Chapter 8
Mark’s knees seemed to weaken.
He sat down.
“What?”
Sarah heard him.
“Is he there?”
Detective Alvarez stepped closer to the phone.
“Sarah, this is Detective Alvarez. We spoke earlier.”
Silence.
Then Sarah said, “You told me you were alone.”
“I asked whether anyone was with you. You said no.”
“I meant—”
“Sarah, where are you right now?”
Another pause.
“At home.”
“Stay there.”
“I’m not in danger.”
“We don’t know that.”
Sarah laughed bitterly.
“You think David is going to hurt me?”
“I think David has manipulated several people.”
Sarah went quiet.
I stepped in.
“Why did he tell you Mark killed your mother?”
She exhaled.
“Because my mother died last year.”
Mark covered his face.
He had not known.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
Sarah heard him.
Her voice became hard.
“You don’t get to say that.”
Mark lowered his hands.
“I know.”
“You don’t know anything.”
He closed his eyes.
“No.”
She continued.
“She was sick for eight months.”
Mark’s face collapsed.
“And you didn’t know.”
“No.”
“Because you didn’t know us.”
“No.”
“You sent birthday cards to an address we stopped using ten years ago.”
Mark whispered, “I didn’t know where else—”
“You could have found me.”
“Yes.”
That stopped her.
Mark’s voice shook.
“I could have found you.”
He wiped his eyes.
“I was afraid you hated me.”
“I did.”
“I know.”
“And instead of letting me hate you to your face, you hid.”
Mark nodded even though she couldn’t see him.
“Yes.”
I realized this was not my conversation.
But Sarah had called me.
“Why did you contact David?” I asked.
She went quiet.
“Because he contacted me.”
My heart tightened.
“When?”
“January.”
Eight months ago.
Long before he contacted me.
“What did he say?”
“That he knew Mark.”
Mark whispered, “How?”
Sarah continued.
“He said he and Mark had been enemies for years.”
“That’s not true,” Mom said.
Sarah laughed.
“Apparently almost nothing he told me was true.”
I asked, “What did he say about your mother?”
“That Mark caused the accident that ruined her health.”
Mark looked confused.
“What accident?”
Sarah hesitated.
“Twenty years ago, Mom was hit by a truck.”
Mark’s face changed.
“I knew about that.”
“You knew?”
“She called my lawyer.”
Sarah went silent.
Mark leaned closer.
“She was hospitalized. I sent money.”
“You sent money?”
“Yes.”
“My mother said insurance paid.”
Mark looked shattered.
“I paid the bills anonymously.”
Sarah’s voice became furious.
“Why anonymously?”
“Because Elaine told me never to contact either of you again.”
“Then you obeyed that.”
“Yes.”
“Convenient.”
“Yes.”
Again, he didn’t defend himself.
Sarah’s breathing sounded shaky through the speaker.
“David showed me records.”
“What records?” Alvarez asked.
“Police records.”
“He said Mark had been driving the truck.”
Mark stood.
“That is impossible.”
Sarah’s voice sharpened.
“He showed me a report with your name.”
Detective Alvarez asked, “Do you still have it?”
“Yes.”
“Send it to me now.”
A minute later, her phone buzzed.
She opened the file.
Then frowned.
“This report is fake.”
Sarah said nothing.
Alvarez zoomed in.
“The incident number format is wrong for that year.”
Mark sank back down.
Sarah whispered, “I believed him.”
I understood that sentence too well.
“So did I,” I said.
She went quiet.
I continued.
“He knew what we wanted to believe.”
“What did you want to believe?”
“That my father came back because he loved me.”
Silence.
“And you?”
Sarah took a breath.
“That my father stayed away because he was evil.”
Mark flinched.
She continued.
“Because that was easier than thinking he just didn’t love me enough to fight harder.”
Mark started crying.
He didn’t hide it.
“I should have fought harder.”
Sarah’s breath caught.
“I hate you.”
“I know.”
“I’ve hated you for years.”
“You had every right.”
“I wanted you to suffer.”
“I understand.”
“No, you don’t.”
She was crying now.
“I wanted Claire to know what you really were.”
I froze.
“What?”
Sarah went silent.
Detective Alvarez’s eyes narrowed.
“Sarah.”
Her voice broke.
“I sent the wedding invitation to myself.”
Nobody moved.
“I already knew about the wedding.”
Mark stared at the phone.
Sarah continued.
“I found Claire online years ago.”
My chest tightened.
“Why didn’t you contact me?”
“What was I supposed to say?”
She laughed bitterly.
“Hi, I’m the daughter your dad forgot before he became perfect for you?”
Mark whispered, “Sarah.”
She ignored him.
“I saw the photos.”
“What photos?”
“You.”
Her voice cracked.
“Father-daughter dances. Christmas. Graduation.”
My throat closed.
“Every year I told myself I didn’t care.”
She sniffed.
“Then David found me.”
“And he showed you the wedding?”
“Yes.”
“He said Mark was spending almost a hundred thousand dollars.”
I looked at Mark.
“He told me Mark had never sent me anything.”
Mark said, “That’s false.”
“I know that now.”
“David intercepted some of my letters?”
“No.”
Sarah inhaled.
“My mother did.”
Another silence.
“She kept them.”
Mark’s mouth opened.
“What?”
“I found them after she died.”
His face collapsed.
“Boxes of them.”
She cried openly now.
“Birthday cards. Checks. Letters.”
Mark pressed both hands over his mouth.
“I’m sorry.”
“I found a letter from when I turned sixteen.”
He nodded.
“I wrote every year.”
“She never gave them to me.”
He sobbed.
Not quietly.
Not gracefully.
The sound broke something in the room.
Sarah heard it.
She cried harder.
“I didn’t know.”
Mark whispered, “I should have come.”
“You should have.”
“Yes.”
“You should have knocked on the door.”
“Yes.”
“You should have made me tell you to leave.”
“Yes.”
“You should have fought for me.”
“Yes.”
Each answer sounded like a wound.
Then Sarah said, “David told me you never tried.”
Mark could barely speak.
“He lied.”
“I know.”
Detective Alvarez interrupted gently.
“Sarah, did David ask you to do anything?”
Silence.
“Sarah?”
“Yes.”
Mark’s head snapped up.
“What?”
She whispered, “He wanted information about you.”
“What information?”
“Your schedule.”
Mom closed her eyes.
“Sarah…”
“I gave it to him.”
My stomach dropped.
“What did you give him?”
“Things I found online.”
“Anything else?”
Silence.
Detective Alvarez’s voice became firm.
“Sarah, you need to answer.”
“I followed him.”
Mark looked sick.
“Who?”
“You.”
His face froze.
“I followed you twice.”
“When?”
“Last month.”
The brake incident.
My blood went cold.
“Were you near his truck?” Alvarez asked.
“No.”
“Did you touch it?”
“No!”
“Did David?”
“I don’t know.”
“What happened when you followed Mark?”
Sarah cried.
“I took photos.”
“Of what?”
“His office. His truck. The lake house.”
Mom looked at Mark.
Sarah continued.
“David paid me.”
Mark closed his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” Sarah said.
It was the first time she had apologized.
Detective Alvarez asked, “How much?”
“Five thousand dollars.”
“Did he say why?”
“He said he was gathering evidence for a lawsuit.”
“What lawsuit?”
“He said Mark had stolen his daughter and ruined his life.”
I whispered, “Me.”
“Yes.”
Sarah breathed shakily.
“I thought Mark deserved trouble.”
“And the anonymous texts tonight?”
Silence.
My pulse jumped.
“You sent them.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I wanted you to ask him about me.”
I looked at Mark.
“You took the photo of us leaving the hotel?”
“No.”
Everyone froze.
Detective Alvarez leaned forward.
“Sarah, are you sure?”
“I’m in Charlotte.”
“Did you send the message that said David isn’t the one you should fear?”
“No.”
The room went cold.
“You only sent the Sarah messages?”
“Yes.”
“Which ones exactly?”
She listed them.
ASK MARK ABOUT SARAH.
HE ABANDONS DAUGHTERS TOO.
The photograph of David and Sarah.
That was all.
I looked at the earlier message.
DAVID ISN’T THE ONE YOU SHOULD FEAR.
Not Sarah.
The photograph of Ethan and me leaving the hotel.
Not Sarah.
Detective Alvarez stood.
“Sarah, lock your doors. An officer is coming.”
“What’s happening?”
“We have another person involved.”
Mark said, “Calvin.”
The detective shook her head.
“Maybe.”
Her phone rang.
She answered.
Listened.
Then her expression changed.
“Where?”
She grabbed her jacket.
“What happened?” I asked.
She ended the call.
“They found Calvin Rusk.”
“Where?”
“In his car.”
My stomach twisted.
“Is he alive?”
“Yes.”
“Then what?”
She looked at Mark.
“He was unconscious.”
Mom gripped the table.
“Why?”
“They’re taking him to the hospital.”
“What does this have to do with us?”
Alvarez looked at me.
“Because he had an envelope in his passenger seat.”
My pulse jumped.
“What envelope?”
“It had your wedding invitation inside.”
I stared at her.
“And a photograph of you.”
Ethan moved closer.
“What else?”
Detective Alvarez hesitated.
Then said,
“A copy of your life insurance policy.”
I laughed in disbelief.
“I don’t have life insurance.”
Ethan went still.
“Yes, you do.”
I turned.
“What?”
His face had gone white.
“My parents bought us policies when we got engaged.”
I stared at him.
“You never told me.”
“It was supposed to be part of our financial planning meeting after the honeymoon.”
“How much?”
His mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
“How much, Ethan?”
“Two million.”
The room went silent.
I felt my knees weaken.
“Who is the beneficiary?”
Ethan stared at me.
“I am.”
Nobody moved.
Then my phone buzzed again.
Unknown number.
May you like
One new message.
NOW ASK ETHAN WHAT HE OWES.
