Chapter 6 - VANESSA COMES BACK
Daniel returned to the hospital under police protection.
Claire listened as he told her everything.
When he mentioned Charles, she went silent.
“You knew.”
Claire looked away.
Daniel felt betrayed all over again.
“How long?”
“Two weeks.”
“You knew my father might be alive for two weeks?”
“I wasn’t sure.”
“How?”
Claire reached for his hand.
He pulled it away.
She let her hand fall.
“The stolen money wasn’t going to Ethan.”
“What?”
“The offshore account was connected to a company called Red Harbor Logistics.”
Daniel knew the name.
His father had once owned it.
Claire had discovered that Red Harbor still existed.
Someone had been using it to move money.
“Why would Dad steal from our foundation?”
“I don’t think he did.”
“Then who?”
Before Claire could answer, the hospital door opened.
Vanessa walked in.
Daniel lunged toward her.
Marcus stopped him.
“Easy.”
Vanessa raised both hands.
Her red dress was gone.
She wore jeans and a gray sweatshirt.
There was a bruise beneath her eye.
“I came to surrender.”
Claire stared at her.
“You pushed me.”
Vanessa’s eyes filled with tears.
“I know.”
“You could have killed me.”
“I know.”
Daniel stepped closer.
“Where is Ethan?”
“I don’t know.”
“Wrong answer.”
“I swear.”
Marcus handcuffed Vanessa.
“Start talking.”
Vanessa looked at Claire.
“I was supposed to take the drive.”
“For Charles?”
Vanessa’s face changed.
“No.”
Daniel frowned.
“Then who?”
Vanessa whispered the name.
“Eleanor.”
Daniel stared at her.
“My mother?”
“She told me the drive contained evidence that would destroy your family.”
“That doesn’t explain why you pushed Claire.”
Vanessa began crying.
“She wouldn’t give it to me.”
“So you tried to kill her?”
“No!”
Vanessa shook her head violently.
“We argued.”
Claire spoke quietly.
“You told me Daniel would be better off without me.”
Vanessa lowered her head.
“Yes.”
“You said you had waited eleven years for me to disappear.”
“Yes.”
Daniel stared at her in disgust.
Vanessa continued.
“I grabbed her.”
Her voice broke.
“She pulled away.”
“You shoved me.”
“I did.”
Silence filled the room.
“I was angry.”
Vanessa looked at Claire.
“I wanted to hurt you.”
She swallowed.
“But I didn’t mean for you to go over the railing.”
Claire looked away.
Daniel asked the only question that mattered.
“Where’s the drive?”
“I gave it to Eleanor.”
Daniel felt his blood turn cold.
“When?”
“Twenty minutes after Claire fell.”
“That’s impossible.”
“No.”
Vanessa looked directly at him.
“Your mother was at the mansion that night.”
Daniel shook his head.
“She wasn’t on the guest list.”
“She wasn’t a guest.”
Vanessa’s voice dropped.
“She was upstairs.”
Daniel remembered the shadow on the security recording.
He had assumed it was Ethan.
Maybe he had been wrong.
Vanessa continued.
“And Daniel?”
“What?”
“Ethan didn’t watch Claire fall.”
“He was on the recording.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“That wasn’t Ethan.”
Daniel stared at her.
“Then who was it?”
May you like
Vanessa whispered.
“Your father.”
