Chapter 12 - THE ATTORNEY'S WARNING|
Jonathan Reed called Claire at nine the next morning.
“I've received a communication from Vincent's counsel,” he said. “They want to discuss an expedited settlement.”
Claire stood beside the kitchen window, one hand resting on the counter.
“What kind of settlement?”
“Vincent is offering to provide you with a substantial financial package if you withdraw the divorce petition and return to Chicago for a private discussion.”
Claire almost laughed.
“He thinks I'm for sale.”
“I wouldn't characterize it that way. But the proposal is designed to move quickly, and I advise you not to respond emotionally.”
“I'm not returning.”
“Then we'll tell them that. There is another issue, however.”
She waited.
“His counsel has suggested that you may have removed confidential documents belonging to the Moretti organization.”
Claire looked toward the brown envelope on the table.
“Did they name the documents?”
“No. They made a vague allegation. I asked them to provide specifics.”
“Are they threatening legal action?”
“Not yet. But I want you to understand that if those papers are genuine, their contents may become relevant to more than your divorce.”
Claire told him about the envelope Marco had left and the suspicious messages she had received.
Jonathan listened without interrupting.
“Do not destroy anything,” he said. “Do not publish anything. And do not send those documents to anyone except your attorney or the investigator working with proper authorization.”
“I haven't.”
“Good. We will preserve them and establish how they came into your possession.”
After the call, Claire sat at the kitchen table.
She had thought leaving Chicago would put distance between her and Vincent's world. Instead, its secrets were following her across state lines.
She wondered whether she should return the envelope to Marco.
Then she remembered the note on the photograph.
She never died there.
If Isabella had survived the accident, the consequences could be enormous. Vincent had spent years grieving a woman whose death might have been staged. Sophia might have been recruited to manipulate him. Anthony might have helped cover up whatever really happened.
But none of those possibilities changed the fact that Vincent had chosen to treat his wife as an inconvenience.
Claire needed to keep that distinction clear.
She was not investigating Isabella to save Vincent.
She was trying to understand why someone had threatened her over a photograph she had never shown anyone.
At lunchtime, Ethan stopped by her office.
“You look like you've been trying to solve a murder,” he said.
Claire closed the folder on her desk.
“Something like that.”
“Do you need time off?”
“No. Work is the one place where everything still makes sense.”
Ethan pulled a chair across from her.
“You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. But I want you to know that your job here isn't conditional on your personal life being simple.”
Claire felt an unexpected sting behind her eyes.
“Thank you.”
He nodded toward the folder.
“Whatever that is, make sure you have good counsel.”
“I do.”
“Then let them do their job. You don't need to carry every problem yourself.”
After he left, Claire returned to the financial report in front of her. She worked until late afternoon, when Jonathan called again.
“We've received a response,” he said. “Vincent's counsel denies that he is attempting to pressure you. They also say he is concerned about your welfare.”
“Of course he is.”
“Claire, I need you to be careful. A person can be genuinely concerned and still behave inappropriately. We should evaluate actions, not declarations.”
She thought of the umbrella.
“That's what I'm trying to do.”
Jonathan paused.
“There is one more thing. Vincent's lawyer asked whether you are pregnant.”
Claire went still.
“What did you tell him?”
“Nothing. Your medical information is private. I did not confirm or deny anything.”
She thanked him and ended the call.
For several minutes, she could not move.
She had not told Vincent. She had not told his family. She had not told Sophia.
Only her doctor, Jonathan, and Ethan knew she had moved to New York, and only Jonathan and her doctor knew the pregnancy details.
Someone was asking questions.
Someone was getting close.
Claire opened her notebook and wrote a single sentence:
My child is not a bargaining chip.
May you like
Then she closed the notebook and returned to work.
Whatever Vincent wanted, whatever his attorneys threatened, whatever secret lay behind Isabella's death, Claire would not allow anyone to turn her pregnancy into another instrument of control.
