Chapter 11 - BEFORE EMILY DIED
“She knew Vanessa before I did.”
Adrian could barely say the words.
Daniel stared at the photograph.
“At least visually.”
“She was watching Sophie.”
“It appears that way.”
“Three years ago.”
“Yes.”
Adrian stood.
“So the charity dinner was never the beginning.”
“No.”
A darker possibility entered the room.
Neither man said it.
At first.
Finally, Adrian whispered,
“Emily got sick three months after this picture.”
Daniel’s eyes sharpened.
“Adrian.”
“I know.”
“We cannot jump from stalking to murder.”
“I know.”
“Emily had a diagnosed illness.”
“I know.”
But Adrian’s hands were shaking.
They pulled Emily’s medical history.
Her illness had been thoroughly documented.
No evidence of poisoning.
No suspicious circumstances.
Adrian hated himself for feeling relieved.
Vanessa had manipulated his life.
But she had not caused Emily’s death.
At least, there was no evidence she had.
So why had she been watching Sophie?
Lucas finally gave the answer.
“She knew about the trust.”
Adrian stared across the interview table.
“How?”
“Vanessa used to work for a private wealth-management firm.”
“She told me she was in marketing.”
“She was. Briefly. Before she was fired.”
“For what?”
Lucas smiled bitterly.
“Accessing client files she wasn’t assigned to.”
Adrian understood.
“She found Sophie.”
“Yeah.”
“Then she followed my family.”
“Yeah.”
“For three years?”
“Not constantly. She had other targets.”
Adrian’s stomach turned.
“Other widowers?”
Lucas nodded.
“Two.”
“What happened?”
“One figured her out.”
“And the other?”
Lucas looked uncomfortable.
“He died.”
The room became silent.
“How?”
“Car accident.”
Adrian stared at him.
“Was Vanessa involved?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s not good enough.”
“I said I don’t know.”
Lucas leaned forward.
“But I know she got fifty thousand dollars from him six weeks before he died.”
Adrian felt his pulse jump.
“Why?”
“He thought she was helping him invest.”
Daniel wrote something down.
“What was his name?”
Lucas answered.
“Raymond Price.”
Police reopened the old financial investigation that afternoon.
Raymond’s death had been ruled accidental.
Wet road.
High speed.
No seatbelt.
But the money Vanessa received had never been examined.
Because nobody knew they had been romantically involved.
Then Detective Bell called Adrian.
“We found Vanessa.”
“Where?”
“A bus station outside Springfield.”
“Do you have her?”
“No.”
Adrian closed his eyes.
“What happened?”
“She left before officers arrived.”
“How?”
“She had help.”
“From Lucas?”
“No.”
“Who?”
“We don’t know yet.”
A pause.
“Mr. Mercer, there’s something else.”
Adrian’s chest tightened.
“What?”
“Vanessa bought a bus ticket.”
“To where?”
The detective answered.
“To the town where Emily’s parents live.”
Adrian went cold.
May you like
Sophie’s grandparents.
And Sophie was supposed to spend the weekend with them.
