Chapter 12 - Who the Condo Was Really For
Rachel called Vanessa before I could stop her.
Vanessa answered.
Rachel put the call on speaker.
“What do you mean, really for?”
Vanessa laughed once.
“Oh, he didn't tell you?”
I leaned closer.
Vanessa continued.
“Michael wasn't planning to live there with either of us.”
Rachel's face tightened.
“Then why did he buy it?”
“He was going to sell it after renovations.”
I stared at the phone.
“For profit?”
“Partly.”
“What's the other part?” I asked.
Silence.
Then Vanessa said, “Who's this?”
“Sarah.”
Another pause.
“Oh.”
That single syllable held embarrassment.
I said, “Tell me.”
Vanessa exhaled.
“He was trying to build a cash reserve.”
“For what?”
“To leave the country.”
Rachel sat down.
I gripped the counter.
“Why?”
“Because the company audit was coming.”
Tom had said misuse of company funds.
“How much did he take?”
“More than the condo.”
“How much?”
“I don't know exactly.”
“Guess.”
Vanessa went quiet.
“Maybe three hundred thousand.”
My stomach dropped.
Rachel whispered, “He told me we were starting over.”
Vanessa replied, “He told me the same thing.”
Neither woman spoke.
I almost laughed.
Michael had sold the same fantasy three times.
Then Vanessa said, “There's something else.”
“What?”
“He kept copies of everything in a storage locker.”
My heart sped up.
“Where?”
“Westbridge Storage. Unit 44.”
“How do you know?”
“I drove him there twice.”
Rachel stood.
“Let's go.”
I looked at her.
“No.”
“Sarah—”
“No. You don't get to turn this into sister teamwork because your affair went bad.”
Her face fell.
I called Tom instead.
He answered immediately.
When I told him about Unit 44, he went silent.
Then he said, “Don't go there.”
“Why?”
“Because I'm already outside it.”
I froze.
“And Sarah?”
May you like
“Yes?”
“The lock's been cut.”
