Chapter 9 - The Lawyer
The video lasted forty-three seconds.
It was enough to change everything.
Nora had hidden a camera in her home office.
Thomas Bell stood near the door.
Gavin Cole stood behind him.
Nora's voice shook.
"I copied the ledger. If anything happens to me, it goes to the FBI."
Thomas took a sip of whiskey.
"No, it doesn't. Because your daughter is alive."
Emma stopped the video.
Her skin went cold.
Marcus whispered, "He threatened you."
Emma could barely speak. "She never told me."
Adrian leaned forward. "Play the rest."
Emma did.
Thomas said, "You should have taken the money, Nora."
Then Gavin moved toward the camera.
The image jerked.
Black screen.
File ended.
Marcus immediately copied it to three secure drives.
"This goes to federal investigators now."
Adrian stood. "I'm calling Thomas."
"No," Emma said.
"He was in my house last night. He knew the safe code. He knew about the ledger."
"Which means he may know we found this box."
Adrian stared at her, then slowly sat back down.
For the first time since the pool, Emma saw him listen.
Her phone rang.
Unknown number.
Marcus shook his head. "Don't answer."
Emma answered.
"Hello?"
Thomas Bell's voice came through warm and calm.
"Good morning, Emma."
Her fingers tightened around the phone.
"Where is Vivian?"
He chuckled. "You always did get straight to the point. Like your mother."
Adrian reached for the phone, but Emma stepped away.
"Did you kill her?"
"Your mother killed herself the moment she decided that truth mattered more than survival."
Adrian's face twisted with rage.
Emma kept her voice steady. "What do you want?"
"The flash drive. The ledger. And the key."
"Why the key? The box is open."
Silence.
Then Thomas said, "Interesting."
Emma's stomach dropped.
She had told him too much.
Thomas continued, "Look beneath the velvet lining."
Emma turned toward the open safe-deposit box.
Marcus lifted the blue velvet pad.
Under it was a second key.
Small.
Steel.
Stamped with one word.
VILLA.
Thomas whispered into Emma's ear.
May you like
"Your mother hid the real evidence in the house you're standing against."
Marcus closed the laptop and slid it into his bag. 'From this point on,' he said, 'assume every phone call is listened to and every person who offers help has a reason.' Emma looked at Adrian. Adrian looked back. Neither of them liked how true that sounded.
