Chapter 6 - The Lie Inside the Lie
“What are you talking about?”
Vivienne laughed softly.
“Come home and I’ll explain.”
“If this is some kind of game—”
“It isn’t.”
“You’re locked inside my house.”
“Am I?”
I looked at Laura.
She could hear enough to understand.
I stepped into the hallway.
“Tom!”
No answer.
I called security.
Nothing.
Then Michael called.
I answered immediately.
“Where are you?”
“Daniel, listen to me.”
“Where are you?”
“At your house.”
“Is Vivienne there?”
A pause.
“Yes.”
“Security?”
Another pause.
“Daniel, things got complicated.”
I nearly crushed the phone.
“You let her leave?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“Hayes showed up.”
My stomach dropped.
“He said there had been a complaint that we were unlawfully detaining guests.”
Of course.
“What did you tell him?”
“That you ordered the doors locked.”
“Michael.”
“I didn’t know what else to do.”
“You knew exactly what you were doing.”
Silence.
Then he said quietly, “I never wanted Sofia hurt.”
My knees almost gave out.
Laura stared at me.
I whispered, “What did you just say?”
Michael breathed hard.
“I said come home.”
“No.”
“Daniel—”
“Did you have something to do with Sofia’s death?”
“No.”
“Did Vivienne?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re lying.”
“I moved money.”
The words hit like a punch.
“I moved it, okay? But it wasn’t supposed to become this.”
“Six million dollars.”
“It started smaller.”
“You stole from me.”
“I borrowed.”
“You hid it through shell companies.”
“I was going to put it back.”
I laughed once.
Ugly.
Disbelieving.
“And Sofia found out.”
“Yes.”
“What did you do?”
“I asked her to stay quiet.”
“And when she didn’t?”
“I didn’t kill her.”
“Who did?”
Michael didn’t answer.
Then I heard Vivienne’s voice in the background.
“Tell him about Lily.”
My chest tightened.
“Who is Lily?”
Michael said, “Daniel, don’t listen to her.”
“Who is Lily?”
Vivienne took the phone.
“Sofia had another child.”
“Stop.”
“A little girl.”
“You’re lying.”
“She was born before Rosie.”
I gripped the wall.
“That’s impossible.”
“Is it?”
Vivienne sounded almost amused.
“You and Sofia separated for four months before Rosie was conceived. Remember?”
I did.
A terrible stretch of our marriage.
We had almost divorced then.
Vivienne continued.
“Sofia gave birth to a premature baby during that separation.”
“That would mean—”
“That she was pregnant before you separated.”
My thoughts crashed into one another.
“No.”
“She told everyone the baby died.”
My mouth went dry.
Vivienne lowered her voice.
“But the baby didn’t die.”
I heard movement.
Then a child’s voice.
Older than Rosie.
Maybe six.
“Hello?”
Every muscle in my body locked.
Vivienne said,
“Her name is Lily.”
May you like
I couldn’t breathe.
“And she looks exactly like you.”
