Chapter 4 - The Woman Who Vanished
Rebecca Cole had not answered Daniel’s calls for three years.
After Rachel’s funeral, she had packed her apartment and disappeared.
No goodbye.
No explanation.
At the time, Daniel assumed grief had broken something inside her.
Now she had been photographed entering his house on the same evening someone apparently tried to poison him.
“Where did this footage come from?”
Marcus pointed at the screen.
“A maintenance camera in the garage.”
“Why didn’t I know about it?”
“Because I installed it after someone accessed the main system last month.”
Daniel looked sharply at him.
“Last month?”
Marcus nodded.
“You knew someone was inside my security system?”
“I suspected it.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“I wanted to know whether it was an internal technical error before I accused someone close to you.”
“Someone close to me just tried to kill me.”
Marcus said nothing.
Daniel looked at Rebecca’s image again.
“She knew Rachel better than anyone.”
“That may be exactly why she’s here.”
Daniel turned toward Lily.
She was asleep now.
At least Daniel hoped she was.
He lowered his voice.
“What did you find in the bottle?”
“I haven’t tested it.”
“Then how do we know it was the same bottle?”
“We don’t.”
Marcus pulled another object from his coat.
A folded piece of paper.
“It was underneath it.”
Daniel unfolded the note.
Three words were written in black ink.
ASK ABOUT RACHEL.
Daniel stared at it.
His throat tightened.
“Who wrote this?”
“I don’t know.”
Daniel looked toward Lily’s bed.
Then toward the hallway.
“What happened to my wife?”
Marcus did not answer immediately.
“Daniel.”
“What?”
“You told me Rachel died from an undiagnosed cardiac abnormality.”
“That’s what the hospital said.”
“Did you ever see the full toxicology report?”
Daniel frowned.
“I saw her medical records.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
Daniel thought back.
Three years earlier, he had been barely functional.
His wife had collapsed in their bedroom after complaining of dizziness.
By the time Daniel reached the hospital, Rachel was unconscious.
Ethan had handled most of the paperwork.
Nora, who at that time had been Rachel’s event planner and family friend, had stayed with Lily.
Daniel had trusted everyone around him.
He suddenly felt sick.
“No.”
Marcus leaned back.
“I checked the hospital archive after Nora made that comment about the cameras.”
“And?”
“Rachel’s toxicology file is restricted.”
Daniel stared at him.
“Restricted by whom?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Can hospitals do that?”
“Under certain circumstances.”
Daniel’s hand tightened around the paper.
“Get it.”
“I’m trying.”
A knock sounded downstairs.
Marcus immediately reached beneath his jacket.
Daniel froze.
Nobody should have been visiting at midnight.
The knock came again.
Then a woman’s voice echoed from the foyer.
“Daniel.”
He knew that voice.
He had heard it at Christmas dinners.
Birthday parties.
His wedding.
Rachel’s funeral.
Rebecca.
Marcus motioned for Daniel to stay back.
They went downstairs together.
Rebecca stood beyond the glass front doors, soaked by rain.
She looked thinner than Daniel remembered.
Older too.
Her hands were empty.
Daniel opened the door only after Marcus checked the exterior cameras.
Rebecca stepped inside.
She looked at Daniel for a long moment.
May you like
Then she said the sentence that tore open the last three years of his life.
“Rachel knew she was going to die.”
