Chapter 4 - THE MAN BEHIND THE COURTROOM
Victor Crane arrived at the police station before midnight.
Daniel learned that because Crane called him personally.
"Mr. Vance."
Daniel immediately recognized the polished courtroom voice.
"I represent your wife."
"She won't be my wife much longer."
Crane ignored that.
"Claire tells me this is a domestic misunderstanding."
Daniel almost laughed.
"You planted money in my daughter's backpack?"
"I suggest you avoid accusations."
"I watched the video."
There was silence.
Then Crane said something unexpected.
"You should be careful which videos you trust."
Daniel ended the call.
Sarah was sitting across the living room with Sophie asleep against her chest.
Daniel looked at them and realized something.
Claire had spent years convincing him Sarah was unstable.
Yet Sophie was calmer in Sarah's arms than Daniel had seen her in months.
"What happened between you and Crane?"
Sarah looked down at Sophie.
"Three years ago, I followed Claire."
"Why?"
"Because Sophie kept coming home from visits with bruises."
Daniel's stomach tightened.
"What bruises?"
"Small ones."
Sarah's voice shook.
"Upper arms."
"Wrists."
"Places easy to hide."
Daniel felt as though the room had tilted.
"You never told me."
"I did."
"No."
"I sent you twelve messages."
Daniel grabbed his old laptop.
He had archived years of emails.
They searched.
Nothing from Sarah.
Then Sarah showed him copies from her sent folder.
All twelve existed.
Daniel's account had received none of them.
Someone had filtered Sarah's address before delivery.
Daniel immediately thought of Claire.
But Sarah shook her head.
"Claire wasn't good enough with computers."
"Then who was?"
"Victor Crane."
Daniel stared at her.
Sarah continued.
"I followed Claire to a hotel one night."
"Crane was there."
"So was Judge Harmon."
Daniel slowly sat down.
"What were they doing?"
"I don't know."
"But Claire came out carrying an envelope."
"The next morning, the judge granted emergency restrictions against me."
Daniel felt rage rising.
Sarah looked him directly in the eye.
"I believe Claire paid to separate me from Sophie."
"Why?"
Sarah's answer came quietly.
"Because Claire didn't marry you for you."
Daniel almost dismissed it.
Then he remembered the cameras.
His office.
His bedroom.
His daughter.
"What did she marry me for?"
Sarah glanced toward the locked office.
"Your company."
Daniel froze.
Vance Biomedical was not enormous.
But after fourteen years of work, Daniel owned thirty-eight percent of a company preparing for a major acquisition.
His shares were worth millions.
Sarah continued.
"Before I disappeared, Claire asked me questions about your shareholder agreement."
"She said she was helping with household finances."
"She wanted to know what happened to your shares if you died."
Daniel suddenly remembered something else.
Three months earlier, Claire had increased his life insurance.
She had called it responsible planning.
Daniel stood too quickly.
Sarah looked frightened.
"What?"
Daniel headed toward his office.
"Claire didn't just want me divorced from you."
He opened the safe.
The folder containing his original shareholder agreement was gone.
Daniel searched twice.
Nothing.
Then he found a white envelope he had never seen before.
His name was written across the front.
May you like
Inside was a photocopy of his signature attached to a transfer agreement.
Someone had been practicing how to sign his name.
