Chapter 11 - Two Necklaces, One Missing Fortune|
By the next afternoon, the emerald necklace had become the center of an investigation much larger than my marriage.
The necklace Tessa wore was real.
That was the preliminary conclusion of an independent jewelry specialist.
The emerald's natural inclusions matched photographs taken years earlier.
The antique setting was authentic.
And the clasp carried a tiny engraving.
E.S.
Elise Shaw.
But the necklace inside Mercer Financial's vault looked almost identical.
Almost.
The specialist found differences in the arrangement of the smaller stones.
The vault necklace was a remarkably convincing reproduction.
Which meant someone had replaced Marlene's collateral with a fake.
And then used the original to frame me.
I sat across from Nadine in her office while she explained the implications.
“This changes the entire investigation.”
I looked at her.
“How?”
“If the vault inventory was falsified, someone inside the company may have been involved in moving the original necklace.”
“Colin.”
“Possibly. But we need evidence establishing who authorized the transfer.”
I looked down at my phone.
Tessa had called seventeen times.
I hadn't answered.
Nadine noticed.
“You don't have to speak with her.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you considering it?”
I stared at the screen.
“Because she was part of the plan that ruined me.”
Nadine frowned.
“What plan?”
I hesitated.
I still couldn't explain my previous life without sounding unstable.
Instead, I said:
“Colin has been dishonest about their relationship. I think Tessa knows more than she's admitting.”
Nadine nodded thoughtfully.
“Then let her attorney arrange a formal conversation if she wants to cooperate.”
That evening, I returned home to find Colin sitting in the dark.
The house smelled of whiskey.
He looked exhausted.
“June.”
I stopped near the staircase.
“What?”
“We need to talk.”
“About your girlfriend?”
His head snapped up.
“What?”
I smiled sadly.
“Come on, Colin.”
He stood.
“Who told you?”
“Nobody needed to.”
For several seconds, he stared at me.
Then his face softened.
“June, whatever you think happened between Tessa and me—”
“Don't.”
He stopped.
I looked at the man I'd once loved.
Twelve years of marriage.
Countless sacrifices.
A home I'd helped build.
And underneath it all, a man who had been preparing to sacrifice me to save himself.
“Did you ever intend to tell me?” I asked.
He looked down.
“It's complicated.”
“No.”
My voice remained steady.
“It really isn't.”
Then Colin said something unexpected.
“Roland made me do it.”
I stared.
“Do what?”
He swallowed.
“The necklace.”
My heart began pounding.
“He said the company would collapse if we didn't move certain assets.”
I stepped backward.
“And what did you get?”
Colin looked away.
I waited.
Finally, he whispered:
“A partnership.”
I felt sick.
“You traded me for a promotion?”
His face crumpled.
“June, I didn't know how far things would go.”
I looked directly into his eyes.
“Then tell me how far you intended them to go.”
May you like
He said nothing.
And his silence told me more than any confession could have.
