Chapter 10 - SOMEONE JULIAN TRUSTED
Our family was small.
That made Gregory’s warning worse.
Julian had no siblings.
My husband was dead.
My parents were gone.
Henry’s only brother, Robert, lived in Arizona.
His daughter, Stephanie, was Julian’s cousin.
They were close.
Or had been.
Stephanie had introduced Chloe to Julian.
The realization hit me so suddenly I stopped breathing.
Julian saw my face.
“What?”
I looked at him.
“Who introduced you to Chloe?”
He frowned.
“Stephanie.”
Daniel stopped typing.
“When?”
“Last year.”
“Where?”
“A charity event.”
“Did Stephanie already know her?”
“She said they met through a mutual friend.”
I felt sick.
Julian shook his head.
“No.”
“You’re thinking Steph is involved.”
“I’m thinking we verify.”
“She’s my cousin.”
“So we verify quickly.”
“That’s insane.”
“Julian.”
“No.”
“Chloe was one thing.”
“Victor was one thing.”
“Bernard was one thing.”
“But Stephanie?”
His voice rose.
“She spent summers here.”
“She was at Dad’s funeral.”
“She held my hand.”
“I know.”
“You don’t get to turn everybody into a suspect.”
His words struck harder than he intended.
I let the silence sit.
Then I answered.
“I hope I am wrong.”
That softened him.
“I do too.”
We did not confront Stephanie.
Daniel investigated quietly.
The first discovery meant nothing by itself.
Stephanie had visited Palm Beach twice during the previous year.
Bernard lived there.
Coincidence was possible.
The second discovery was harder.
A company controlled by Stephanie received a fifty-thousand-dollar “consulting payment” from a Victor-linked account six months earlier.
Julian stared at the transaction.
“She has a design company.”
“What consulting would she provide Victor?”
“I don’t know.”
“Ask her.”
“Not yet.”
He looked at me.
“Why?”
“Because if she is innocent, we hurt her.”
“If she isn’t, we warn her.”
Julian hated the logic.
So did I.
Gregory Lane finally agreed to meet investigators.
He was fifty-one now.
He walked with a cane.
The overdose had caused lasting nerve damage.
He described Chloe with no anger.
Only exhaustion.
“She was good.”
Julian looked at him.
“At pretending?”
“At studying.”
Gregory tapped his temple.
“She learned you.”
“She knew when to push.”
“When to retreat.”
“When to cry.”
“When to disappear.”
“Victor?”
“Brother.”
Julian almost laughed.
“He was cousin for me.”
Gregory looked at him.
“They adapt.”
“And Bernard?”
Gregory’s expression changed.
“I met him once.”
“Where?”
“Hospital.”
My skin went cold.
Gregory continued.
“I woke up after the overdose.”
“Rebecca was there.”
“Victor was there.”
“Then Bernard came in.”
“What did he say?”
“He said he was an attorney helping Rebecca protect my affairs while I recovered.”
Julian leaned forward.
“Did he ask you to sign?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“Power of attorney.”
“Investment authorization.”
“Marriage license application.”
Julian looked at me.
The same plan.
Gregory continued.
“I refused.”
“How?”
“I was confused but not that confused.”
“Then?”
“Rebecca cried.”
“She told me the drugs had made me paranoid.”
“Victor told doctors I was unstable.”
“Bernard tried to have my family excluded.”
Julian’s jaw tightened.
“How did you escape?”
“My daughter.”
Gregory smiled faintly.
“She was nineteen.”
“She climbed through a service stairwell after security told her she couldn’t see me.”
“She brought my regular attorney.”
“Everything collapsed after that.”
“What happened to Chloe?”
“Gone by morning.”
“Victor?”
“Gone.”
“Bernard?”
“Claimed he was never there.”
“Hospital cameras?”
“Malfunctioned.”
That word again.
Malfunctioned.
Disabled cameras.
Missing logs.
Manipulated environments.
Bernard did not simply forge documents.
He engineered confusion.
Gregory looked at Julian.
“Who introduced you to Rebecca?”
“Chloe.”
Julian corrected himself bitter you to Rebecca?”
“Chloe.”
Julian corrected himself bitterly.
“My cousin Stephanie.”
Gregory went still.
“What is her last name?”
“Vance.”
Gregory stared at him.
Then at me.
“I know that name.”
“How?”
“Bernard mentioned a Stephanie.”
Julian’s face changed.
“What did he say?”
Gregory thought.
“It was years ago.”
“Try.”
“He said something like…”
Gregory frowned.
“Stephanie understands what family owes family.”
Julian stood.
“No.”
Gregory looked apologetic.
“I’m sorry.”
Julian walked out.
I remained.
“Anything else?”
Gregory nodded slowly.
“Bernard said the Vance family stole from her father.”
My heart tightened.
Robert.
Henry’s brother.
Robert had once owned twenty percent of the family manufacturing company.
He sold his shares during a financial crisis.
Years later, the company became enormously valuable.
Robert had always insisted Henry pressured him to sell.
Henry denied it.
The brothers never fully reconciled.
Stephanie grew up hearing her father’s version.
Could resentment have been enough?
Fifty thousand dollars.
An introduction.
A wedding.
I called Robert.
He answered happily.
“Caroline.”
“Is Stephanie with you?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Where is she?”
“In New York, I think.”
“Why?”
“Robert.”
My voice changed.
“When did she meet Bernard Shaw?”
Silence.
That was answer enough.
“Robert.”
“She was angry.”
“When?”
“Years ago.”
“How many?”
“After Henry died.”
My hand tightened around the phone.
“You knew?”
“I knew she spoke with him.”
“About what?”
“The company.”
“What did he tell her?”
“That Henry cheated me.”
“Did you believe him?”
A long pause.
“Some days.”
I closed my eyes.
“Robert, did Stephanie introduce Chloe to Julian because Bernard asked her?”
“What?”
His surprise sounded genuine.
“I don’t know anything about Chloe.”
“Did Stephanie receive money from Victor Hale?”
“I don’t know who that is.”
“Then call your daughter.”
“Why?”
“Because police are about to.”
We drove toward Stephanie’s apartment with detectives.
The door was unlocked.
Inside, nothing appeared disturbed.
Her phone sat on the kitchen counter.
Her purse was on a chair.
She was gone.
On the dining table was a wedding invitation.
Julian and Chloe.
August 24.
Stephanie had circled the date.
Beside it she had written:
This fixes everything Dad lost.
Julian stared at the words.
He looked devastated.
A detective opened Stephanie’s laptop.
A file was already visible.
VANCE RESTITUTION.
Inside were messages between Stephanie and Bernard.
At first, they discussed Robert’s old shares.
Then Bernard began talking about legal options.
Then Chloe.
One message stopped everyone.
You only need to introduce them.
Stephanie replied:
I won’t hurt Julian.
Bernard:
No one is hurting him.
He falls in love.
He gets married.
Your father finally receives what Henry stole.
Months later, Stephanie wrote:
Chloe scares me.
Bernard replied:
Too late for conscience.
Julian stepped away from the laptop.
There were tears in his eyes.
“She knew.”
I said nothing.
He hit the wall with his palm.
“She knew.”
Then Daniel called.
“Caroline.”
“We found Stephanie.”
“Where?”
“A hospital in Queens.”
My stomach dropped.
“What happened?”
“She was found unconscious in a parking garage.”
“Overdose?”
“They don’t know yet.”
Julian was already moving.
We reached the hospital forty minutes later.
Stephanie was alive.
Barely conscious.
The doctor said sedatives were present.
The same class as Julian’s altered pills.
When Stephanie finally opened her eyes, Julian stood beside the bed.
She began crying immediately.
“I’m sorry.”
He looked at her.
“You introduced Chloe.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Dad.”
“What about him?”
“Bernard said Uncle Henry stole millions from Dad.”
“He said the trust amendment would return part of it.”
“So you gave me to them?”
Her face crumpled.
“I thought it was paperwork.”
“I thought Chloe actually liked you.”
“Did you know Victor?”
“Not at first.”
“When did you know?”
“After the engagement.”
“And you said nothing.”
“Bernard threatened Dad.”
“With what?”
“He said he had evidence Dad committed tax fraud during the stock sale.”
Julian stepped back.
“You chose protecting your father over protecting me.”
Stephanie sobbed.
“I was going to tell you.”
“When?”
“Yesterday.”
“What happened?”
Her eyes widened.
“Bernard came to my apartment.”
The room went silent.
“What did he want?”
“The backup.”
I stepped forward.
“What backup?”
Stephanie looked at me.
“The one Chloe gave me.”
Chloe had lied.
She had told us the backup was somewhere Victor could not reach.
She had given it to Stephanie.
“Where is it?”
I asked.
Stephanie began shaking.
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean?”
“Bernard took my keys.”
“He drugged me.”
“He kept asking where I moved it.”
“Did you move it?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
Stephanie looked toward Julian.
“I put it somewhere Bernard would never think to search.”
“Where?”
She swallowed.
“In Aunt Caroline’s foundation office.”
My blood went cold.
May you like
That office was in Manhattan.
And at that exact moment, according to the security app on my phone, someone had just entered it using my access code.
