Chapter 17 - The Woman Who Wouldn't Stop
Margaret had been found at a private clinic under a false name. She had dyed her hair, changed her clothes, and tried to board a flight using an old passport. The arrest was quiet, but the news broke within minutes.
Claire watched the report from the kitchen of the small house she and Lena had rented while the estate case moved forward.
The anchor described Margaret as a former executive under investigation for conspiracy, evidence tampering, and financial fraud. The fire case was still being built, but the evidence was strong.
Lena switched off the television.
“I thought I'd feel better.”
“Do you?”
“No. I feel tired.”
Claire nodded. “Me too.”
They had started learning each other's habits. Lena drank coffee black. Claire put too much milk in hers. Lena hummed when she was nervous. Claire checked every door twice before bed. Their differences felt ordinary, which made the years they had lost seem even stranger.
A knock came.
Ruiz stood outside with a folder. “Margaret wants to make a statement. She says she'll identify the person who ordered Frank's attack.”
“Why would she do that?” Lena asked.
“Because she's negotiating.”
Claire opened the folder. Inside was a list of calls from the night Frank was attacked. One number belonged to a private security company. Another belonged to a phone registered to Daniel.
Claire felt the room go cold.
“Daniel?” Lena asked.
“He called the company twice,” Ruiz said. “He claims he was trying to cancel the arrangement.”
“Do you believe him?” Claire asked.
“I believe we need to ask him under oath.”
Ruiz left the folder.
That evening, Claire went alone to the old ballroom. The venue had been closed for repairs. The chandeliers were dark, the floral decorations gone. A cleaning crew had removed the white aisle runner.
She stood where she had stood on her wedding day.
She could almost hear the orchestra.
Then her phone buzzed.
A message from Daniel.
I have the truth about my father. The last piece. Meet me where we first met.
Claire stared at the screen.
Their first meeting had been at the Whitmore studio.
The place that burned.
May you like
June's tears did not move Claire the way they once might have. She listened because the truth mattered, not because she owed her aunt comfort. Lena stood beside her, steady and quiet. When the design book appeared, both sisters touched the cover. It felt like touching their mothers' hands across the years.
THE DRESS FULL OF SECRETS |
