Chapter 9: Sean
I followed the sedan for eleven miles.
It never sped up.
Never slowed down.
It drove like the person behind the wheel knew exactly where I was.
Finally, it turned into a small strip mall and parked behind a closed furniture store.
I stayed in my car.
My hands were shaking.
I called Malcolm.
“Mom, where are you?””
“I found Sean.””
“What?””
“He's alive.””
Silence.
Then Malcolm said, “That's impossible.””
“I saw his car.””
“You're sure?””
“I have the plate.””
“Send it to me.””
I did.
He called back less than a minute later.
“Mom.””
“What?””
“That plate is registered to Sean Williams.””
My stomach dropped.
“Then he's alive.””
“Apparently.””
I watched the black sedan.
“I'm going inside.””
“Don't.””
“I need answers.””
“Mom, please.””
I ended the call.
The furniture store was closed, but a side door was slightly open.
I pushed it.
The door creaked.
Inside, dust floated through strips of sunlight.
“Hello?””
No answer.
I walked farther.
A chair scraped somewhere in the back.
I stopped.
“Sean?””
A man's voice answered.
“Who sent you?””
I froze.
He stepped into view.
Older than the photographs I'd seen.
Thinner.
Gray at the temples.
But unmistakably Sean.
I stared at him.
“You're alive.””
He gave a tired smile.
“Apparently.””
“Everyone thinks you're dead.””
“I know.””
“Why?””
“Because Tasha needed me to disappear.””
My heart hammered.
“Why?””
He looked toward the locked back office.
“Because of Emily.””
I stepped closer.
“What happened to her?””
“I didn't kill her.””
“I didn't ask that.””
“You were thinking it.””
“I was thinking you know why she was afraid.””
Sean looked down.
“She found out the truth.””
“What truth?””
He reached into his jacket.
For one terrifying second, I thought he had a weapon.
Instead, he pulled out a folded photograph.
He handed it to me.
It was Emily.
Pregnant.
Standing beside Sean.
I stared at the date printed on the back.
It was six months before Isaiah was born.
My fingers went numb.
“That's not possible.””
Sean looked at me.
“That's why Emily ordered the DNA test.””
I looked at the photograph again.
“You're Isaiah's father.””
He didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
“Does Malcolm know?””
“No.””
“Does Tasha?””
“Yes.””
“Then why did she steal the money?””
Sean's face hardened.
“She wasn't trying to steal it.””
“What?””
“She was trying to buy silence.””
“Whose?””
“Mine.””
I stepped backward.
“Why would she need to silence you?””
“Because I knew what Emily was planning.””
“What?””
“She was going to tell Malcolm.””
“About Isaiah?””
“And about the money.””
“What else?””
Sean looked away.
“She found proof that Tasha had been taking money from Isaiah's account before Emily died.””
My throat tightened.
“How?””
“She installed a camera.””
“Where?””
“In the house.””
“What did it record?””
Sean didn't answer.
“Sean.””
“It recorded Tasha opening the account statements.””
“That isn't enough.””
“No.””
He looked directly at me.
“It recorded her forging your signature.””
My breath caught.
“Where is the recording?””
“I gave it to Emily.””
“Then where is it now?””
Sean's eyes moved toward the back office.
“Tasha found out.””
“What did she do?””
“She went to the hospital.””
My heart stopped.
“The day Emily died?””
“Yes.””
“You were there?””
Sean nodded.
“I watched her take the black folder.””
“What was in it?””
“The DNA test.””
“And the recording?””
His silence answered me.
I stepped closer.
“Where is the recording?””
Sean reached into his jacket again.
This time he pulled out a small black flash drive.
I stared at it.
“That's it?””
“The original.””
“Why keep it?””
“Because Emily told me that if anything happened to her, I was to give it to Malcolm.””
“Then why didn't you?””
“Because Tasha threatened my life.””
“You disappeared.””
“Yes.””
“And let my son believe his wife was innocent.””
Sean's eyes filled with regret.
“I was a coward.””
I took the flash drive.
“What else is on it?””
“Everything.””
“Everything?””
“Every withdrawal. Every conversation. Every time Tasha talked about Isaiah.””
I looked at the tiny drive in my palm.
Then my phone rang.
Malcolm.
I answered.
“Mom, where are you?””
“I have something for you.””
“What?””
I looked at Sean.
“The recording.””
Malcolm went silent.
Then I heard a woman's voice in the background.
Tasha.
She was speaking to someone.
Malcolm whispered,
“Mom, she's here.””
My blood ran cold.
“What?””
“She came to my apartment.””
I gripped the flash drive.
“Where is she now?””
“She just said something I think you need to hear.””
“What?””
Malcolm's voice trembled.
“She said, ‘Your mother has the recording, and if she plays it, Isaiah will never forgive you.’”
I looked at Sean.
He had gone pale.
Then Malcolm whispered,
“Mom, Tasha knows you're with Sean.””
May you like
And before I could answer, I heard a crash on his end of the phone.
Then the line went dead.
