Chapter 2 - The Call Maya Never Finished
Three weeks earlier, Lena had been standing in a grocery store when Maya called.
The connection was weak. Lena could hear hurried breathing and the faint sound of something falling in the background.
“Maya?”
“I need you to listen,” Maya whispered.
“Where are you?”
“At home.”
“Is Daniel with you?”
There was a pause.
“No. He said he was at work.”
Lena pushed her shopping cart aside.
“What happened?”
“I found documents in his office. Transfers from the baby’s trust. Payments to Celeste. My signature is on them, but I never signed anything.”
Lena’s hand tightened around the phone.
Celeste Vaughn had been introduced to the family as Daniel’s business consultant. She attended charity dinners, company events, and even Maya’s baby shower. Maya had never liked the way Celeste looked at Daniel, but whenever she questioned him, Daniel accused her of being jealous and unstable.
“Take pictures of everything,” Lena said. “Then leave the house.”
“I already copied the files.”
“Good. Bring them to me.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Daniel changed the security code. My car keys are gone.”
Lena abandoned her cart and hurried toward the exit.
“I’m coming.”
“No,” Maya said quickly. “If he sees your police car, he’ll know.”
“I won’t bring the police car.”
Maya’s voice dropped lower.
“There’s something else. He took out another life insurance policy.”
Lena stopped beneath the store’s bright lights.
“How much?”
“Five million dollars.”
“Who is the beneficiary?”
“Daniel.”
The call crackled.
Then Maya said something Lena would replay in her mind for the rest of her life.
“If anything happens to me or the baby, don’t believe the first story he tells you.”
The call ended.
Lena tried calling back eleven times.
Maya did not answer.
By the time Lena reached the house, an ambulance was already outside. Daniel stood on the lawn with his hands pressed to his face. He told Lena that Maya had suddenly become ill and that he had found her after returning from work.
Celeste was standing behind him.
She claimed she had come to deliver business documents.
Lena looked through the open front door and saw Maya’s phone on the floor.
May you like
The screen was cracked, but still glowing.
The final outgoing call had been made to Daniel forty-seven minutes before he claimed he returned home.
