Chapter 6 - THE MAN VICTORIA HIRED
His name was Daniel Price.
He had once worked as a private investigator.
“Once?” Ethan asked when Maya put the call on speaker.
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“Lost my license three years ago.”
“Why?”
“Because I took money for things I shouldn’t have.”
Maya leaned against the hotel office desk.
“And Victoria hired you?”
“Three weeks ago.”
Ethan closed his eyes.
Three weeks.
His mother had been planning this for three weeks.
“What did she ask you to do?” Maya said.
“Find dirt on you.”
“There isn’t any.”
“I know.”
Victoria’s voice exploded from the hallway.
“This is outrageous!”
Daniel heard it through the phone.
“She there?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Don’t let her leave.”
Maya’s skin prickled.
“What else did she ask?”
Daniel went quiet.
“After I couldn’t find anything, she changed the job.”
Ethan’s face tightened.
“To what?”
“Creating something.”
Maya felt Caroline’s hand close around her arm.
Daniel continued.
“She wanted photos that looked compromising. Hotel records. Messages. Anything that could make Ethan think Maya was cheating.”
Ethan looked like he’d been punched.
“You agreed?”
“At first.”
Maya’s anger snapped.
“At first?”
“I needed money.”
“So you were willing to ruin my life because you needed money?”
“Yes.”
At least he didn’t lie.
Maya almost hated him more for that.
“What changed?”
Daniel exhaled.
“She wanted me to photograph you with another man. I told her I could fake a meeting, maybe manipulate context, but she wanted more.”
“What does ‘more’ mean?”
“She wanted someone to drug your drink at the rehearsal party tomorrow.”
Ethan’s head jerked up.
Caroline swore.
The hotel supervisor reached for his radio.
Maya couldn’t speak.
Daniel kept going.
“She wanted you dizzy. Confused. Then she wanted photos of a man helping you into a hotel room.”
The room spun.
“She wanted me unconscious?”
“She said not unconscious. Just out of it.”
“Like that makes it better!” Ethan shouted.
“I didn’t do it.”
“But you took her money.”
“Yes.”
“Where are you?”
Daniel hesitated.
“Parking garage across the street.”
Noah moved to the window.
Maya felt fury replace fear.
“Why call now?”
“Because I saw her at the hotel yesterday with a fake license and realized she wasn’t just trying to break up a relationship. She was committing fraud.”
“You suddenly discovered morals?”
“No.”
His answer surprised her.
“I discovered fear.”
“Fear of what?”
“That if she gets desperate enough, somebody gets hurt.”
Maya looked toward the closed door.
Outside, Victoria had stopped yelling.
That silence felt worse.
Daniel said, “There’s something else.”
Ethan rubbed both hands over his face.
“What now?”
“I recorded some of our meetings.”
Maya’s heart kicked.
“You have her admitting this?”
“I have enough.”
“Send it.”
“I will.”
A pause.
“But first, you need to know why she hates Maya so much.”
Ethan stared at the phone.
“She thinks Maya wants our money.”
“No.”
Daniel’s voice became quiet.
“That’s what she tells people.”
Maya frowned.
“Then what’s the real reason?”
May you like
Daniel answered.
“Because Maya’s father knows what Victoria did twenty-six years ago.”
