Chapter 14 - The Proxy Token
My mother, Evelyn, had forgotten my name twice that month.
But she had never forgotten Claire.
We found the facility's security video. Vanessa walked Evelyn to a black SUV, smiling like a perfect daughter-in-law.
Police put out an alert.
Then my phone rang from my mother's number.
Vanessa.
"You found the drive," she said.
"Where is my mother?"
"Safe. Safer than Claire was when you ignored her."
I nearly crushed the phone.
"If you hurt her--"
"I don't need to hurt anyone. I need the proxy token."
"I don't have it."
"Your mother does. Claire gave it to her the week before she died. Bring me the death certificate and the flash drive. I'll trade Evelyn for both."
Ruiz motioned for me to keep talking.
"Where?"
"Not yet. First, tell Noah to stop being clever."
Noah, across the room, went pale.
Vanessa knew he was there.
"You put a man in Rachel's house," I said.
"Elliot did. I told him not to touch the children."
"You were swinging a cane at Noah."
"I was scared."
"Claire was scared too."
Silence.
Then Vanessa's voice hardened.
"You don't know what Claire did to us."
"She found out you were stealing."
"She was going to take everything. The company. The house. You. She couldn't stand that you had a life she couldn't control."
It was such an ugly lie that I finally understood how Vanessa had kept me trapped for years. She always gave me a reason that matched my worst fear.
Claire is jealous.
Claire is unstable.
Claire abandoned Noah.
And I had wanted those reasons to be true because they required nothing from me.
Vanessa said, "Check your messages."
A photo arrived.
My mother sat in the passenger seat of the SUV, confused but unharmed.
On her lap was an old green handbag.
I recognized it.
Our mother had carried it for twenty years.
Noah whispered, "She keeps Dad's old prayer cards in the inside pocket."
I zoomed in.
The zipper on the inner pocket was open.
A small black object was visible inside.
The proxy token.
Then a second photo arrived.
This one showed the SUV parked beside water.
May you like
In the background was a rusted sign.
PIER 9.
