Chapter 3
Marcus and his team arrived in ten minutes.
Two uniformed police officers were with them.
Marcus was ex-military, six and a half feet of solid muscle, with a scar running down his left cheek.
He’d worked for me for five years.
I trusted him with my life.
I told him everything.
He didn’t waste a second.
“Two teams,” he barked at his men. “One sweeps Mr. Carter’s estate. The other secures the perimeter here. No one gets in or out without my say-so.”
The officers nodded and split up.
Marcus turned to me.
“Are you and the girl okay?”
I nodded.
Lila was still huddled under my coat.
Mrs. Hale had made her hot cocoa, but she hadn’t touched it.
An hour later, Marcus’s radio crackled.
“Team One to base. We found the driver. Tom. In the basement of the estate. Tied up, beaten, but alive. We’re calling an ambulance.”
I closed my eyes.
Relief washed over me so strong I almost cried.
Tom was alive.
“Any sign of the men who took him?” Marcus asked.
“Gone,” the voice on the radio said. “But we found something else. In Mrs. Carter’s study. A stack of bank statements. She’s been moving money out of Mr. Carter’s personal accounts for the last eight months. Almost three million dollars total.”
My eyes snapped open.
Three million dollars.
I’d had no idea.
Olivia had always handled the household finances.
I’d trusted her completely.
Lila spoke up, her small voice cutting through the room.
“I saw her,” she said.
Everyone looked at her.
“Two nights ago,” she continued. “I was riding my bike past your house. The gate was open a crack. I saw your wife talking to two men in the driveway. One of them was the fake driver. I heard her say, ‘Make it look like a car crash. The life insurance pays fifty million. No loose ends.’”
Fifty million dollars.
That’s what my life was worth to her.
I felt sick.
Twelve years of marriage.
Anniversary dinners.
Birthday parties.
Promises of forever.
All of it had been a lie.
She’d married me for my money.
And when she’d spent enough of it, she’d decided to cash in the rest.
Marcus’s face was like stone.
“We have enough to bring her in for questioning,” one of the officers said. “Conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping, embezzlement. It’s all there.”
I shook my head.
“Not yet,” I said.
Everyone stared at me.
“She’ll lawyer up,” I explained. “She’ll deny everything. We need more. We need her to admit it. In her own words.”
Marcus nodded slowly.
He knew I was right.
Olivia was smart.
Too smart.
Without a confession, she might walk.
“What’s the plan?” he asked.
I looked at Lila.
She was safe here.
Mrs. Hale would protect her.
I looked at Marcus.
“I go home,” I said. “I act like nothing happened. I get her to talk. And I record every word.”
Mrs. Hale grabbed my arm.
“Are you insane?” she hissed. “She just tried to have you killed! She’ll try again!”
“I know,” I said. “But if I don’t do this, she gets away with it. And next time, she’ll make sure there are no witnesses.”
I looked down at Lila.
She’d already risked her life to save mine.
I owed it to her to make sure Olivia paid for what she’d done.
I owed it to Tom.
I owed it to myself.
Marcus clapped me on the shoulder.
“I’ll have a team on you every second,” he said. “Wires, cameras, snipers on the roof. She won’t get within ten feet of you without us knowing.”
I nodded.
I stood up and handed Lila’s cocoa back to her.
“Drink this,” I said softly. “I’ll be back soon. I promise.”
She looked up at me, eyes big and scared.
“Be careful,” she whispered.
May you like
I squeezed her hand.
“Always.”
