Chapter 2 - The Assignment
Ryan had been twenty-four when Thomas Hale hired him.
Not as an investigator.
As a security contractor.
Thomas owned Hale Biomedical, a modest laboratory-equipment company Claire had always been told was nearly bankrupt when he died.
That was another lie.
Hale Biomedical had held patents worth millions.
One concerned prenatal genetic screening.
Claire stared at Ryan across the kitchen.
“You married me because of a patent?”
“No.”
“But you followed me because of one?”
“Yes.”
Margaret sighed.
“Ryan, stop giving her half the story.”
Claire turned.
“You don’t get to tell me anything until you explain those recordings.”
Margaret’s expression hardened.
Good.
Claire wanted that.
She wanted the sweet mask gone.
Ryan handed back the phone.
“Play the clearest one.”
Claire did.
Her own frightened breathing filled the kitchen.
She almost stopped it.
Then Ryan’s voice.
Then, beneath the noise:
Margaret.
“Again. She needs to believe he’s capable of finishing it.”
Claire stared at Ryan.
“What does that mean?”
His eyes dropped.
“I was supposed to scare you.”
Claire felt sick.
“You did more than scare me.”
“I know.”
“You restrained me.”
“Yes.”
“You made me think my baby could die.”
Ryan’s voice broke.
“Yes.”
No excuse.
That almost made it worse.
“Why?”
Margaret answered.
“To make you leave him.”
Claire turned toward her.
“You ordered your son to terrorize his pregnant wife so I would divorce him?”
“Before the child was born.”
“Why?”
Margaret walked toward the window.
“Because marriage determines inheritance.”
Ryan shook his head.
“Not anymore.”
Margaret turned sharply.
Claire caught it.
“What changed?”
Neither answered.
Then Claire remembered the cloud upload.
The recordings had gone to her friend Julia.
At least she thought they had.
She checked.
Upload complete.
But beneath the destination appeared an unfamiliar synchronized account.
HALE_ARCHIVE_7.
“What is this?”
Ryan saw it.
His face drained.
“Turn off the phone.”
“Why?”
“Claire.”
“Why?”
Margaret crossed the room.
Ryan blocked her.
“Because that account belonged to your father.”
“My father is dead.”
“Yes.”
“Then who just accessed it?”
Nobody spoke.
A notification appeared.
ARCHIVE UNLOCKED.
One file became visible.
A video.
Recorded eleven years ago.
Thomas Hale sat behind his office desk.
Older.
Frightened.
Alive only three days before his supposed fatal car accident.
He looked directly into the camera.
“If Claire is watching this, then Margaret found her.”
Claire slowly looked up.
Margaret had gone completely white.
The video continued.
“Do not let her test the baby.”
Claire stopped breathing.
Margaret lunged for the phone.
Ryan caught her wrist.
May you like
And for the first time, Margaret screamed.
“DELETE IT!”
