Chapter 8 - CLAIRE’S LETTERS
Nathan’s late wife had left letters for the girls to open on future birthdays. He kept them in a locked box in his study, one envelope for each child, each year. He had shown Vanessa the box after they married.
“What does Peter want with them?” he asked.
Vanessa glanced toward the living room. “He took the box in October. He told me that if I kept quiet, he’d return it before you noticed.”
“Why would you believe him?”
“I didn’t. I just wanted time to fix what I’d done.”
Nathan did not invite her inside. He took the notebook and said, “Tell the police.”
“I will.”
“You should have called me the first day the girls went without dinner.”
“I know,” Vanessa said.
She left the suitcase on the porch. Inside were the girls’ favorite stuffed animals. Rachel brought it in after Vanessa drove away.
Diane reviewed the notebook that night. It listed visits by Peter, cash deposits into Vanessa’s personal account, and household expenses that did not match what the girls received. Vanessa had kept careful records while failing to care for the children in front of her.
Nathan found that hard to understand. He stopped trying. The records could help; they could not undo what happened.
The next morning, Diane called with news. Peter had gone to the mansion before dawn. Security cameras showed him leaving with two boxes.
Nathan asked the police to check his study.
The letter box was gone.
So was a hard drive Claire had filled with family photographs and home videos.
Rachel found Nathan standing in her kitchen, staring at the wall.
“We can make copies of the pictures from our phones,” she said.
“I promised Claire I’d keep the letters safe.”
“You can keep the girls safe now.”
Nathan nodded, though it took a moment.
Diane called again. Peter’s company had offered the Denver property for sale overnight. He appeared to be gathering cash.
“Can the bank stop him?” Nathan asked.
“They’ve frozen the trust transfer. The company money is taking longer to trace.”
As they spoke, a message arrived from an unknown number. It contained a photograph of Claire’s letter box on the passenger seat of a car.
May you like
Beneath it were seven words:
COME ALONE IF YOU WANT THESE BACK.
