Chapter 13 - THE ACCOUNT
Nora contacted the bank with me beside her. After verifying my identity, the bank confirmed that an account had been opened online using my personal details. Its statements had been sent to an email address I didn’t recognize.
The account held a little over twelve thousand dollars. Most of it had arrived from Michael’s company.
Daniel had texted me on our honeymoon about a “wedding gift” from his family. He said he would put it somewhere safe until we decided how to use it. I had told him I didn’t want to accept money from them.
Now it sat in an account bearing my name.
The detective asked for the records. He explained that the documents, emails, and account would be reviewed together. I gave him what I had and let him do his job. I was tired of chasing Daniel’s next move.
Tessa came by that afternoon. Her brother had found another job, but she still looked exhausted.
“I keep thinking about your wedding,” she told me. “You asked if I wanted cake. You were nice to me, and I already knew they wanted your property.”
“You didn’t know all of it.”
“I knew enough to ask questions.”
I understood. I had ignored questions of my own because I wanted my marriage to work.
We sat on Grandma’s porch while the afternoon light crossed the yard. Tessa told me she had agreed to give the detective her messages with Michael, including the ones about her mother’s bills.
The next day, Michael arrived at Nora’s office with his own attorney. I wasn’t there, but Nora called me afterward.
“He wants to release the lien,” she said, “if you agree not to pursue a claim against his company.”
“No.”
“That’s what I told him you’d say.”
An hour later, Margaret called. I let it go to voicemail.
“You think you’ve won,” she said. “But Daniel will tell everyone what you did at dinner. He has the video.”
I had forgotten the camera mounted over Margaret’s dining room doorway.
For one awful moment, I pictured only the table falling and Michael covered in potatoes. Then Nora asked, “Would that camera have recorded the slap?”
May you like
I looked at the photograph Rachel had taken of my cheek.
“Yes,” I said. “It was facing us.”
