Chapter 4 - The Man She Thought She Knew
Alison couldn't sleep.
She sat in Catherine's guest room until dawn, staring at the ceiling.
Gregory.
Six years ago.
Before they met.
Before the divorce.
Before Abigail had ever spoken to him.
How could that be possible?
At seven in the morning, Christopher knocked.
“Can I come in?”
Alison nodded.
He sat beside her.
“I should have told you.”
“Yes.”
“I didn't know Gregory was involved.”
“You said his name was on the paperwork.”
“It was a company name. I didn't recognize it.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I thought the threat was gone.”
Alison stared at him.
“What threat?”
Christopher rubbed his face.
“During our marriage, someone tried to pressure you into selling the apartment.”
“I don't remember.”
“You were pregnant.”
Alison froze.
“I was?”
“Yes.”
Christopher looked down.
“You were under enormous stress. I handled the calls.”
“Why?”
“Because someone had been following you.”
The room went silent.
“Following me?”
“I saw the same car outside your office three times.”
Alison's heart pounded.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I was afraid you'd panic.”
“And then?”
“The calls stopped.”
“So you assumed it was over.”
“Yes.”
Alison stood.
“You didn't protect me. You just hid it.”
“I know.”
She turned away.
Then Abigail appeared in the doorway.
“Mom?”
Alison immediately softened.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Can I tell you something?”
“Of course.”
Abigail looked at Christopher.
“I don't like Gregory.”
“Why?”
“He talks to people when he thinks nobody can hear him.”
“What people?”
“I don't know.”
“Where?”
“In the apartment.”
Alison crouched.
“What does he say?”
Abigail hesitated.
“Sometimes he says your name.”
“Anything else?”
“He said Uncle Marcus would never find the second book.”
Alison froze.
“Second book?”
Abigail nodded.
“He said the first one was gone.”
Christopher looked confused.
Marcus was the investigator.
“Did he say what kind of book?”
“A black one.”
Alison remembered something.
Gregory had once given her a black leather journal.
He told her it was a gift.
She had never used it.
It was still inside the apartment.
“That's it.”
Christopher looked at her.
“What?”
“The journal.”
Later that afternoon, Marcus returned.
They told him about it.
He immediately became interested.
“Where did Gregory keep it?”
“In his office.”
“Then that's probably where we'll find it.”
They couldn't legally enter the apartment without precautions.
So Marcus arranged for a locksmith and a court-authorized evidence recovery team.
When the door opened, Alison felt as though she were entering the home of a stranger.
Nothing looked different.
That was the terrifying part.
The couch.
The photographs.
Abigail's shoes.
The kitchen table.
But everything now seemed staged.
Marcus searched Gregory's office.
Empty shelves.
Empty drawers.
Then he noticed a loose floorboard.
Underneath was a black leather journal.
Alison's hands shook as she opened it.
The first pages were blank.
Then dates appeared.
Names.
Amounts.
Addresses.
One entry read:
Alison — estimated equity: $482,000
Another:
Custody leverage — father weak
Another:
Grandmother emotionally predictable
Then:
Child observant. Must isolate.
Alison closed her eyes.
She wanted to scream.
Marcus turned the page.
A name appeared.
Evelyn Voss.
Gregory's mother.
Alison remembered meeting Evelyn once.
A polished woman who had smiled warmly and told Alison:
“You've made Gregory very happy.”
Now another note appeared.
Mother will provide buyer connection.
Christopher stared.
“So Gregory isn't doing this alone.”
Marcus nodded.
“Probably not.”
Then a photograph slipped from the journal.
Alison picked it up.
It showed Gregory standing beside a woman.
Behind them was a courthouse.
The woman was Evelyn.
But the date on the photograph was six years earlier.
Alison turned it over.
Written on the back:
First attempt.
Her pulse raced.
Then they heard a noise outside.
A car door.
Marcus raised his hand.
Everyone went silent.
Footsteps approached the apartment.
Someone tried the handle.
Locked.
Then a man's voice came through the door.
“Alison?”
Gregory.
Abigail gasped.
Christopher moved her behind him.
Gregory knocked again.
“Alison, please.”
His voice sounded broken.
Almost frightened.
“I know you're angry.”
Alison stared at the door.
Marcus whispered:
“Don't open it.”
Gregory continued.
“I made mistakes.”
Silence.
“I shouldn't have hidden things.”
Alison's jaw tightened.
Then Gregory said something that made everyone freeze.
“Your daughter is in danger.”
Christopher stepped toward the door.
Marcus stopped him.
Gregory continued.
“You think I'm the danger.”
A pause.
“But I'm not the only one.”
Then footsteps retreated.
A car engine started.
Marcus rushed outside.
But Gregory was gone.
They found only a folded envelope beneath the door.
Inside was a photograph.
It showed Alison's apartment.
Taken from across the street.
On the back:
Ask your ex-husband why he really divorced you.
Alison turned toward Christopher.
He looked devastated.
“Christopher?”
He said nothing.
“Why did you divorce me?”
He closed his eyes.
May you like
“Because someone threatened to kill you if I stayed.”
Alison felt the world disappear beneath her feet.
