Chapter 2 - THE BLOOD IN THE CAR
I do not remember driving to Route 8.
I remember snow.
Red lights.
The police officer telling me twice to stay behind the barrier.
Emma’s car sat crooked near the overlook.
Driver’s door open.
Snow collecting on the floor mat.
Her overnight bag was gone.
Her phone was gone.
But there was blood.
Not much.
A dark smear near the seat.
A second stain on the steering wheel.
“Could she have been injured?”
The officer nodded.
“Possible.”
“Could it be from pregnancy?”
“We don’t know.”
That answer nearly destroyed me.
Then a paramedic found something beneath the passenger seat.
A hospital wristband.
Not Emma’s.
I looked at the name.
MARA BENNETT.
“Who is Mara Bennett?”
Nobody knew.
I did.
Eventually.
Emma had mentioned Mara once.
Years ago.
College roommate.
A woman she stopped speaking to after some kind of argument.
I called Rachel.
She answered immediately.
“Daniel?”
“Did Emma ever talk to you about Mara Bennett?”
Silence.
My stomach tightened.
“Rachel?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“She came to see me yesterday.”
I froze.
“Emma saw you?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Afternoon.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because she asked me not to.”
My hand clenched around the phone.
“What did she want?”
“To talk about you.”
Of course.
I closed my eyes.
“What did she say?”
Rachel hesitated.
“She asked me whether I was still in love with you.”
My chest tightened.
“What did you tell her?”
“The truth.”
“And that is?”
“That part of me probably always will be.”
I stared into the snow.
“But I also told her you’re married, she’s pregnant, and I would never ask you to leave her.”
My voice became rough.
“Then why did she leave?”
“Because that wasn’t what she was afraid of.”
I stopped.
“What was she afraid of?”
“You.”
That hurt.
Rachel continued before I could speak.
“Not that you’d hurt her physically. That you’d keep choosing every crisis, every person, every deal, every emergency before her and call it responsibility.”
I had no defense.
Then Rachel said:
“She gave me something.”
“What?”
“An envelope.”
“Where is it?”
“With me.”
“Open it.”
“It’s addressed to you.”
“Rachel, please.”
Paper rustled.
She went silent.
“What?”
Her breathing changed.
“Daniel…”
“What does it say?”
She read:
If something happens to me before the baby is born, do not let Daniel blame himself until he knows everything.
My blood went cold.
“Everything about what?”
Rachel swallowed.
“There’s another line.”
“What?”
May you like
It says:
Tell him the baby is not the first child I lost.
