Chapter 10 - THE WOMAN AT THE BANK
Adrian called Margaret.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
Rachel drove to her house.
The front door was open.
Inside, drawers had been emptied.
Papers covered the floor.
Margaret was gone.
On her kitchen table sat a photograph of Richard Cole.
Young.
Standing beside Margaret.
They were holding hands.
Adrian stared at it.
“She knew him.”
Rachel searched the desk.
“She knew him very well.”
Sophie, who had refused to stay behind, stood near Adrian.
“Is Grandpa really alive?”
Adrian looked at the photo.
“I think so.”
“Why did he pretend to be dead?”
“I don’t know.”
Sophie frowned.
“Grown-ups lie a lot.”
Adrian almost laughed.
Instead, he said, “Yeah. Sometimes they do.”
Rachel found a locked drawer.
Inside was a stack of letters.
All written by Richard.
To Margaret.
The most recent was six months old.
Adrian read it.
M,
Vanessa is becoming unstable.
She wants Adrian for herself.
That was never the arrangement.
Keep the girl close to the key.
Emily hid more than she should have.
If Sophie remembers what her mother told her, we may have a problem.
—R
Adrian’s hands shook.
“They knew Sophie had the key.”
Rachel looked toward the door.
“Which means Vanessa throwing the bear into the pool may not have been random.”
Adrian felt suddenly sick.
“She wanted it to split open.”
“Maybe.”
“She knew something was inside.”
“Or suspected.”
Sophie spoke quietly.
“Vanessa asked me about the bear before.”
Adrian turned.
“When?”
“A lot.”
“What did she say?”
“She asked why Mommy gave it to me. She asked if Mommy ever put anything inside.”
Adrian closed his eyes.
He had missed everything.
Rachel continued reading the letters.
Then she found one dated four years earlier.
Before Emily died.
Her face changed.
“Adrian.”
“What?”
“This says your father met Emily.”
Adrian grabbed the letter.
Emily knows I’m alive.
Vanessa failed to keep her away from the Monterey house.
Lucas believes we can scare her.
I disagree.
Emily is stubborn.
If she refuses the offer, the problem must be removed permanently.
Adrian crumpled the paper.
“My father ordered her death.”
Rachel nodded.
“And Vanessa carried it out.”
Sophie began crying.
Adrian immediately knelt.
“Hey.”
“Grandpa wanted Mommy dead?”
Adrian pulled her into his arms.
“I’m sorry.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“But she was nice.”
“I know.”
“She didn’t hurt anybody.”
“I know.”
Sophie buried her face against him.
Rachel looked away.
Then her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She answered.
Margaret’s voice came through.
“Rachel?”
“Margaret?”
“She has me.”
“Who?”
“Vanessa.”
Adrian grabbed the phone.
“Where are you?”
Margaret was crying.
“The Monterey house.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
“Is my father there?”
A pause.
Then another voice came on.
Richard Cole.
“Hello, son.”
Adrian stopped breathing.
His father chuckled.
“It’s been a long time.”
“You killed Emily.”
“Bring Sophie.”
Adrian’s face changed.
“Never.”
“Then Margaret dies.”
“I don’t care about Margaret.”
Margaret sobbed in the background.
Richard laughed.
“You always were bad at bluffing.”
“What do you want?”
“The key.”
“The key opened the bank box.”
“No.”
Richard’s voice became cold.
“That key opens something far more valuable.”
“What?”
May you like
“The reason Emily died.”
Then the call ended.
