Chapter 12 - The Woman Who Wanted the Crown
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The email did not prove that Vanessa had caused the crash.
It did, however, reveal a disturbing pattern.
She had written about me as if I were an obstacle in a business negotiation, not a human being with a daughter, a home, and a life of my own.
The investigator obtained the original message through the appropriate legal process. Its recipient was an individual associated with a private investment firm that had recently expressed interest in acquiring several of Ethan's businesses.
Vanessa had been communicating with the firm for months.
She had also been encouraging Ethan to restructure his holdings and transfer certain responsibilities into a new management entity. The arrangement would have given her significant authority over the organization's finances.
The firm denied any knowledge of wrongdoing and agreed to cooperate with investigators.
Daniel explained that the email might help establish motive, but motive alone would not prove what happened on the road.
“We need to separate what is emotionally obvious from what can be established legally,” he said.
I understood the distinction.
I also understood that Vanessa had wanted me gone.
Whether she wanted me divorced, frightened, discredited, or dead remained a question the investigators had to answer.
Ethan requested another meeting, this time through his attorney. I agreed because he had information about the outside investment firm.
He arrived with a folder.
“Vanessa told me the company wanted to invest in my businesses,” he said. “She claimed they were impressed with our operations and wanted to expand into other markets.”
“Did you verify that?”
“Not properly.”
“Why not?”
He looked at me.
“Because I thought I could control the deal.”
The familiar answer made my chest tighten.
“You thought you could control everything.”
“Yes.”
He opened the folder and showed me a timeline of financial transactions. Several payments had been made through companies with overlapping addresses and directors. Some had been authorized using his electronic signature, though he claimed he had never approved them.
His lawyers were working with forensic accountants to determine which records were authentic and whether any accounts had been compromised.
“Vanessa was trying to create a situation where I depended on her for information,” he said. “She controlled the documents, the schedules, and the people who could explain the transactions.”
“And you let her.”
“Yes.”
I looked at the pages.
“What does any of this have to do with the separation agreement?”
He paused.
“I think she wanted you to leave before the financial problems became public. If you were no longer my wife, she could convince me that you were a liability. She could also use the divorce to pressure me into transferring assets.”
“Or she thought you would marry her.”
“I don't know.”
He closed the folder.
“I was wrong about her.”
I looked at him.
“You were wrong about me too.”
His expression changed.
“I never thought you were a liability.”
“You treated me like one.”
He absorbed the words without defending himself.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he said, “I don't expect you to return. But I want to make sure you and Lily are safe. I'll pay for whatever security arrangements you need, through your attorney, with no conditions attached.”
“That is something we can discuss.”
“I also want you to know that I'm not asking for custody to punish you. Lily needs both of us.”
“Then prove it by showing up consistently, respecting the schedule, and keeping her away from the investigation.”
“I will.”
I wanted to believe him.
But trust was not a switch that could be turned on because someone finally said the right words.
As I left the meeting, Marcus called.
“Claire, we found the person Vanessa was emailing.”
“Who?”
“An executive named Peter Lang. He worked with Ethan years ago. They had a major disagreement over a failed acquisition.”
“Is he connected to Grant?”
“That's what we're trying to determine.”
He lowered his voice.
“There is something else. Peter has been telling people Ethan's organization is about to collapse. He claims he has documents proving Ethan authorized illegal payments.”
I stopped walking.
“Did Ethan authorize them?”
“We don't know. Some signatures appear to have been copied from legitimate documents.”
“So someone may be framing him.”
“Possibly.”
That evening, the news broke.
A financial publication reported that Ethan Blackwood's business empire was under investigation for suspected fraud, undisclosed transfers, and possible connections to a vehicle involved in a serious traffic collision.
The article did not name me.
But it named Vanessa.
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And by morning, every person in Chicago who feared Ethan Blackwood was asking the same question.
Was the Mafia boss finally losing control of his own empire?
