Chapter 4 - The House With No Mortgage
Clara did not disappear.
She went to work.
By noon she had assembled a team of three forensic accountants from outside her company.
She gave none of them Julian’s name.
She called the matter Project Blue Harbor.
The numbers revealed themselves quickly.
Teresa’s monthly ten thousand dollars was only one stream.
Julian had opened lines of credit against assets Clara partially owned.
Two were secured using falsified signatures.
A third was attached to a vacation property she had never seen.
That property was located in Harbor Point, Connecticut.
Purchase price: 1.8 million dollars.
Mortgage balance: zero.
Owner: VFS Holdings.
Clara stared at the photographs online.
A gray cedar house.
Ocean view.
Private access road.
She called Richard.
No answer.
She called again.
Nothing.
Then she called Serena.
Serena answered laughing.
“Well, look who finally wants family.”
“Do you know about the Harbor Point house?”
Silence.
Then, “No.”
Too fast.
“Serena.”
“I said no.”
“Your name appears on a utility account.”
Another silence.
“That doesn’t mean anything.”
“What happens there?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Marcus?”
Serena lowered her voice.
“Clara, I’m not getting involved.”
“You laughed while your brother-in-law hit me.”
“That was between you and Julian.”
“You kicked my things under the table.”
“It was lipstick.”
Clara closed her eyes.
“Where is Marcus?”
“Out.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“You live with him.”
“That doesn’t mean I track him.”
Clara smiled without humor.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For confirming you’re scared.”
Serena hung up.
At 4:10 p.m., Clara drove to Harbor Point with one of the private investigators, Elise Ward.
The house stood empty behind electronic gates.
Elise bypassed nothing.
They stayed on the public road.
Clara studied the property through binoculars.
No cars.
Curtains closed.
Then Elise pointed.
“Camera.”
A black security camera turned slowly toward them.
Clara lowered the binoculars.
“Someone knows we’re here.”
They returned to the car.
Before Clara could start the engine, the gate opened.
A black sedan rolled out.
The driver’s window lowered.
Marcus.
He smiled.
“Clara.”
She felt her pulse increase.
“What are you doing here?”
Marcus leaned his elbow on the window.
“I could ask you the same.”
“Do you own this house?”
“No.”
“Does Julian?”
“No.”
“Teresa?”
Marcus laughed.
“You really think Mom could keep a place like this secret?”
“Yes.”
His smile faded.
Clara got out of the car.
Elise followed.
“Where’s Richard?”
Marcus looked away.
“Dad’s fine.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
“Go home, Clara.”
“To Julian?”
Marcus laughed again.
“No. I don’t think you should go anywhere near Julian right now.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s angry.”
“He assaulted me.”
“And you embarrassed him.”
Clara’s expression hardened.
Marcus sighed.
“You always thought this family depended on you.”
“You’ve been taking my money for years.”
“You gave it.”
“Under false pretenses.”
He shrugged.
“That sounds like something lawyers can argue about.”
Clara stepped toward the sedan.
“What is the termination file?”
Marcus stopped smiling.
Only for one second.
But Clara saw it.
“You know.”
“I know you need to stop asking stupid questions.”
“What’s inside the house?”
Marcus looked toward Elise.
Then back at Clara.
“You know what Julian hates most about you?”
“What?”
“You think numbers tell the truth.”
His window began rising.
Clara placed one hand against the glass.
“Numbers do tell the truth.”
Marcus smiled as the window closed.
“No, Clara.”
May you like
He drove away.
“Numbers only tell you where the bodies are buried.”
