Marcus led them through a narrow service lane behind the storage facility.
Clara kept the binder beneath her coat.
Ethan stayed close.
They reached Marcus's car and climbed inside.
Only after the doors locked did Clara speak.
“Who was giving Victor his instructions?”
Marcus started the engine.
“I don't know.”
“You said my brother trusted me.”
“He did.”
“Then why didn't he tell me?”
“Because he was trying to keep you safe.”
“He sent me the key.”
“He expected you to find the rest yourself.”
Clara looked at him.
“That doesn't make sense.”
“It did to him.”
Marcus pulled onto the road.
Ethan sat in the back seat.
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere Victor doesn't know.”
Clara looked through the window.
“You said Victor wasn't the person at the center.”
“He isn't.”
“Then who is?”
Marcus hesitated.
“The person you should be asking about is Daniel.”
Clara turned sharply.
“My husband?”
“Yes.”
“He was recruited.”
“That is what your brother believed.”
“Do you?”
Marcus nodded.
“Daniel was used before he understood what was happening.”
Clara stared at him.
“Then he became part of it.”
“Yes.”
The answer was simple.
Too simple.
Clara thought about Daniel's lies.
The money.
Laura.
The house.
None of those choices had been forced.
“How much did he know?”
“Enough.”
“Enough to stop?”
“Yes.”
“He didn't.”
“No.”
Clara looked away.
She did not want excuses for Daniel.
But she needed the truth.
Marcus drove them to a small office above an auto-repair shop.
Inside, the room contained two desks and a filing cabinet.
Marcus locked the door.
“You can stay here until morning.”
Clara placed the ledger on the desk.
“No.”
Marcus looked at her.
“We're not staying anywhere.”
“Why?”
“Because the transfer is tomorrow.”
He nodded.
“Then we need to stop it.”
“How?”
Marcus pointed to the ledger.
“The original records can invalidate the transfer.”
“Can you do that?”
“With a lawyer.”
“Then call one.”
Marcus reached for his phone.
Before he could dial, Clara's phone rang.
Daniel.
She answered.
“Where are you?”
His voice was low.
“I don't know.”
“Are you in custody?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“The county station.”
Clara closed her eyes.
“What do you want?”
“I need you to listen.”
“I've listened enough.”
“Clara, please.”
She said nothing.
Daniel continued.
“I didn't know about the original ledger.”
“Did you know about the recording?”
“No.”
“Did you know my brother suspected Victor?”
“Yes.”
Clara's jaw tightened.
“You knew.”
“I knew he was investigating.”
“And you said nothing.”
“I was afraid.”
“You keep saying that.”
“I know.”
There was a pause.
Then Daniel said, “Laura wasn't my affair.”
Clara went still.
“What?”
“It wasn't why she was here.”
“You slept with her.”
“Yes.”
“That makes it an affair.”
“No.”
His voice cracked.
“Clara, she came to me because she was trying to find out what happened to her husband.”
Clara said nothing.
Daniel continued.
“I thought she was using me. Then she told me Victor had threatened her.”
“You still slept with her.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I was angry.”
“At me?”
“At myself.”
Clara closed her eyes.
Daniel whispered, “I thought you had abandoned us.”
“I was taking care of my mother.”
“I know.”
“No, you don't.”
“I do now.”
The line went quiet.
Then Daniel said something that made Clara sit down.
“Laura's husband didn't die in an accident.”
Clara stared at the wall.
“Then how?”
“I don't know.”
“Your brother-in-law did.”
“I know.”
“Do you know why?”
Daniel's voice dropped.
“He was going to expose Victor.”
“And Laura?”
“She was trying to stop him.”
Clara frowned.
“What?”
Daniel continued.
“She wasn't helping Victor. She was working against him.”
Clara looked at Marcus.
Marcus had heard enough to understand.
Daniel said, “But someone inside our family was feeding Victor information.”
Clara's stomach tightened.
“Who?”
“I never found out.”
“Daniel.”
“I swear.”
The call ended.
Clara looked at Marcus.
“Someone inside my family.”
Marcus nodded.
“That is what the recording suggested.”
Ethan stepped forward.
“Mom.”
He had been listening.
“There aren't many people.”
Clara turned.
“My brother-in-law is dead.”
“My uncle.”
“Yes.”
“Dad.”
“Yes.”
“Me.”
Clara looked at him.
“No.”
Ethan frowned.
“You said someone inside the family.”
Clara shook her head.
“There is someone else.”
She remembered the note.
The key.
The person who had access to the house.
The spare key.
Her brother-in-law had left it for her.
But he had not said who else had one.
Clara suddenly remembered a detail from the day she left.
Her husband's mother had come to the house.
She had hugged Clara at the door.
And asked Daniel for a key.
Clara stood.
“Daniel's mother.”
Marcus looked at her.
“Does she have access to the house?”
“Yes.”
“Does she know Victor?”
Clara thought.
“She met him once.”
“When?”
“About six months ago.”
Marcus's expression tightened.
“That's not enough.”
Clara shook her head.
“Maybe.”
She remembered something else.
Her mother-in-law had been unusually interested in the house.
She had asked about the mortgage.
She had asked whether Clara intended to stay there.
At the time, Clara had assumed it was ordinary family curiosity.
Now it felt different.
Marcus picked up the phone.
“I'll make a call.”
Clara stopped him.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because if she's involved, she may know we're looking.”
Ethan looked at the ledger.
“There are names here.”
Clara turned the pages.
She had missed something.
Near the final entries was a name she recognized.
Margaret Hale.
Daniel's mother.
Beside her name was a payment.
Twenty thousand dollars.
Clara's mouth went dry.
Marcus stared.
“That changes things.”
Clara nodded.
The payment was dated the day before she left.
She remembered that day.
Margaret had visited the house.
She had hugged Clara.
Then she had whispered, “Take care of your mother. Let Daniel handle everything here.”
Clara had thought it was kindness.
Now she understood why the words sounded so strange.
Her phone rang again.
Unknown number.
She answered.
A woman's voice said, “You found it.”
Clara froze.
“Margaret?”
“Yes.”
Ethan stepped closer.
Margaret continued.
“You should have left the ledger where it was.”
Clara looked at Marcus.
“Why?”
“Because now I have no choice.”
The call ended.
A message appeared immediately afterward.
Come to the house alone.
Clara stared at it.
Then another message arrived.
Bring the original ledger.
She looked at Ethan.
“No.”
He shook his head.
“You're not going alone.”
Clara held the phone tightly.
The person who had been feeding Victor information was no longer hiding.
And she wanted Clara home.
Click here to continue reading: PART 11: Clara Returned to the House With the Original Ledger Hidden Away, Only to Discover Margaret Had Been Waiting for Her
She Came Home With Groceries, but the Silence Inside Told Clara Something Had Changed While She Was Gone
Part 10 of 12
