Chapter 14 - The Debt Behind the Affair
His name was Victor Dane.
Not a gangster.
Not a mysterious criminal mastermind.
He was worse in a more ordinary way.
A private lender who specialized in desperate businessmen.
Michael had borrowed money after losing heavily on an investment no one knew about.
“How much?” I asked over the phone.
“Two hundred fifty.”
“Thousand?”
“Yes.”
I sat down on the edge of a storage box.
“When?”
“Fourteen months ago.”
Before the condo.
Before Rachel.
Before Vanessa, as far as I knew.
“So this started before the affairs.”
Michael said nothing.
I understood.
The affairs had not caused the financial lies.
The financial lies had simply revealed the man already underneath.
“What investment?”
“Crypto fund.”
I almost laughed.
“You gambled a quarter million dollars?”
“I thought I could double it.”
“With whose money?”
“Some company money. Some credit.”
I closed my eyes.
“And when you lost it?”
“I borrowed from Dane.”
“And then you stole from us to pay him.”
“I was trying to fix it.”
That sentence again.
Always fixing.
Never confessing.
The detective motioned for me to keep him talking.
I asked, “What happens Friday?”
Michael was silent.
“What happens Friday?”
“He gets the rest.”
“What rest?”
“The condo proceeds.”
“But the condo is frozen.”
“I know.”
His voice cracked for the first time.
“He's not going to like that.”
The detective took the phone and identified himself.
Michael hung up.
Within an hour, officers were sent to find him.
They didn't.
That evening, I returned home exhausted.
My daughter Emily met me at the door.
“Mom?”
“Yes, baby?”
She held out an envelope.
“Dad came by.”
My blood ran cold.
“When?”
“Ten minutes ago.”
“Did you let him in?”
“No. You said not to.”
I hugged her hard.
Then I opened the envelope.
Inside was Michael's wedding ring.
And a note.
Sarah,
May you like
I did one thing right. Check Noah's closet before the police do.
I ran upstairs.
