Chapter 13
Claire thought of Sophia’s note.
“Someone knows I found the key.”
Daniel’s expression sharpened. “What key?”
She placed it on the desk.
He examined the engraving without touching it.
“Lake Briar may have several outbuildings,” he said. “The number could refer to a room, a storage unit, or a safety deposit box.”
“Can you find out?”
“I can request the architectural plans. But if this was left for you intentionally, the person who left it may know more than the official records reveal.”
“Do you think Sophia sent the message?”
“I don’t know.”
“She signed as a witness on a document I never understood. She hid this key in my grandmother’s book. She left a note saying I wasn’t supposed to find it.”
Daniel looked at the key again.
“Then she may be afraid.”
“Of Adrian?”
“Perhaps of the consequences of telling you the truth.”
Claire thought of Sophia’s tearful face at Thanksgiving, the way she had asked whether Claire hated her. At the time, Claire had seen only manipulation. Now she wondered whether there had been something else beneath the question.
Guilt.
Fear.
Or both.
When Claire and Emily left the office, the sky had cleared. Sunlight reflected off the wet streets, making the city appear brighter than it felt.
They walked two blocks before Emily spoke.
“You’re considering calling Sophia.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because she left the note.”
“Or someone wants you to think she did.”
“I need to hear her voice.”
Emily stopped beside a café window. “Claire, if she wanted to help you, why not simply tell you the truth?”
“Maybe she tried.”
“Did she?”
Claire thought back.
There had been small moments. Sophia avoiding Claire’s eyes when Adrian gave her something. Sophia saying, “You should ask him,” and then changing the subject. Sophia standing outside the study one evening, listening while Adrian spoke to his attorney, before quietly walking away.
Claire had dismissed every moment because accepting them would have meant admitting Sophia was not entirely unaware of the harm she caused.
“I don’t know,” Claire said.
Emily softened. “You don’t have to forgive her to hear her out.”
“I’m not ready to forgive anyone.”
“You don’t have to be.”
Claire took out her phone.
Sophia’s number was still saved beneath her contact name, although Claire could not remember adding it. She had never called her directly. All their conversations had happened in Adrian’s presence or through group messages.