Chapter 4 - THE RECORDING
Melissa Ross looked nothing like the villain I had imagined.
She wasn’t smug.
She wasn’t glamorous.
She looked exhausted.
Her mascara had run beneath one eye.
Her hands were shaking.
Daniel stared at her.
“You followed me?”
“I needed to stop this.”
“Stop what?”
She glanced at Andrew.
He immediately stepped forward.
“Melissa, don’t.”
That told me everything.
I held out my hand.
“Give me the drive.”
Andrew moved toward us.
“Claire, listen to me first.”
I stepped back.
“If you come any closer, I call the police.”
He stopped.
Melissa placed the flash drive in my palm.
“I recorded him last week.”
Daniel looked stunned.
“You recorded Andrew?”
“I started realizing he was lying to me too.”
Her voice cracked.
“He told me you two were basically separated.”
I almost laughed.
“Did he?”
“He said you slept in separate rooms.”
“We didn’t.”
“He said you hated him.”
“I didn’t.”
“He said the divorce was your idea.”
“It wasn’t.”
Melissa closed her eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
Daniel looked away.
That apology wasn’t enough for him.
I understood.
Melissa pointed at the flash drive.
“He talks about the house.”
Andrew exploded.
“You were recording me?”
“You were using me!”
“And you were married!”
“So were you!”
Lorraine stepped between them.
“This woman is clearly unstable.”
Melissa stared at her.
“You’re Lorraine?”
Lorraine lifted her chin.
“Yes.”
Melissa laughed bitterly.
“Oh, you knew.”
I turned.
“What does she mean?”
Melissa looked directly at me.
“Andrew took calls from his mother while we were together.”
Lorraine paled.
“She knew who I was.”
“Liar!”
“I heard your voice.”
Lorraine backed away.
Andrew rubbed both hands over his face.
“Everyone shut up.”
I almost admired his nerve.
“Get out of my house.”
His hands dropped.
“What?”
“You and Lorraine.”
Lorraine sputtered.
“You cannot throw us out!”
“I can tell you to leave for tonight.”
Andrew stepped toward me.
“I live here.”
“So do I.”
“And I’m not leaving.”
Daniel shifted beside me.
Andrew glared at him.
I held up my phone.
“Then the police can sort out tonight’s sleeping arrangements while I report an attempted assault and suspected document forgery.”
That worked.
Andrew looked at Lorraine.
“Get your things.”
She stared at him in disbelief.
“You’re choosing her?”
“No.”
He looked at me.
“I’m choosing not to make this worse.”
Too late.
They packed bags.
Lorraine cursed me under her breath the entire time.
Before she left, she stood in the foyer and whispered,
“You think you won.”
I looked at the dented headboard visible up the stairs.
“No.”
“I think you finally lost control.”
Her eyes filled with hatred.
Then she left.
Daniel took Melissa home separately.
I locked every door.
At 8:40 p.m., I plugged the flash drive into my laptop.
There were seven audio files.
The third one was dated three days earlier.
Andrew’s voice filled the kitchen.
“Claire doesn’t know what she signed half the time.”
Melissa laughed nervously.
Then Andrew said,
“Once the bank processes it, I can move the money before she understands what happened.”
My heart began pounding.
Melissa asked,
“What about the house?”
Andrew replied,
“My mother has a plan for that.”
Then Lorraine’s voice came through the speaker.
Clear.
Cold.
May you like
And terrifying.
“Make Claire look unstable, and nobody will believe her when she says the signature was forged.”
