Chapter 2 - THE ENVELOPE MY FATHER HID
Victoria Hale had no reason to know my father's attorney.
She had never attended our family dinners.
Never visited Dad's apartment.
And, as far as I knew, had never even met him.
Yet she had apparently tried to collect the last documents he left behind.
I drove to Samuel Brooks's office with my right hand throbbing beneath its bandages.
Every stoplight felt endless.
Every familiar Chicago street reminded me of Dad.
I remembered him teaching me to parallel park.
Taking me for pancakes after my first college interview.
Standing beside me on my wedding day, his eyes shining as he placed my hand in Ethan's.
He'd liked Ethan once.
So had I.
At Samuel's office, the receptionist led me directly into a private conference room.
Samuel stood when I entered.
He was sixty-three, with silver hair and the tired expression of someone who'd been working through the night.
"Claire."
He embraced me carefully.
"I'm so sorry about Robert."
The mention of my father's name nearly undid me.
"Thank you."
Samuel motioned toward a chair.
"There's something you need to understand."
I sat.
"Your father came to see me eleven days before the accident."
I went still.
"Why?"
"He was concerned about irregular transactions involving a construction company connected to Carter Holdings."
My stomach tightened.
"Ethan's company?"
Samuel nodded.
"One of its subsidiaries."
I stared at him.
"Dad was retired. Why would he be investigating Ethan's business?"
"Because he discovered something while reviewing documents for an old family friend."
Samuel opened a locked drawer.
He removed a thick envelope.
My name was written across the front.
CLAIRE — OPEN ONLY IF I CANNOT EXPLAIN THIS MYSELF.
I recognized Dad's handwriting immediately.
My throat closed.
Samuel watched me.
"Take your time."
I opened the envelope with my uninjured hand.
Inside was a letter.
My beautiful Claire,
If you're reading this, something has happened that kept me from telling you the truth myself.
Please don't blame yourself for any of it.
I pressed my lips together.
Dad always knew when I was blaming myself.
Even when I tried to hide it.
I kept reading.
I discovered suspicious transactions connected to a company called Northstar Development Services.
The company appears to have received payments for construction work that was never completed.
Several of those payments came from Carter Holdings.
My heart pounded.
I turned the page.
I don't know whether Ethan is aware of what is happening.
But someone close to him is using his authority.
And I am afraid they will hurt anyone who tries to expose it.
I looked up.
"Did he report this?"
Samuel nodded.
"We were preparing a formal disclosure to the appropriate authorities."
"Who knew?"
"Your father, me, and an accountant who helped verify the records."
"What accountant?"
Samuel hesitated.
"Her name is Rebecca Lawson."
I didn't recognize it.
Then he handed me a photograph.
It showed Dad standing outside a downtown office building.
Beside him stood a young woman holding a folder.
And behind them, partially reflected in the glass entrance, was someone I recognized immediately.
Victoria Hale.
I felt cold.
"She was following him."
Samuel nodded grimly.
"That's what your father believed."
I looked back at the letter.
There was one final paragraph.
Claire, I need you to remember something. Ethan may be your husband, but your safety must never depend entirely on the man you married.
Tears spilled down my face.
Then Samuel placed another document on the table.
"This arrived after your father died."
"What is it?"
"A copy of a payment authorization."
I looked down.
The recipient was Northstar Development Services.
The amount was $950,000.
And beneath the authorization was a digital signature.
ETHAN CARTER — EXECUTIVE APPROVAL.
But the date made my stomach twist.
The payment had been approved at 9:47 p.m.
The exact minute I saw Ethan comforting Victoria in New York.
May you like
And the memo attached to the payment contained five chilling words.
FINAL SETTLEMENT — ROBERT'S FILE CLOSED.
