Chapter 5 - the woman in the photograph
Ethan stared at the message until the words blurred.
Claire was alive.
Or she had been alive five weeks ago.
He enlarged the photograph.
Her hair was shorter.
Her face looked thinner.
A pale scar ran near her temple.
But it was Claire.
There was no doubt.
The way she held her shoulders.
The slight bend in the middle finger of her left hand from an old volleyball injury.
The silver bracelet Ethan had given her on their fifth anniversary.
Claire.
Daniel looked over his shoulder.
"Oh God."
Corinne said nothing.
Ethan immediately called the number.
Disconnected.
He tried again.
Nothing.
Daniel reached for the phone.
"Send me the image."
"No."
"Ethan, I can trace metadata."
"You've had seventeen months."
Daniel flinched.
Ethan carried Maisie inside.
"You're leaving."
Corinne followed.
"This is my house too."
"Not tonight."
"You can't throw me out because some unstable nurse tells you a story."
Ethan turned.
"Did you know Claire in Boston?"
Corinne crossed her arms.
"Yes."
"Why did you lie?"
"Because Claire asked me not to tell you."
Ethan stared at her.
"Claire disappeared before you became part of my life."
"Exactly."
"That doesn't answer anything."
Corinne looked at Daniel.
"Are you going to stand there?"
Daniel shook his head.
"You need to answer him."
Corinne's eyes flashed with betrayal.
Interesting, Ethan thought.
For the first time, Corinne and Daniel no longer appeared united.
"Fine," she said. "Claire and I were friends in Boston."
"Friends?"
"At first."
"What happened?"
"We stopped speaking."
"Why?"
"She blamed me for something that wasn't my fault."
"What?"
Corinne looked at Maisie.
"Not in front of her."
Ethan almost shouted that Maisie was fourteen months old, but he stopped.
Corinne was stalling.
He knew it.
"What did she blame you for?"
Corinne's mouth tightened.
"A man."
Daniel frowned.
"What man?"
"Someone Claire was seeing before she met Ethan."
Ethan's stomach turned.
"Claire never mentioned anyone serious before me."
"She wouldn't."
"Why?"
Corinne looked directly at him.
"Because he became dangerous."
The room fell quiet.
Ethan studied her.
"Name."
"I don't know his real name."
"Convenient."
"He called himself Adrian Vale."
Daniel's expression changed slightly.
Ethan noticed.
"You know that name."
Daniel shook his head too quickly.
"No."
"Don't lie to me."
Daniel looked toward the floor.
Corinne smiled without humor.
"There it is."
Ethan stepped closer to his brother.
"Who is Adrian Vale?"
Daniel rubbed his jaw.
"Not a person exactly."
Ethan waited.
"It's an alias associated with Halcyon Consulting."
Ethan frowned.
"What is Halcyon?"
"A private intelligence company."
Corinne laughed bitterly.
"That's the polite term."
Daniel continued.
"They do corporate investigations. Asset recovery. High risk security."
"And you know this because?"
Daniel hesitated.
"I worked with them."
Ethan stared.
"When?"
"Years ago."
"What kind of work?"
"Financial investigations."
"You are a tax attorney."
"Now."
Ethan felt another piece fall into place.
Daniel had spent four years after college working overseas before attending law school.
He rarely discussed that period.
"Did Claire know?"
"Eventually."
"Did she know this Adrian?"
Daniel looked at Corinne.
"I don't know."
Corinne said, "She did."
Ethan felt trapped between two liars.
His phone buzzed again.
Unknown number.
Another message.
YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO US.
Ethan typed back.
CLAIRE?
The reply came instantly.
THE FILES.
Daniel saw the screen.
"We need to copy everything."
Corinne suddenly moved.
She grabbed the stack from the table.
Ethan caught her arm.
"What are you doing?"
"They'll come here."
"Who?"
"Halcyon."
Daniel cursed under his breath.
Corinne looked terrified now.
Not manipulative.
Not defensive.
Terrified.
"They don't want Claire," she said.
Ethan froze.
"What?"
"They never wanted Claire."
"Then what do they want?"
Corinne looked at Maisie.
Ethan followed her gaze.
His body went cold.
May you like
"No."
Corinne whispered, "They want the child."
