Chapter 3 - THE WOMAN WHO VANISHED
Paige's apartment had been cleaned with unnerving precision.
There were no clothes in the closets, no toiletries in the bathroom, and no personal photographs on the shelves. The building manager claimed she had moved out two days earlier.
Grant knew better.
People didn't abandon apartments overnight unless they were running from something.
Or preparing for something.
His security team found a storage unit rented under Paige's name. Inside were three suitcases, a laptop, and a folder containing photographs of Grant's company executives.
One photograph had been marked in red.
Martin Cole.
Another showed Rebecca Sloan, Claire's attorney, leaving a courthouse.
Grant's stomach tightened.
Why would Paige be monitoring the woman handling his divorce?
The laptop required a password. His cybersecurity team managed to recover fragments of deleted messages, including one sent the previous night.
She signed. The next step is ready.
The recipient's identity had been erased.
Grant called Rebecca.
“I need to know whether Claire has discussed any financial irregularities with you.”
“Your wife is my client,” Rebecca replied. “I won't disclose privileged conversations.”
“Someone is using her identity to steal from my company.”
“Then investigate the theft. Don't use it as an excuse to interfere with her divorce.”
Grant closed his eyes.
“I need to protect her.”
“You had seven years to do that.”
The call ended.
Meanwhile, Claire sat in an examination room while her obstetrician reviewed her blood pressure readings. The doctor recommended rest and reduced stress, explaining that the baby appeared stable but that Claire needed to take her symptoms seriously.
Claire nodded, though she was thinking about the forged authorization.
If someone could steal money using her identity, they could also make it appear that she had committed a crime.
Rebecca had warned her to keep copies of every communication.
She had done exactly that.
Back home, Claire opened the encrypted folder she'd created months earlier. It contained photographs of Grant and Paige together, messages accidentally synced to a shared tablet, and screenshots of company documents she'd found while looking for their tax returns.
One document troubled her more than the others.
It showed a proposed acquisition of a smaller security firm, Northstar Risk Management. The deal had been abandoned six months earlier after the target company accused Calloway Protective Solutions of improperly obtaining confidential information.
Claire remembered the name.
Her late father had once worked with Northstar's founder.
She called Rebecca.
“I think the theft may be connected to an old business dispute.”
“Do you have evidence?”
“I have documents Grant never knew I kept.”
“Don't send them electronically yet,” Rebecca said. “Bring them to my office.”
That afternoon, Grant received a call from an unknown number.
A distorted voice said, “Stop looking for Paige.”
“Who is this?”
“Someone trying to keep your daughter alive.”
Grant went rigid.
“What did you say?”
A click.
The line went dead.
He called Claire immediately.
She didn't answer.
He called again.
Nothing.
When he reached the house, her car was still in the driveway, but the front door stood open.
On the kitchen island lay Claire's blood pressure monitor.
Beside it was a folded note.
May you like
IF YOU WANT YOUR WIFE AND CHILD SAFE, STOP ASKING ABOUT THE MONEY.
---
