Chapter 3 - WHAT CLARA KNEW BEFORE SHE DIED
Elaine read the letter in silence.
Gabriel sat across from her at the kitchen table.
Lucas was upstairs.
For the first time in years, Gabriel allowed himself to remember the final weeks of Clara's life.
She had been weak.
But she had also been frightened.
At the time, he had believed the fear came from the cancer.
Now he wasn't sure.
“What does the letter say?” Elaine asked.
Gabriel handed it to her.
Clara's handwriting was shaky.
Gabriel,
I don't know how much time I have left. The doctors keep telling me to rest, but I need you to listen carefully.
There is a woman named Candice Miller. She has been asking questions about me.
She knows about the insurance.
She knows about the house.
She knows about you.
Elaine looked up.
“Did you know Candice before Clara died?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
Gabriel shook his head.
“I met her at a charity event two years later.”
Elaine continued reading.
She told me she was helping another woman who had lost her husband. But something felt wrong. She knew details she shouldn't have known.
If she ever appears in your life, don't trust her.
And please, whatever happens, protect Lucas.
Gabriel closed his eyes.
For six years, he had believed Clara's final words to him were spoken in a hospital room.
He had never known she had written this.
“Why didn't she send it?” he whispered.
Elaine turned the page.
There was another line.
I gave this to someone I trust. If it reaches you, then something happened to me.
Elaine looked at him.
“Who?”
Gabriel didn't know.
They searched the envelope.
No name.
No address.
Only a faint handwritten initial.
R.
Gabriel immediately thought of the files.
Richard.
There was a man named Richard listed in several financial documents.
Richard Vincent.
A financial consultant.
Gabriel searched the name.
He found an old photograph.
Richard stood beside Candice at a charity event.
The same event where Candice had met several widows.
Gabriel stared.
“She's working with someone.”
Elaine nodded.
“Maybe.”
“She's stealing from these women.”
“Maybe.”
“And Clara knew.”
“Maybe.”
Gabriel slammed his hand on the table.
“Elaine!”
His sister didn't flinch.
“Anger won't prove anything.”
Gabriel looked away.
She was right.
The next morning, he took Lucas to a doctor.
The physician examined the bruises.
He asked questions.
Lucas answered quietly.
The doctor documented everything.
At the end, he looked at Gabriel.
“Some of these injuries are older than others.”
Gabriel nodded.
“I know.”
“Does your son feel safe going home?”
Gabriel looked at Lucas.
The boy stared at the floor.
“No,” Lucas whispered.
That single word destroyed the last part of Gabriel's hesitation.
He called the police.
Then Child Protective Services.
He reported the abuse.
He gave them photographs.
Recordings.
Medical documentation.
Everything.
That afternoon, Candice called.
Gabriel answered.
“Where are you?”
“Miami,” she said cheerfully.
“Having fun?”
Gabriel looked at Lucas.
“Very.”
“Is Lucas behaving?”
Gabriel's jaw tightened.
“He's fine.”
“Make sure he finishes the laundry before we come back.”
Gabriel said nothing.
Candice laughed.
“Gabriel?”
“Yes?”
“You sound strange.”
“I’m tired.”
“You should be. You work too much.”
Then she lowered her voice.
“Don't go through my things while I'm gone.”
Gabriel felt cold.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
The call ended.
Elaine looked at him.
“She knows.”
Gabriel stared at the phone.
“She knows I found something.”
That night, Gabriel checked the security recordings again.
At 2:13 a.m., the camera showed Candice entering the master bedroom.
But she was supposed to be in Miami.
Gabriel froze.
He rewound the footage.
Candice had returned to the house.
She moved directly toward the closet.
She opened the hidden box.
Then she looked straight at the camera.
And smiled.
The next morning, Gabriel found a message on his phone.
You should have stayed on the road.
A second message followed.
You don't know what happened to Clara.
Gabriel stared at the screen.
May you like
Then a third message appeared.
But you will.
