Chapter 6 - Caroline
Nathan went completely still.
I had heard the name once before.
Caroline Hayes.
An old friend, he had said.
A college friend who died years ago.
Victoria watched him with cruel satisfaction. “Go on. Tell your fiancée.”
Richard grabbed his wife’s arm. “Enough.”
She yanked free. “No. She wants truth.”
Nathan’s voice cracked. “Mom.”
“What happened to Caroline?” I asked.
Nobody answered.
So I asked again.
This time Richard said, “It has nothing to do with tonight.”
That was how I knew it had everything to do with tonight.
Ortiz told Nathan he could either answer there or later in a formal interview.
He looked at me.
“Caroline and I dated when I was twenty-four.”
Victoria laughed softly. “Dated.”
Nathan flinched.
“We were engaged.”
I felt something hollow open in my chest.
“You told me you’d never been engaged.”
“I should have told you.”
“Yes.”
“She died before the wedding.”
“How?”
His eyes moved toward the open front doors.
“Car accident.”
Victoria said, “After a party.”
“Stop.”
“At this house.”
Nathan turned on her. “Stop!”
The word cracked across the hall.
Every officer looked over.
Victoria lowered her voice. “She left upset. That was the official story.”
Official story.
My skin prickled.
“What was the real story?”
Nathan stared at the floor.
“She found documents in my father’s office.”
Richard stepped forward. “I’m done with this.”
Ortiz blocked him.
Nathan continued. “She thought my family was using charitable accounts to move money between companies.”
“Were they?”
“I didn’t know.”
“Do you know now?”
He looked at his father.
“Yes.”
The answer hit harder than the shove at the lake.
I backed against the wall.
“You knew your family was committing fraud?”
“Not when Caroline died.”
“But later.”
“Yes.”
“And you said nothing.”
“I was building evidence.”
Victoria laughed again. “You were hiding.”
Nathan ignored her.
“I stayed because I thought I could expose them without destroying everyone attached to the company.”
I looked at him like he was a stranger.
“Then why marry me?”
Pain crossed his face.
“Because I love you.”
“No. Why involve me?”
He swallowed.
“I didn’t mean to.”
“That’s not an answer.”
Ortiz’s phone buzzed. She checked the message.
Then she looked directly at Richard.
“My team just recovered a cloud backup of the missing audio.”
May you like
Richard’s face drained.
Ortiz said, “And somebody on that recording says Caroline’s name.”
