Chapter 7 - THE FRAME
Detective Bennett did not accuse me.
She didn’t need to.
The evidence did it for her.
The bag was sealed in a plastic food container under Sophia’s bed.
My fingerprints were not on it.
That helped.
But the substance inside matched the appearance of the powder found in Vanessa’s pantry.
That did not help.
Neither did the fact that someone had used my employee credentials to give Evan Ward access to Nathan’s estate.
Neither did the fact that I had access to Nathan’s dining room.
Or his tea.
Or his medication cabinet.
Or practically every room in the house.
By noon, I was no longer just a witness.
I was a possibility.
Detective Bennett sat across from me.
“Maria, I need you to think carefully.”
“I am.”
“Has anyone had access to your apartment?”
“My landlord.”
“Anyone else?”
“Babysitters sometimes.”
“Vanessa?”
“No.”
“Ward?”
“I’ve never met him.”
She studied me.
“Have you ever been offered money to hurt Nathan Cole?”
I stared at her.
“No.”
“Asked to collect information about him?”
“No.”
“Approached by a reporter?”
“No.”
“Business competitor?”
“No.”
She paused.
“Have you stolen from Mr. Cole?”
My face burned.
“No.”
“Have you lied to him?”
I hesitated.
Bennett caught it.
“What?”
I looked toward the glass wall where Nathan stood outside.
“There was one thing.”
Nathan entered immediately.
“What thing?”
I sighed.
“When I applied for the job, I didn’t tell you why I left my last employer.”
Bennett leaned forward.
“Why did you?”
“I was fired.”
Nathan frowned.
“For what?”
I looked down.
“My previous employer accused me of stealing a bracelet.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
“Were charges filed?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because two weeks later, they found it.”
“Where?”
“In the owner’s daughter’s room.”
Nathan stared.
“So you were innocent.”
“Yes.”
“Why hide it?”
“Because rich families talk.”
That shut him up.
I continued.
“One accusation is enough. It doesn’t matter if you’re cleared later. Agencies don’t want drama.”
Bennett wrote something down.
Nathan said quietly, “I would have hired you anyway.”
I looked at him.
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“You know that now.”
Silence.
He couldn’t argue.
Detective Bennett closed her notebook.
“The lab results on the wine should be back tonight.”
“And if it matches?” Nathan asked.
“Then we determine who put it there.”
Nathan laughed in frustration.
“How many pieces do you need?”
“As many as the prosecutor needs.”
I stood.
“I need air.”
Nathan followed me onto the terrace.
Rain had stopped.
Everything smelled wet and green.
For several minutes neither of us spoke.
Then Nathan said:
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For bringing danger to you.”
“You didn’t.”
“Yes, I did.”
I turned.
“You didn’t put that bag under my daughter’s bed.”
“No.”
“You didn’t drug yourself.”
“No.”
“Then stop trying to own everybody else’s crimes.”
He looked at me, surprised.
“People probably don’t talk to you like that.”
“No.”
“Maybe they should.”
He almost smiled.
Then it vanished.
“What if I lose my hearing?”
I hadn’t expected that.
Nathan looked out across the lawn.
“Mercer said some damage could be permanent.”
“You don’t know yet.”
“I run a company with thirty thousand employees.”
“So?”
“So communication matters.”
I pointed toward the house.
“My daughter is deaf.”
“I know.”
“She communicates.”
“That’s different.”
“Why?”
He looked at me.
I signed with both hands.
COMMUNICATION ISN’T SOUND.
Nathan watched.
“It’s language.”
I said.
“It’s attention. It’s patience. It’s people caring enough to meet you halfway.”
His face softened.
“Sophia taught you that?”
“No.”
I smiled faintly.
“She forced me to learn.”
Nathan looked toward the window where Sophia was playing with blocks.
“She saved my life.”
“Maybe.”
“No.”
His voice was firm.
“She did.”
My phone buzzed again.
Unknown number.
My stomach tightened.
This time there was no photograph.
Only text.
STOP HELPING HIM.
Then another.
THE NEXT THING UNDER HER BED WON’T BE POWDER.
I stopped breathing.
Nathan read over my shoulder.
His face went hard.
“Reyes!”
Within seconds, security locked down the house again.
Nathan took my phone.
“I want twenty-four-hour protection on Maria and Sophia.”
Reyes nodded.
“Already arranging it.”
“No rotating staff. People you trust.”
“Yes, sir.”
I grabbed Nathan’s arm.
“I’m leaving.”
“No.”
“They’re threatening my child because I’m here.”
“They’ll find you wherever you go.”
“Then what am I supposed to do?”
Nathan stared at me.
“Help me finish this.”
“You think catching Vanessa will make us safe?”
“No.”
He looked toward the house.
“I think Vanessa is only one piece.”
Reyes approached carrying a tablet.
“Sir. We identified the shell company tied to the vehicle outside Maria’s apartment.”
“Ward?”
“Not directly.”
“Who?”
Reyes turned the screen.
The company had been created three years earlier.
Its registered agent was a law firm.
Sullivan recognized the name.
His face went pale.
“That firm handled your father’s trust amendment.”
Nathan stared.
Then Reyes continued.
“And the company’s authorized signer is someone inside Cole Meridian.”
Nathan’s voice dropped.
“Who?”
Reyes looked at him.
“Your uncle.”
Nathan went still.
“Richard?”
Reyes nodded.
Nathan’s uncle Richard Cole.
Vice chairman of the company.
Nathan’s father’s younger brother.
And one of only two board members who could help Vanessa take control.
Nathan looked toward the long driveway.
A black Mercedes was approaching the gate.
Reyes checked the security feed.
His face tightened.
May you like
“Speak of the devil.”
Richard Cole had arrived.
