance report.”
Emily’s stomach twisted.
“Give it to me.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because none of you understand what happened.”
“Then tell me.”
Patricia looked at her daughter as if searching for a younger version of her.
“Thomas was leaving me.”
Emily blinked.
Patricia’s voice trembled.
“He had already talked to lawyers. He was moving Harbor House out of anything I could touch. He was going to expose Claire’s debts. He was going to tell you everything.”
“Everything about what?”
Patricia swallowed.
“About your sister.”
Marcus moved one step closer.
Patricia raised the lighter.
“Stay back.”
Emily held up her hands.
“Mom, you don’t need to burn anything.”
“Yes, I do.”
“No. You need to stop deciding what everybody else is allowed to know.”
Patricia flinched.
Emily continued.
“You hid my letter. You let Claire hide my property. You lied about Dad. You keep saying you did it for the family, but all you ever protected was the lie.”
Patricia’s eyes filled.
“You sound exactly like him.”
“Good.”
Patricia’s thumb moved on the lighter.
Emily’s heart stopped.
Then the stairwell door opened below.
Detective Grant’s voice echoed upward.
“Mrs. Bennett, put the lighter down.”
Patricia panicked.
The flame sparked.
Marcus lunged.
Patricia jerked back.
One sheet caught fire at the corner.
Emily grabbed Patricia’s wrist while Marcus slapped the burning paper against the concrete wall.
The flame died.
Patricia screamed.
Not in pain.
In rage.
“You don’t know what Claire did!”
Emily froze.
Patricia collapsed against the rail.
“She was the reason Thomas got in that car.”
Claire appeared on the landing below.
White wedding dress.
Tear-streaked face.
She had heard everything.
“Mom,” Claire whispered.
Patricia looked down at her.
May you like
And said the sentence that broke something permanent between them.
“You cut the brake line.”
