Chapter 5
The rabbit changed the investigation.
Someone had opened Claire’s grave.
That meant the threat was no longer just financial.
It was personal.
And deliberate.
By midnight, police were at the cemetery.
The grave itself had not been fully disturbed, but investigators found fresh soil near the headstone and signs that someone had accessed the decorative memorial box placed beside it.
Sophia’s rabbit had apparently been stored there after cemetery workers removed weather-sensitive items from the burial site.
Whoever sent it knew exactly where to look.
I didn’t sleep.
At six in the morning, Sophia crawled into my lap.
“Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“Can we go home today?”
The question hurt.
“Not yet.”
“Why?”
“Because the police are helping us.”
She frowned.
“I don’t like police house.”
Despite everything, I smiled.
“Police house?”
She nodded seriously.
“It has bad cereal.”
I almost laughed.
For the first time since the attack, something inside me loosened.
“We’ll buy better cereal.”
“Chocolate?”
“Definitely chocolate.”
She leaned against me.
Then she whispered, “Rachel said Mommy was bad.”
My body went still.
“When?”
“Yesterday.”
“At our house?”
Sophia nodded.
“What exactly did she say?”
Sophia played with a button on my shirt.
“She said Mommy made everybody mad.”
“Who is everybody?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did Rachel say anything else?”
“She said Mommy should have stayed quiet.”
My throat tightened.
“Did Rachel talk about Mommy before yesterday?”
Sophia nodded again.
“When?”
“At school.”
I stared at her.
“What do you mean at school?”
“She came when Miss Amy was talking to another mommy.”
I fought to keep my voice calm.
“Rachel came to your preschool?”
“Yes.”
“Did she talk to you?”
“She said she was Daddy’s friend.”
My hands went cold.
“When was this?”
Sophia shrugged.
Three-year-olds didn’t measure time like adults.
“Did she give you anything?”
“A cookie.”
“Did you eat it?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Mommy said don’t take food from people.”
Claire had taught her that before she died.
Even gone, she was protecting our daughter.
I kissed Sophia’s hair.
“You did exactly right.”
She looked up.
“Is Mommy proud?”
“Yes.”
I had to swallow before continuing.
“Very proud.”
Torres arrived an hour later.
I told her everything.
Within minutes she had officers pulling preschool security footage.
Then she gave me news.
“We found Thomas’s vehicle.”
“Where?”
“Airport parking garage.”
“He flew out?”
“No record under his name.”
“Fake ID?”
“Possible.”
“Where do you think he went?”
“We’re checking.”
I looked at her.
“And Rachel?”
“What about her?”
“Talk to her again.”
“Her attorney is still blocking us.”
“Tell her Thomas disappeared.”
“She probably knows.”
“Tell her we found the brake line.”
Torres studied me.
“You think fear will make her cooperate.”
“I think Thomas leaving her behind might.”
That worked.
At 10:20, Rachel asked to speak.
Not to police.
To me.
Torres refused.
Rachel sent back one sentence through her attorney.
I TALK ONLY IF DANIEL IS IN THE ROOM.
The prosecutor eventually agreed under strict conditions.
I entered the interrogation room at noon.
Rachel looked different.
No makeup.
Hair tied back.
Orange jail uniform.
A bruise near her wrist from struggling with officers.
She stared at me.
“Where’s Sophia?”
“Safe.”
Rachel’s eyes lowered.
“Is she hurt?”
“You threw her over a railing.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“Don’t.”
She stopped.
“You don’t get to make yourself feel better.”
Rachel’s mouth trembled.
“Daniel—”
“You wanted me here. Talk.”
Her attorney sat beside her.
Torres and the prosecutor watched through the glass.
Rachel leaned forward.
“Thomas is gone, isn’t he?”
“How do you know?”
“He always runs.”
“So you were working with him.”
She looked down.
“At first.”
“What does that mean?”
“I met Thomas before I met you.”
My chest tightened.
“How long before?”
“Four months.”
Everything clicked into place too quickly.
“Our affair.”
She started crying.
I felt nothing.
“Was it planned?”
Rachel didn’t answer.
I slammed my palm against the table.
“Was our affair planned?”
Her attorney spoke.
“Mr. Bennett—”
Rachel whispered, “Yes.”
I stared at her.
The room disappeared.
Claire’s tears.
The counseling sessions.
My shame.
Our fights.
All of it had been manipulated.
But one fact remained.
I had still betrayed my wife.
“How?”
Rachel wiped her cheek.
“Thomas knew your marriage was strong.”
“So?”
“He needed you distracted.”
“Why?”
“Claire was asking questions about the company.”
“Before I met you?”
“Yes.”
“So Thomas sent you to me.”
“He told me to get close.”
“And you did.”
“Yes.”
“You slept with me because he told you to?”
“At first.”
“At first?”
Rachel looked at me desperately.
“I fell in love with you.”
I laughed.
“You stalked my child.”
“I loved you.”
“You tried to kill my daughter.”
“I was angry.”
“That’s your excuse?”
“No.”
“Then stop saying love.”
She began crying harder.
I leaned back.
“What did Claire find?”
Rachel shook her head.
“Thomas was moving company money.”
“We know.”
“He wasn’t alone.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know his real name.”
“Male?”
“Yes.”
“Local?”
“I think so.”
“What did Thomas call him?”
Rachel hesitated.
“The Chairman.”
I frowned.
“Chairman of what?”
“I don’t know.”
“What did he want?”
“Control of your company.”
“Why?”
“Your land contracts.”
My company owned development rights across multiple counties.
Some were worth hundreds of millions.
“That doesn’t explain murder.”
Rachel stared at the table.
“Claire found something bigger.”
“What?”
“A project called Harbor.”
I searched my memory.
“No project by that name exists.”
“Not officially.”
“Then what is it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Rachel.”
“I don’t!”
Her fear looked real.
“Thomas only told me that if Claire reached federal investigators with Harbor documents, everyone was finished.”
“She did reach them.”
Rachel’s head snapped up.
“What?”
“Eight days before she died.”
Her face drained.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No, she didn’t.”
“Why are you so sure?”
“Because Thomas said he stopped her.”
My blood went cold.
“How?”
Rachel realized what she had said.
“Rachel.”
She shook her head.
“Tell me.”
“I can’t.”
“Claire is dead.”
“I know.”
“My daughter almost died yesterday.”
“I know.”
“Then tell me what Thomas did.”
Rachel whispered, “He sent someone to scare her.”
“Who?”
“I never met him.”
“What happened?”
“I thought he would threaten her.”
“When?”
“Two days before the crash.”
“What did they do?”
Rachel’s breathing became uneven.
“Claire came to me afterward.”
“She confronted you?”
“She was furious.”
“What did she say?”
“She said Thomas had made the biggest mistake of his life.”
“Why?”
“Because the man he sent had left fingerprints.”
Torres shifted behind the glass.
I leaned closer.
“Where?”
“Claire’s car.”
My heart pounded.
“Before the brake line was cut?”
Rachel nodded.
“She knew someone had been near the car.”
“Then why did she drive it?”
“She had it checked.”
“So the brakes were fine then.”
“Yes.”
“Thomas sabotaged them later.”
Rachel closed her eyes.
“I think so.”
“You saw the garage footage?”
“No.”
“Then why did you go to the garage?”
She opened her eyes.
“I followed him.”
“Why?”
“Because I was scared.”
“Of Thomas?”
“Yes.”
“What did you see?”
“He was beside Claire’s SUV.”
“Doing what?”
“I couldn’t see.”
“Did you confront him?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
Rachel’s voice dropped.
“He said Claire wouldn’t be a problem by sunset.”
My hands clenched.
“You knew.”
“I didn’t know he meant kill her.”
“You knew enough.”
“I called Claire.”
“What?”
“I tried to warn her.”
“Where’s that call?”
“She didn’t answer.”
“Why didn’t you call police?”
Rachel looked at me with tears streaming down her face.
“Because I was afraid they’d find out everything I’d done.”
I stared at her.
Claire had died because everyone around her had been protecting themselves.
Thomas protected his money.
Rachel protected herself.
And I had protected my pride.
Rachel suddenly leaned forward.
“But Daniel, Thomas isn’t the person you should be most afraid of.”
“Who is?”
“The Chairman.”
“Give me a name.”
“I told you, I don’t know.”
“You must know something.”
She hesitated.
Then she whispered, “I know where Thomas used to meet him.”
Torres entered immediately.
“Where?”
Rachel looked at her.
“An old property outside Charlotte. Abandoned country club.”
“Name?”
“Westbrook Hills.”
Torres pulled out her phone.
Rachel grabbed my attention again.
“There’s something else.”
“What?”
“When Thomas disappeared, he didn’t take the Harbor file.”
“How do you know?”
“Because he never kept it at home.”
“Where?”
She stared at me.
“Your office.”
I frowned.
“My office was searched.”
“Not your current office.”
My pulse quickened.
“Then where?”
Rachel swallowed.
“Claire’s office.”
Claire had once run the legal division at Bennett Development.
Her office had been sealed after she died.
I had never allowed anyone to use it again.
May you like
Rachel whispered:
“Thomas hid everything behind her wall.”
