Chapter 12 - RACHEL'S NAME
For ten seconds, I didn't understand what Bradley had said.
Then I understood every word at once.
"Rachel?"
He nodded.
"My Rachel?"
"That's what Susan said."
I stood completely still.
Bradley leaned forward.
"I don't know whether it's true."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't believe her."
"You believed your mother enough to steal from me."
His face tightened.
"Fair."
I left the interview room.
Rachel stood in the hallway.
She saw my face.
"What happened?"
I looked at her.
For thirteen years, Rachel Kim had been my closest friend.
She knew my college boyfriend.
My first apartment.
My wedding.
My miscarriage.
My company.
My marriage.
She had helped draft the original postnup.
She had answered my call after the pool.
She had been beside me every minute since.
And now Bradley claimed her voice might be on a recording discussing how that agreement had been altered.
"Did you ever speak to Barbara about my postnup?"
Rachel froze.
Only for a second.
But I saw it.
"Yes."
My stomach dropped.
"When?"
"Years ago."
"Why?"
"She called me."
"What did she want?"
"Information."
"What kind of information?"
"About the agreement."
"Did you give it to her?"
"No."
"You never told me."
"It wasn't important."
I stared at her.
"Right now, everything is important."
Detective Ruiz walked closer.
"What's going on?"
I told her.
Rachel's face hardened.
"Bradley is trying to divide us."
"Maybe."
"Maddie."
"Did you meet Barbara?"
Silence.
My chest tightened.
"Rachel."
"Once."
My heart dropped another inch.
"When?"
"Four years ago."
"Before or after I signed?"
"Before."
"Why?"
"She asked to meet."
"And you went."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because she claimed she had information about Bradley hiding assets."
I stared at her.
"Did she?"
"No."
"What did she want?"
"To know how much your company would be protected."
The hallway seemed suddenly too bright.
"And you didn't tell me."
"I should have."
"Why didn't you?"
"Because I didn't want to create problems in your marriage over a conversation that went nowhere."
I laughed bitterly.
"How thoughtful."
Rachel flinched.
Detective Ruiz interrupted.
"If there is a recording, we'll determine what it contains."
Rachel nodded.
"Good."
She sounded confident.
Maybe she was innocent.
Maybe she wasn't.
I hated that I could no longer tell.
Ruiz's phone rang.
She answered.
Then her expression changed.
"They found Susan."
My stomach tightened.
"Where?"
"Bus station in Albany."
"Is she okay?"
"Physically."
"Frank?"
"No sign."
"Did she have the documents?"
Ruiz listened.
Then nodded.
"Some."
"What does that mean?"
"She has a storage key."
Susan agreed to cooperate.
Three hours later, she sat in an interview room.
I watched from behind glass.
She looked exhausted.
Her dark hair was pulled into a messy ponytail.
The woman my husband said he loved looked nothing like the polished executive who used to sit across from me in budget meetings.
When she saw me behind the glass, she started crying.
I felt nothing.
Ruiz questioned her.
Susan admitted the affair.
She admitted copying corporate documents.
She admitted receiving money from Barbara.
She admitted helping prepare forged loan authorizations.
Then she said the sentence everyone had been waiting for.
"I recorded Barbara."
"Where is it?"
"In storage."
"What is on it?"
"Everything."
"Define everything."
Susan looked toward the glass.
At me.
"Barbara explaining the divorce plan."
"The postnup?"
"Yes."
"The fraud?"
"Yes."
"Anything else?"
Susan hesitated.
"Rachel."
Behind the glass, Rachel went still.
Detective Ruiz asked.
"What about Rachel?"
Susan looked terrified.
"I heard Barbara mention her."
"Doing what?"
"Helping."
Rachel shook her head.
"This is ridiculous."
Ruiz continued.
"Did you personally hear Rachel Kim agree to anything illegal?"
"No."
"Did you personally see her alter documents?"
"No."
"Then what exactly do you have?"
Susan swallowed.
"A conversation."
"Between who?"
"Barbara and someone Barbara calls R."
Rachel turned toward me.
"Maddie, anyone can be R."
I didn't answer.
Susan continued.
"The woman says she can make the new clause look like it was always there."
My knees weakened.
Rachel whispered.
"No."
Detective Ruiz asked.
"Can you identify the voice?"
Susan looked directly toward the glass.
"I think so."
Ruiz leaned forward.
"Who is it?"
Susan spoke slowly.
"It's Maddie's attorney."
Rachel took one step backward.
I stared at her.
Then Susan added something none of us expected.
"But it isn't Rachel Kim."
The room went silent.
Ruiz frowned.
"Then who?"
Susan answered.
"The lawyer who represented Bradley when the postnup was signed."
I remembered him.
A quiet man named Evan Cole.
Rachel looked at me.
"He was disbarred two years ago."
Detective Ruiz asked.
"Why?"
Rachel's expression changed.
"For fraud."
Susan nodded.
Then she gave us the final piece.
"Barbara wasn't working with Rachel."
"She was using Rachel's name."
"Why?"
May you like
Susan stared at me.
"Because if the plan ever fell apart, Barbara wanted you to suspect the one person most likely to help you fight back."
