Chapter 8 - The Envelope
“Don’t touch the money,” Cole said into my phone. “Stay where other people can see you.”
Miguel was breathing too fast.
“He says I stole it from the office.”
“Did you?”
“No!”
“Then don’t argue with him. We’re coming.”
Ethan stood.
“I’m going too.”
Cole shook her head.
“This is police work.”
“That kid helped my son.”
“And you can help him by not turning this into a confrontation.”
Ethan looked like he wanted to tear the door off its hinges.
Instead, he sat down.
That mattered to me.
A lot of men only believed in rules when the rules protected them.
Cole left with another detective.
I stayed with Ethan, listening to the wall clock.
Twenty-three minutes later, Miguel called.
His mother was crying in the background.
“They’re looking at the hallway camera,” he said.
“What does it show?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Stay with your mom.”
Paul had made one mistake.
He knew where the dining room cameras pointed.
He knew how to delete a local clip.
But he hadn’t known that the building owner had installed a separate camera above the rear delivery entrance after a break-in.
It covered the staff hallway through the open service door.
At six twelve that evening, Paul had entered the locker area with a white envelope.
At six fourteen, he had left without it.
Miguel had been working in the dining room the entire time.
By midnight, Paul was no longer threatening to call the police.
He was asking for a lawyer.
The restaurant owner, who lived two states away and had apparently believed every word Paul told him, called me the next morning.
“We sincerely regret the distress.”
“Then put that in writing.”
“We’d like to discuss your return.”
“And Miguel’s mother.”
A pause.
“Of course.”
“And a public correction.”
“We have to consider legal—”
“So do I.”
I hung up before my courage could run out.
Ethan, sitting across from me in the hospital cafeteria, raised his eyebrows.
“That was impressive.”
“My hands are shaking under the table.”
“Mine would be too.”
His sister had brought Oliver for a follow-up examination.
The baby sat against Ethan’s chest, chewing on a soft cloth book.
I touched his tiny foot.
He smiled at me.
Just a gummy, ordinary baby smile.
After everything, that nearly undid me.
Then Ethan’s phone rang.
Cole’s voice was clear enough for me to hear.
“We have a warrant for Vanessa.”
Ethan closed his eyes.
May you like
But the detective wasn’t finished.
“She’s no longer at her house.”
