Chapter 4 - VANESSA’S JOB
Vanessa sat on the floor against the wall.
For the first time since Ethan had known her, Vanessa looked ordinary—no perfect posture, no practiced calm, just fear.
“I was supposed to watch Claire,” she said.
“Watch her?”
“Make sure she stayed quiet.”
“You helped fake her death.”
“Yes.”
“You moved into my house.”
“Yes.”
“You slept in my bed.”
“Don’t.”
“Why? That part hurts?”
“I know what I did.”
“No, you know what you wanted.”
“It wasn’t that simple.”
“You’re defending her?”
“No.”
Claire looked at Vanessa.
“But she’s why I’m alive.”
“Graham wanted me dead after he got the account passwords. Vanessa convinced him a living Claire was more useful.”
“As leverage?”
“Yes.”
Against anyone who might talk.
Ethan looked at Vanessa.
“So you kept her prisoner.”
“At first.”
“At first?”
“I was told to monitor her at a private property in Ventura. Then Graham started talking about getting rid of her.”
“And you brought her here?”
“Months later.”
“You hid my supposedly dead wife in my own house?”
“Because Graham never thought I’d be that stupid.”
“And Sophie?”
That was the part she did not want to answer.
Claire squeezed Sophie closer.
“Sophie found me.”
“When?”
“Four months ago.”
Ethan looked at his daughter.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Vanessa said you would get hurt.”
Vanessa closed her eyes.
Ethan’s anger became physical.
“You threatened my child.”
“No.”
Sophie pushed up her sleeve.
“These are from her.”
Vanessa stared at the bruises.
“I grabbed her.”
“Every day?” Ethan asked.
“No!”
Vanessa lowered her voice.
“No. Not every day.”
Sophie looked at the floor.
Claire said softly, “Tell him.”
Sophie whispered, “She holds me when Mommy comes.”
Ethan didn’t understand.
Vanessa physically restrained Sophie to keep her from running to Claire.
“To protect the secret,” Ethan said.
He wanted to hit something.
Because Sophie was watching.
Claire said, “Ethan, Graham is coming.”
“How do you know?”
“Vanessa texted him.”
“I had to.”
“You what?”
“The system sends an alert when the nursery lock breaks. He already knows something happened.”
Ethan reached for his phone.
Claire grabbed his wrist.
“No police.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because Graham has a detective on payroll.”
Vanessa added, “And at least one deputy.”
Ethan stared at them both.
“How much time?”
Vanessa checked the clock.
“Maybe twenty minutes.”
Sophie suddenly looked toward the window.
May you like
A black SUV turned onto the long driveway.
“Less.”
