Chapter 6
Nathan took Jamie home under police escort.
Not to the Harcourt estate.
Never there again.
At least not until the investigation was finished.
He took him to a townhouse Nathan owned near the company headquarters.
Few people knew about it.
Nora came with them.
So did two private security officers.
That evening, Nathan sat beside Jamie on the living-room floor.
No marble.
No enormous dining table.
No staff moving silently through hallways.
Just pizza boxes, two glasses of milk, and Jamie’s wooden train.
The boy pushed it slowly across the rug.
Nathan watched him.
“You know you can tell me anything.”
Jamie nodded.
“Even if you think I won’t like it.”
Another nod.
Nathan swallowed.
“Do you remember Mommy?”
Jamie stopped moving the train.
“A little.”
“What do you remember?”
“Her hair.”
Nathan smiled sadly.
“What else?”
“She sang when I couldn’t sleep.”
Nathan looked down.
Claire had sung terribly.
She knew it too.
That had always made Jamie laugh.
“Anything else?”
Jamie’s face changed.
“Grandma yelling.”
Nathan felt his chest tighten.
“When?”
“The night Mommy cried.”
Nathan kept his voice gentle.
“What happened?”
Jamie looked toward Nora.
She sat nearby.
“You’re safe,” she said.
Jamie continued.
“Mommy told Grandma she found papers.”
Nathan waited.
“What papers?”
“I don’t know.”
“What did Grandma say?”
Jamie squeezed the train.
“She said Mommy would ruin everything.”
Nathan’s pulse increased.
“And Mommy?”
“She said she was taking me.”
Nora looked away.
Nathan’s eyes filled.
Jamie whispered, “Did Mommy leave because of me?”
Nathan immediately moved closer.
“No.”
“But she said she was taking me.”
“She wanted to protect you.”
“Then why didn’t she come back?”
Nathan struggled to answer.
“Because she had an accident.”
Jamie looked at him.
“Grandma said Mommy was bad at driving.”
Nathan froze.
“When did she say that?”
“After Mommy died.”
“What else did Grandma say?”
Jamie hesitated.
Nathan’s heart pounded.
“She said sometimes people who don’t listen make bad things happen.”
Nora covered her mouth.
Nathan tried to remain calm.
“Did Grandma ever say she caused Mommy’s accident?”
Jamie shook his head.
“No.”
Nathan exhaled.
He would not put words into his son’s mouth.
He would not turn Jamie’s memories into what he wanted them to be.
Detective Bennett had warned him about that.
Let Jamie speak.
Do not lead.
Nathan changed the subject.
“Do you remember Mommy giving you the train?”
Jamie nodded.
“She said it was our secret.”
“Did she hide anything else?”
Jamie stared at the train.
Then his eyes widened.
Nathan noticed.
“What?”
Jamie crawled toward the small backpack they had brought from the estate.
He pulled out a stuffed bear.
Old.
Brown.
One ear slightly bent.
“Mommy gave me Bear too.”
Nathan smiled.
“I remember.”
Jamie turned it over.
“She said Bear kept secrets.”
Nathan and Nora looked at each other.
Nora took the bear carefully.
One seam along the back appeared newer than the others.
Nathan’s pulse jumped.
“May I?”
Jamie nodded.
Nathan opened the loose stitching.
Inside was a small plastic pouch.
A key card.
A handwritten number.
And a folded note.
Nathan unfolded it.
Nora recognized Claire’s handwriting immediately.
NATHAN — IF YOU FOUND THIS, CHECK VICTOR’S CLOUD ARCHIVE. R. KNOWS THE PASSWORD.
Nathan read the line twice.
“R.”
Nora frowned.
“Rebecca?”
Nathan stood.
He called his sister.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
He called security at her apartment building.
“She left about an hour ago,” the doorman said.
“With anyone?”
“A woman.”
Nathan’s stomach tightened.
“Who?”
“Her mother.”
Nathan ended the call.
Nora stood.
“Eleanor has her.”
Nathan grabbed his jacket.
“Call Bennett.”
Rebecca’s apartment was empty.
No signs of struggle.
Her phone remained on the kitchen counter.
That frightened Nathan more.
Rebecca never went anywhere without it.
Detective Bennett arrived.
“She left willingly.”
Nathan paced.
“With my mother.”
“Apparently.”
“After everything?”
Bennett looked at him.
“Families do complicated things under pressure.”
Nathan stared at Rebecca’s phone.
A notification appeared on the screen.
A loan payment overdue.
Then another.
Private debt collection notice.
Nathan frowned.
He knew Rebecca spent money.
He had never known she was in serious debt.
He picked up the phone.
Bennett stopped him.
“Don’t access it.”
“She’s my sister.”
“And this may become evidence.”
Nathan handed it over.
Bennett looked at the notifications.
“Financial pressure could matter.”
Nathan remembered Claire’s note.
R. KNOWS THE PASSWORD.
“Rebecca knows something.”
Three hours later, Rebecca returned.
Alone.
Her eyes were swollen.
Nathan was waiting.
“Where is Mom?”
“I don’t know.”
“You left with her.”
“Yes.”
“Where did you go?”
Rebecca sat down.
“A hotel.”
“Which one?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to police.”
“She left before I did.”
Nathan studied her.
“Why did you go?”
Rebecca laughed bitterly.
“Because she asked.”
“That’s all it takes?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me.”
Rebecca looked at him.
“You were the son.”
Nathan frowned.
“The heir.”
Her eyes filled.
“The one Dad trusted.”
“Rebecca…”
“I got money. You got power.”
“That wasn’t my decision.”
“No.”
She wiped her eyes.
“It was hers.”
Nathan went still.
“Mom?”
Rebecca nodded.
“She spent my entire life reminding me you were the important one.”
Nathan sat across from her.
“Then why protect her?”
Rebecca laughed through tears.
“Because when somebody spends thirty-six years convincing you they are the only person who will still love you when everyone else leaves, you get very good at believing them.”
Nathan had no answer.
Rebecca looked exhausted.
“She paid my debts.”
Nathan’s expression changed.
“What debts?”
“More than I can repay.”
“How much?”
“Enough.”
Nathan understood.
“She owns you.”
Rebecca flinched.
“She helped me.”
“She controlled you.”
Rebecca looked away.
Nathan leaned forward.
“Claire left a note.”
Rebecca went pale.
“What note?”
“She said you know the password to Victor’s cloud archive.”
Rebecca stared at him.
Then stood.
“No.”
Nathan rose too.
“Rebecca.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because if Victor knows—”
“He already knows we found Claire’s storage unit.”
Rebecca began shaking.
“You don’t understand him.”
“Then explain.”
She looked toward Bennett.
“Can you protect me?”
The detective answered.
“If you have material evidence related to a crime, we can discuss appropriate protections.”
Rebecca closed her eyes.
Then whispered, “The archive exists.”
Nathan’s heart raced.
“Password?”
“I don’t know the current one.”
Nathan’s anger flared.
“Claire said—”
“I knew it two years ago.”
“Why?”
Rebecca broke.
“Because Mom made me delete something.”
Silence.
Nathan stared at her.
“What?”
“Security footage.”
His stomach dropped.
“From when?”
Rebecca began crying.
“The week Claire died.”
Nathan could barely speak.
“What was on it?”
“I never watched all of it.”
“What did you see?”
“Mom entering the garage.”
Nathan’s blood turned cold.
“When?”
“The night before Claire’s accident.”
Nora stared.
Nathan whispered, “And you deleted it?”
Rebecca covered her face.
“Mom said Claire was trying to destroy the family. She said the footage would be misunderstood.”
Nathan stepped back.
“You deleted evidence.”
“I was scared!”
“Claire died!”
“I didn’t know she was going to die!”
Rebecca screamed the words.
Then collapsed into the chair.
“I didn’t know.”
Nathan’s anger faltered.
Rebecca sobbed.
“She told me if I loved her, I would erase it.”
Nathan looked at Bennett.
“Can deleted footage be recovered after two years?”
“Possibly.”
Rebecca lifted her head.
“There was a backup.”
Nathan froze.
“What?”
“Victor’s firm archived security files for insurance purposes.”
Nathan’s pulse jumped.
“That’s the cloud archive.”
Rebecca nodded.
“Claire found out.”
“What was the password?”
Rebecca swallowed.
“Adelaide.”
Nathan frowned.
“Our grandmother?”
“Yes.”
“Anything else?”
“Dad’s birth year.”
Nathan pulled out his phone.
Bennett stopped him.
“We do this properly.”
Nathan nodded.
Rebecca suddenly grabbed his hand.
“There’s something else.”
He looked at her.
“When Mom came tonight, she asked whether I had ever told you about Marcus.”
Nathan’s jaw tightened.
“The driver.”
Rebecca nodded.
“She said if police found him, he would lie.”
“About what?”
Rebecca whispered, “Claire’s car.”
Nathan stopped breathing.
“What about Claire’s car?”
May you like
Rebecca looked terrified.
“Marcus was in the garage with Mom the night before Claire died.”
