Chapter 3 - The Midnight Visitor)
Megan did not call the police.
Later, she would hate herself for that.
At the time, all she could see was Noah in the photograph.
The message might have come from Claire.
It might have come from Julian.
It might have come from someone else entirely.
What frightened Megan most was that whoever sent it knew where she was.
She deleted nothing.
She photographed the message using a second device and forwarded both images to an email account Claire did not know existed.
Then she drove home.
Noah was in the kitchen eating apple slices when she arrived.
Claire sat across from him.
"You're back."
Megan looked at Noah.
"Everything okay?"
He nodded.
Claire smiled.
"Perfectly."
Megan wanted to drag Noah outside and keep driving until they crossed three state lines.
She could not.
She was an employee.
Claire was Grant's wife.
And without proof, anything Megan did could be made to look like kidnapping.
That evening, Grant called from Philadelphia.
His flight had been delayed.
He would not return until the next afternoon.
Claire spoke to him for ten minutes with perfect warmth.
Megan listened from the hallway.
"I love you too," Claire said before hanging up.
Then she turned and saw Megan.
The warmth disappeared.
"Something you need?"
Megan forced herself to remain calm.
"No."
"Good."
At eleven thirty, the mansion went quiet.
At twelve fourteen, headlights moved across Megan's ceiling.
The black sedan.
This time, Megan was ready.
She had placed an old phone behind a vase in the upstairs corridor.
Its camera faced Grant's office.
At twelve twenty-three, the service staircase creaked.
Megan stayed inside her room.
At twelve thirty, she heard voices.
At one seventeen, the car left.
Megan waited another hour before retrieving the phone.
The footage was dark but clear enough.
Claire entered Grant's office first.
Three minutes later, a tall man appeared.
Megan leaned closer to the screen.
The camera had captured his profile for less than two seconds.
Enough.
Julian Cross.
Grant's closest friend.
He carried a leather document case.
At one point Claire opened the office door and looked into the corridor.
The camera captured her voice.
"We only have until the shareholder vote."
Julian answered from inside.
"Then stop losing control of the boy."
Megan froze the recording.
Played it again.
Stop losing control of the boy.
She copied the video to three different locations.
The next morning, Noah refused to eat breakfast.
Megan sat beside him.
"Does Claire get angry with you when your dad is gone?"
Noah stared at his cereal.
"Sometimes."
"Has she hurt you?"
"No."
Megan waited.
Noah's lower lip trembled.
"Only when I'm bad."
"You aren't bad."
"She says I spy."
"Do you?"
He shook his head.
"Then what does she mean?"
Noah looked toward the doorway.
"Sometimes I wake up."
"At night?"
He nodded.
"And you see people?"
Another nod.
"The man?"
Noah's eyes filled with tears.
"He was in Dad's office."
"Did you see his face?"
"Not good."
"What did you hear?"
Noah whispered, "They said Mom's name."
Megan's skin prickled.
"Your mom Elena?"
"Yes."
"What did they say?"
"They said she made it hard."
Megan took his hand.
"Anything else?"
Noah's voice became smaller.
"They said Dad would sign because he doesn't read things when he's tired."
A chair scraped behind them.
Claire stood in the kitchen doorway.
Noah pulled his hand away.
Claire looked at Megan.
"Upstairs. Now."
Megan stood.
"Noah has school."
"The driver can take him."
"I'd rather go."
"I wasn't asking."
Megan followed Claire upstairs.
Claire entered Grant's office.
The new digital lock was already open.
She closed the door behind them.
"Sit."
Megan remained standing.
Claire leaned against Grant's desk.
"How much is Julian paying you?"
Megan stared at her.
Claire smiled.
"That got your attention."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't insult me."
"I'm not."
"You've been watching me. You've been calling lawyers. You've been asking Noah questions."
Megan tried not to react.
Claire continued.
"You think you're protecting him."
"I am protecting him."
"From what?"
Megan said nothing.
Claire approached.
"Do you know what Elena did to Grant?"
Megan's jaw tightened.
"She loved him."
"She chained him to a dead woman for the rest of his life."
"Don't talk about her that way."
"There it is."
Claire smiled.
"The loyal servant."
Megan looked into her eyes.
"You aren't angry at Elena because she's dead. You're angry because even dead, she can stop you from touching Noah's money."
Claire's smile vanished.
For a second Megan wondered if she had gone too far.
Then Claire laughed softly.
"You think this is about money."
"Isn't it?"
"No."
"What is it about?"
Claire moved closer.
"Survival."
Megan frowned.
Claire whispered, "Grant is about to discover that his company is worth far less than he believes."
Before Megan could ask what she meant, Claire opened the office door.
"Go pick up Noah."
Megan did not move.
"What happens at the shareholder vote?"
Claire's eyes sharpened.
"Ask Julian."
Megan left.
She called Margaret Ellison from the car.
No answer.
Again.
No answer.
Then she called Grant.
His assistant picked up.
"Mr. Vance is entering a meeting."
"It's urgent."
"I can have him return your call."
"Tell him it concerns Noah."
That changed things.
Grant came on thirty seconds later.
"Megan?"
She gripped the steering wheel.
"I need you to come home."
"What happened?"
"I found something."
"What?"
Before she could answer, another vehicle appeared behind her.
Black sedan.
Megan's stomach dropped.
"Megan?"
"Grant, don't sign anything."
"What are you talking about?"
The sedan accelerated.
Megan turned onto a busier street.
"Anything Julian Cross gives you. Don't sign it."
Silence.
Then Grant said, "Why are you talking about Julian?"
The sedan moved closer.
Megan checked the mirror.
She could not see the driver.
"Because he's been inside your office at midnight with Claire."
Grant's voice became cold.
"That's a serious accusation."
"I have video."
The sedan suddenly pulled alongside her.
Megan looked over.
The passenger window lowered.
She expected Julian.
Instead, she saw a woman she had never seen before.
The woman lifted a phone and photographed Megan.
Then the sedan sped away.
Grant was still speaking.
"Megan?"
"I'm here."
"Send me the video."
"I will."
"And come directly home."
"I have to get Noah."
"I'll send security."
"No."
"Why?"
Megan looked toward the disappearing sedan.
"Because I don't know who in your security department works for Julian."
For the first time, Grant did not defend his friend.
He simply said, "I'm coming home."
But Grant never saw the video that day.
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Five minutes after the call ended, Megan's hidden email account was accessed from inside Vance Group headquarters.
And every copy she had stored there disappeared.
