Chapter 4 - THE BOX IN MY HOUSE
“What is she doing?”
Evan leaned toward my phone.
I pulled it away.
“Don’t.”
“Claire, that’s Rosa.”
“I know who she is.”
Rosa had worked for Margaret for eleven years.
She had a key to Margaret’s house.
She did not have a key to mine.
At least she wasn’t supposed to.
On the camera feed, Rosa walked upstairs.
I called her.
No answer.
I called again.
Nothing.
Then the feed froze.
CAMERA OFFLINE.
My stomach tightened.
“Did you give your mother a key to our house?”
Evan hesitated.
That was enough.
“When?”
“Claire.”
“When?”
“A while ago.”
“How long?”
“After Maisie was born.”
I stared at him.
“You told me we didn’t give anyone spare keys.”
“It was for emergencies.”
“What emergency?”
“If something happened.”
“Something is happening.”
I held up the phone.
“Her employee is inside my house while we’re talking to police.”
Officer Ruiz immediately asked for the address.
Within minutes, another unit was sent there.
Margaret acted confused.
“I have no idea what Rosa is doing.”
Tessa laughed.
“Sure.”
Margaret glared at her.
Officer Ruiz asked, “Does Rosa work for you?”
“Yes.”
“Did you contact her tonight?”
“No.”
Tessa pointed toward Margaret’s phone.
“Check it.”
Margaret grabbed it.
“You have no right.”
Officer Ruiz didn’t argue.
She simply wrote something down.
That frightened Margaret more.
Twenty minutes later, an officer called Ruiz.
They had found Rosa outside our house.
The cardboard box was in her car.
Inside it were documents.
My documents.
Maisie’s birth certificate.
A copy of our mortgage.
Tax records.
My passport.
And a folder containing printed screenshots of text messages between me and Evan.
Messages I had never shown Margaret.
I looked at my husband.
He went white.
“Why does your mother have those?”
“I don’t know.”
“Evan.”
“I don’t.”
Margaret remained silent.
Tessa whispered, “Ask about the blue folder.”
Margaret turned toward her.
“What?”
“The blue folder.”
“Tessa, stop.”
“What blue folder?” I asked.
Tessa looked at me.
“Mom keeps files.”
“On what?”
“People.”
I almost laughed because the alternative was screaming.
“What kind of files?”
“Anything she thinks she might need.”
Margaret stood.
“I am done with this.”
Officer Bennett blocked her path.
“You’re not leaving yet.”
“This is my house.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I want everyone out.”
“We’ll leave when we’re finished.”
Margaret looked around the room.
Her own dining room no longer belonged to her.
Not really.
The ivory rug was stained with soup.
Her birthday cake sat untouched.
Her relatives had disappeared one by one.
Her daughter had exposed her.
Her son looked physically ill.
And her granddaughter refused to look at her.
The queen had lost control of the table.
Then Tessa told me where the blue folder was.
“Upstairs office.”
Margaret lunged toward her.
It happened so quickly that Officer Bennett had to catch Margaret by the arm.
“Do not touch her.”
“I wasn’t touching her!”
“You were moving toward her.”
“She is my daughter!”
“She is an adult.”
Margaret struggled once.
Then stopped.
Officer Ruiz looked at Tessa.
“Do you know what’s inside?”
Tessa nodded.
“Claire.”
My chest tightened.
“What about me?”
“Mom has been documenting you since before the wedding.”
Evan whispered, “Jesus.”
I looked at him.
“You didn’t know?”
“No.”
Tessa gave him a sad look.
“You really don’t know her at all, do you?”
The police could not simply search Margaret’s office because Tessa claimed a folder existed.
They explained that.
Margaret smiled.
For a moment, she seemed to believe she had won.
Then Rosa called.
Not Margaret.
Me.
I answered.
Her voice shook.
“Mrs. Hale?”
“Yes?”
“I am sorry.”
“Why were you in my house?”
“Mrs. Margaret told me to take the papers.”
Margaret shouted from across the room.
“She is lying!”
Rosa heard her.
There was a long pause.
Then Rosa whispered something that made Officer Ruiz reach for my phone.
“She told me to get the blue folder too.”
I stared at Margaret.
Rosa continued.
“But I didn’t.”
“Why?”
“Because I already gave it to your sister-in-law last week.”
Everyone turned toward Tessa.
May you like
She reached into her handbag.
And pulled out a blue folder.
