Chapter 4 - The Uninvited Guest
Amy froze. The fire crackled in the grate, casting long, erratic shadows across the floorboards.
She hadn't told anyone where she was going. Her plane ticket had listed Portland, but the rental car had been booked under her maiden name, paid for with the untraceable cash card.
The knock came again, firm and measured. Not the frantic pound of Daniel, nor the polite tap of an elderly neighbor.
"Amy," a woman’s voice called through the heavy wood. "Open the door before the rain ruins this coat. It cost more than Daniel’s first car."
Amy stood up, her hand instinctively resting on her stomach. She walked to the window, pulling the curtain back an inch.
Standing on the porch beneath a dripping umbrella was Vanessa Cole.
Vanessa wasn't wearing her evening gown. She wore dark jeans, a beige trench coat, and flat boots. She stood alone in the dark, her luxury SUV idling near the driveway.
Amy unlatched the deadbolt, leaving the security chain attached. "How did you find me?"
Vanessa met her eyes through the gap. There was no mockery in her expression, no triumphant smirk of a victorious mistress. Her face looked pale, strained beneath the exterior glow of her makeup.
"Daniel puts air-tags on everything, Amy. Including your favorite vintage leather luggage," Vanessa said. "He gave the tracking data to his mother's private security team two hours ago. They're on a private jet to Seattle right now. They'll be driving down the coast by sunrise."
Amy’s stomach plummeted. "And you? Did you come to help them drag me back?"
"I took an earlier commercial flight out of Newark," Vanessa said, glancing over her shoulder into the black forest. "Take off the chain. We have about four hours before Margaret’s people get here, and there are things about Daniel's foundation you need to know before they take that baby."
Amy stared at her. "Why would you help me? You’ve been trying to replace me for a year."
"I was never trying to replace you, Amy," Vanessa said quietly. "I was trying to survive him. And if you don't let me in, neither of us will."
Amy unlocked the chain and swung the door open.
Vanessa stepped inside, kicking off her wet boots and setting a heavy leather briefcase on the kitchen counter. She unbuttoned her coat and took a deep breath, looking around the modest cabin.
"You think Daniel is having an affair with me," Vanessa said bluntly.
"I saw your hand on his chest. I saw him hold you tonight."
"Daniel holds onto anyone who knows the truth about where his money comes from," Vanessa replied, unlatching the briefcase. "The Harrison Foundation isn't funding clean water projects in developing nations, Amy. It’s an offshore wash for Margaret's real estate defaults. Daniel signed the fraudulent filings. But six months ago, he transferred corporate officer authority into your name."
Vanessa slammed a stack of legal documents onto the counter. Amy stepped forward, her eyes scanning the pages.
There, in bold ink, was Amy's signature on dozens of international transfer manifests—signatures she had never seen, executed with chilling precision.
May you like
"Margaret didn't freeze your accounts to keep the money from you," Vanessa said, her voice dropping. "She froze them so you couldn't hire an independent defense attorney. When the Department of Justice unseals the indictment next month, Daniel walks away clean. And you take the fall."
***
