Chapter 4 - The Second Life
Mark maintained an apartment in Alexandria.
Laura discovered it by accident ten years into their marriage.
Or at least, she almost discovered it.
A parking receipt fell from his jacket.
The location was nowhere near Mark's office.
"You were in Alexandria Tuesday?"
Mark didn't hesitate.
"Client meeting."
"At eleven at night?"
"Drinks afterward."
Laura studied him.
Something felt wrong.
Then Mark smiled.
"You think I have a secret girlfriend?"
She hated how jealous the question made her sound.
"I didn't say that."
"You were thinking it."
He pulled her close.
"You know you're the only woman insane enough to tolerate me."
Laura laughed.
The suspicion passed.
The apartment had nothing to do with another woman.
It was worse.
Inside were filing cabinets containing copies of Robert's property records.
Laura's financial statements.
Insurance policies.
Passport copies.
Tax returns.
Photographs of signatures.
Loan applications.
Corporate registration documents.
And a wall calendar covered in coded notes.
Robert.
L.
Transfer.
Medical.
Estate.
Mark had spent years constructing a financial trap.
The plan depended on three things.
Robert dying.
Laura appearing responsible for fraudulent loans.
And Mark controlling the resulting assets through documents Laura supposedly signed.
But Mark faced a problem.
Robert was annoyingly healthy.
He walked five miles every morning.
His blood pressure was excellent.
His doctor believed he could live another twenty years.
Mark did not want to wait twenty years.
So he researched faster outcomes.
The first search appeared on a laptop he believed Laura never used.
Interactions between sedatives and heart medication.
The second:
Undetectable poisoning elderly cardiac event.
The third:
How long toxins remain after cremation.
Mark deleted the browser history.
Laura never saw it.
Someone else did.
A private investigator working for Evelyn Cross had cloned the laptop three days earlier.
Robert now knew the marriage had moved beyond theft.
It had become a potential murder investigation.
Evelyn wanted him to contact police immediately.
Robert refused.
"Not yet."
"Robert, this man is researching poison."
"I want Laura out first."
"She might be in danger."
"That's why I need proof she can't explain away."
Evelyn leaned toward him.
"Men like this don't wait politely while you collect evidence."
Robert looked at her.
"Neither do mechanics."
"What does that mean?"
May you like
"It means when something is about to explode, you don't stand over the engine."
Robert began preparing the mansion.
