Chapter 8 - The Lie Claire Told
The lobby became silent.
Patricia stared at Claire.
“No.”
Claire looked sick. “Yes.”
“Claire, stop.”
“You made me lie.”
Daniel moved toward his wife. “About what?”
Claire pressed both palms to her temples.
“I was twenty-six. I was stupid. I was angry.”
Emily’s voice came out sharp. “What did you do?”
Claire looked at her.
“I went into Dad’s office.”
Evelyn closed her eyes.
Claire continued.
“I found the Harbor papers. I thought it was another property he planned to give away.”
“To me,” Emily said.
Claire nodded.
“I confronted him.”
“What happened?”
“He told me it wasn’t my business.”
Claire laughed through tears.
“I told him everything was always Emily’s business.”
Emily said nothing.
“I was furious. I followed him to the garage.”
Patricia stepped in. “That’s enough.”
“No!” Claire shouted.
The sound made guests in the nearby hallway turn.
Claire lowered her voice.
“I knocked over a toolbox. Dad yelled. Mom came in. We fought.”
Detective Grant asked, “Did you touch the car?”
Claire shook her head quickly. “No.”
“Did your mother?”
Claire looked at Patricia.
Patricia’s face had become unreadable.
Emily watched her sister fight with herself.
Then Claire said, “I don’t know.”
Patricia let out a breath that sounded almost like relief.
But Claire wasn’t finished.
“I went back inside.”
Patricia’s eyes sharpened.
“I forgot my phone,” Claire said. “When I came back to the garage, Mom was under the hood.”
Daniel whispered, “Jesus.”
Patricia lunged forward. “I was checking the battery!”
Claire flinched.
“You told me to say you were upstairs with me all night.”
“Because the police were asking questions and you were hysterical!”
“You made me lie!”
“I protected you!”
Emily stepped between them.
“Protected her from what?”
Patricia looked at Emily, breathing hard.
The detective’s voice stayed even.
“Mrs. Bennett, do you know anything about damage to your husband’s brake system?”
“No.”
“Did you open the hood?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“He said the car was making a sound.”
Marcus shook his head. “Brakes aren’t under the hood.”
Patricia glared at him. “I know that.”
Emily felt the pieces shifting but not fitting.
Then Evelyn said, “The brake line was accessible from the side bay.”
Everyone turned.
Evelyn looked at Emily.
“Your grandfather built that garage. There’s an inspection pit beneath the second parking space.”
Patricia’s face drained white.
Detective Grant noticed.
“So someone could reach the brake line from below without opening the hood.”
Patricia took another step back.
And bumped into Robert Whitmore.
He had returned holding his phone.
His expression was severe.
“I just spoke to the bank.”
He looked at Claire.
“The three-hundred-thousand-dollar transfer wasn’t initiated yesterday.”
Claire stared at him.
Robert continued.
“It was scheduled six months ago.”
Emily felt a chill.
Six months ago.
Before the wedding deposits.
Before the forged development contract.
Before Claire had claimed any of this was panic.
Robert looked from Claire to Patricia.
“This wasn’t desperation.”
May you like
His voice hardened.
“It was a plan.”
