Chapter 7
Rebecca had experience representing people dealing with domestic abuse, financial coercion, and related civil matters.
She was direct, calm, and careful about separating what we knew from what we suspected.
When she called, I was sitting at the hotel breakfast table.
“Claire, Logan has been arrested.”
I closed my eyes.
For a moment, I felt nothing.
Then I began shaking.
Megan took the phone from my hand and spoke briefly with Rebecca.
Afterward, she sat beside me.
“You're safe right now.”
I nodded.
But I didn't feel safe.
Not yet.
I kept imagining Logan's expression when he realized I'd overheard him.
I kept wondering whether someone else had been involved.
And I couldn't stop thinking about the funeral-home confirmation.
The answer began to emerge during the following week.
Investigators discovered that Logan had been communicating with a man named Derek Walsh.
Derek was a former business associate who had worked with Logan on the failed redevelopment project.
Their relationship had deteriorated after disagreements about missing funds and unpaid obligations.
The investigators were examining whether Derek had participated in any criminal conduct or possessed information relevant to Logan's plans.
I had never met him.
But I recognized his name from old business documents.
The funeral-home booking had been made using Logan's payment information.
The initial S. Pierce referred to Samuel Pierce, according to information recovered during the investigation.
But the booking wasn't evidence that Samuel had died or that a death was inevitable.
It was evidence that Logan had made an arrangement for a funeral that had no legitimate basis at the time.
Combined with the other evidence, it raised serious questions about his intentions.
Then Rebecca called with another development.
“Claire, the investigators have identified financial transactions that may be relevant to Logan's motive.”
I sat down.
“What kind of transactions?”
She explained that Logan had been under severe financial pressure.
His business had accumulated substantial debts.
Several investors were demanding repayment.
And he'd been attempting to obtain money from multiple sources.
One of those sources was a life-insurance policy connected to our marriage.
I felt cold.
I knew we had life insurance.
We'd purchased policies several years earlier after buying the house.
At the time, it had seemed like ordinary financial planning.
But I hadn't reviewed the beneficiary information since our separation.
Rebecca arranged for the policies to be examined through the appropriate channels.
The findings were disturbing.
Logan remained a beneficiary under one of my policies.