Derek requested the call shortly after eight that evening.<\/p>\n
Sandra received the message through his attorney.<\/p>\n
I was back at the hotel by then, sitting on the edge of the bed while the city glowed beyond windows I still refused to approach.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wants ten minutes,\u201d Sandra said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen no.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat easy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou owe him nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does he want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis attorney says he has information concerning your safety.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy safety.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m repeating the message, not endorsing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood and walked toward the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he ask for anything?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis attorney says no.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich means yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought about Derek in handcuffs.<\/p>\n
His expression when I told him Sandra was my lawyer.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t understand what you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n
At the time I thought it was intimidation.<\/p>\n
Maybe it was.<\/p>\n
Maybe there had been something else beneath it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does Alvarez think?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wants the call.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course he does.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe also says you should decline if you don\u2019t want to hear Derek.\u201d<\/p>\n
That mattered.<\/p>\n
Nobody was ordering me back into Derek\u2019s orbit.<\/p>\n
The decision belonged to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll take it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sandra studied me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n
The call happened at the financial crimes office.<\/p>\n
Detective Alvarez arranged for it to be recorded with all necessary procedures observed. Sandra sat beside me. Derek\u2019s attorney was aware law enforcement might monitor communications under applicable rules and advised his client accordingly.<\/p>\n
When Derek\u2019s voice came through the speaker, my body reacted before my mind.<\/p>\n
My shoulders tightened.<\/p>\n
My fingers went cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cSkylar?\u201d<\/p>\n
I said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He exhaled.<\/p>\n
For three years I had known the sound of Derek breathing beside me in bed.<\/p>\n
Hearing it through a jail telephone felt obscene.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost ended the call.<\/p>\n
Sandra\u2019s hand rested near the disconnect button but did not touch it.<\/p>\n
Derek continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that means nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCorrect.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI shouldn\u2019t have thrown the coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cI shouldn\u2019t have broken your phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still I said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI lost control.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t lose control,\u201d I said. \u201cYou took control. You broke the phone because you didn\u2019t want me calling anyone. You locked the door because you didn\u2019t want me leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n
The admission surprised me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you calling?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother contacted you.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was not a question.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow would you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe contacted my attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wants me to convince you to sign.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Alvarez through the glass partition.<\/p>\n
He made no movement.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you going to?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer came immediately.<\/p>\n
I felt nothing.<\/p>\n
Perhaps I had exhausted surprise.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause this is over.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was over when you threw coffee at me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice cracked slightly.<\/p>\n
I hated that part of me recognized the sound.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know what you found.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich thing?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mortgage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe insurance?\u201d<\/p>\n
His breathing changed.<\/p>\n
So he knew.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe photographs?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSkylar\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe map of my running route?\u201d<\/p>\n
He whispered something I could not hear.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t take those.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you knew about them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room seemed to contract.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho took them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCaleb.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother hired him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSurveillance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo know your routine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what, Derek?\u201d<\/p>\n
He did not answer.<\/p>\n
I leaned toward the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told them I wouldn\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sentence chilled me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I want you to say it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sandra watched me carefully.<\/p>\n
Derek breathed into the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother wanted an accident.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was no sound in the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had different ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSkylar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe running route was one.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was supposed to happen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA car.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at my hands.<\/p>\n
Caleb\u2019s gray sedan.<\/p>\n
\u201cHit-and-run?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the waterfront?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe thought you could fall.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew enough to keep asking about my knee.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was trying to find out if you were running.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I could stop it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed.<\/p>\n
The sound startled even me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have stopped it by telling me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have gone to police.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have told your mother no.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were still taking my money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou forged the mortgage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou helped buy insurance on my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
A longer silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My eyes burned.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you want credit because you objected to murdering me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
For once, Derek sounded ashamed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t deserve credit.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer hurt more than denial.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why didn\u2019t you warn me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if I told you everything, I lost everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou mean money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
Derek continued quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew you\u2019d leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI kept thinking I could fix it without you finding out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy stealing three hundred thousand dollars?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the loan closed, Mom said she\u2019d consider the debt settled.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou believed her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the insurance policy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward Sandra.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why was it issued?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI signed the application.\u201d<\/p>\n
The admission was clean.<\/p>\n
No evasion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI forged your signature.\u201d<\/p>\n
My jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Marlene?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t witness it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho put her name there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Marlene know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot until later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about the accidental-death rider?\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek was silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cDerek.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI added it.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Mom said the premium was lower relative to the coverage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew what she wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout two months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard Mom and Caleb talking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour running route.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you stayed quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked away.<\/p>\n
There was no version of love that could survive that answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was Saturday?\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek stopped breathing for a moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did you hear about Saturday?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnswer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse jumped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if Mom thinks I told you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe already knows you\u2019re in jail.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s different.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDifferent how?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe still thinks I can fix this.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Alvarez.<\/p>\n
He leaned slightly toward the speaker.<\/p>\n
Derek continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cSkylar, don\u2019t go anywhere Saturday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t planning to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t go to Caleb\u2019s condo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know Eleanor owns it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice work faster than your family expected.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek swore softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was supposed to happen there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Mom stopped telling me details after I refused.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you refuse?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSunday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Four days earlier.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she ask you to do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGet you there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLeave.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin prickled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were supposed to bring me to that condo and walk away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you refused.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I knew what it meant.\u201d<\/p>\n
I swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you tell Caleb?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you tell police?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each no stripped away whatever defense he imagined he had.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead you came home Wednesday morning and demanded my credit card.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek sounded exhausted.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom was furious about Saturday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you took it out on me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when I said no?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI snapped.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I said it more quietly this time.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep trying to make that morning smaller than it was. You locked me inside after threatening me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t going to hurt you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou already had.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean\u2014I wasn\u2019t going to kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The absurdity of the distinction made me close my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why mention the balcony?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted you scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou succeeded.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy the deed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom wanted everything signed before the mortgage closing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd after?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was going to take you away.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFriday afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnywhere. Key West. Orlando. I didn\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou thought you could steal against my home and then take me on vacation?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice rose.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was going to tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter we were away from Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy should I believe any of this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
That stopped me.<\/p>\n
Derek continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there\u2019s something you need to know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCaleb isn\u2019t working only for my mother anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alvarez straightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard them arguing Monday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMoney.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cCaleb wants part of it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he\u2019d already taken the risk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarlene.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe abducted her before Monday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot until afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did your mother promise him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHalf a million.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor killing me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek whispered, \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word sat between us.<\/p>\n
Then he added, \u201cBut Caleb found out the policy could pay ten million.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wants more.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo million.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sandra wrote something quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Eleanor say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told him he\u2019d get what they agreed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Caleb?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said maybe he didn\u2019t need her anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
A chill traveled through me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStop saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI genuinely don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Caleb has copies of everything. Your routes. Policy information. The condo access. He knows where you work.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart accelerated.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes he know where I am now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not reassuring.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying to help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re trying very late.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
A warning tone indicated the call was nearing its limit.<\/p>\n
Derek spoke quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a storage locker.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alvarez grabbed a pen.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCaleb rented it through one of Mom\u2019s companies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich facility?\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek gave the name and unit number.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never opened it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why does it matter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Caleb called it the contingency.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat contingency?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The warning sounded again.<\/p>\n
\u201cSkylar.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did not answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did love you.\u201d<\/p>\n
My throat tightened despite myself.<\/p>\n
He continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that doesn\u2019t matter now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt matters to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was always the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
The line went dead.<\/p>\n
I sat staring at the speaker.<\/p>\n
Sandra said nothing.<\/p>\n
Alvarez was already moving.<\/p>\n
Search warrant.<\/p>\n
Storage facility.<\/p>\n
Caleb Mercer.<\/p>\n
Contingency.<\/p>\n
Twenty minutes later, officers reached the location.<\/p>\n
Forty minutes after that, Alvarez received photographs.<\/p>\n
Inside the locker were false license plates.<\/p>\n
Disposable phones.<\/p>\n
Cash.<\/p>\n
A set of maintenance uniforms.<\/p>\n
And a printed copy of the floor plan for my office building.<\/p>\n
One room had been circled.<\/p>\n
My office.<\/p>\n
Written beside it in black ink were three words:<\/p>\n
IF FRIDAY FAILS.<\/p>\n
Derek requested the call shortly after eight that evening. Sandra received the message through his attorney. I was back at the hotel by then, sitting on the edge of the … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chapter-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3206"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3222,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3206\/revisions\/3222"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}