Chapter 10 - Claire's Last Message
Mara drew her flashlight. Officers rushed toward the landing, but the voice was gone. By the time the emergency lights came on, the rear service door stood open and a black SUV was disappearing down the drive.
Elliot had entered the house with an old contractor's access card.
“Replace every lock,” Graham told the security manager. “And don't tell Victoria where we're going.”
Locker 14 was in a private records facility near the Hudson River. Inside were three accounting ledgers, photographs of bank transfers, and a small recorder sealed in a plastic envelope.
Mara photographed the contents before touching them. Then she pressed play.
Claire's voice filled the narrow room.
“It's October twelfth. If anything happens to me, these records explain why I was scared.”
Graham gripped the edge of a shelf.
“Harbor House received grants to keep families off the street. Elliot moved the money through fake contractors. I told Victoria I was going to the police. She begged me to wait until morning.”
There was a rustle, as if Claire had turned toward a door.
“I've been asked to meet them at the boathouse tonight. I won't go alone. Margaret knows where I am.”
Another sound came through the recorder: a distant argument, then a door slamming. Claire's breathing quickened.
“Elliot is here. Victoria is with him.”
Graham stared at the recorder. He had been in Chicago the night Claire died. Victoria had told him she'd spent that evening at a fundraiser.
Then a second woman's voice burst through the recording.
May you like
“Elliot, take your hands off her!”
It was Victoria.
