Chapter 6 - The Sister's Secret
Claire called me the next day.
I was in the middle of reviewing the financial documents Marcus had sent when my phone buzzed. Her name flashed on the screen. I let it ring twice before answering.
"Emily." Her voice was tight. "We need to talk."
"About what?"
"About whatever you think you're doing." I heard a tremor in her voice. "You need to stop."
"Stop what?"
"Digging. Investigating. Whatever you want to call it." She took a breath. "You don't know what they'll do."
I leaned back in my chair. "Who is 'they'?"
"My parents. Daniel. The family." She paused. "You think you're safe because you have a law degree and a trust fund. But you're not. They've destroyed people before."
"Like Melissa Crane?"
Silence.
"You know about her," I said.
"I know enough." Claire's voice dropped. "Listen to me. I'm not calling to threaten you. I'm calling to warn you. My family is dangerous. My father especially. He doesn't lose."
"Then why are you calling?"
Another pause. "Because I'm scared."
I sat up. "Of what?"
"Of what they'll do to you. And what they'll do to me if they find out I talked to you." She took a shaky breath. "I've been embezzling from the company. For years. They don't know yet. But if they find out—"
"How much?"
"Two point three million." Her voice cracked. "I have a gambling problem. I kept thinking I could win it back. But I couldn't. And now—"
"Now you're in over your head."
"Yes."
I turned my ring clockwise. "Claire, why are you telling me this?"
"Because you're the only person who can stop them." She paused. "And because I think you're the only person who might actually win."
I was quiet for a moment. "I need you to send me everything. Every document, every transaction, every email. Can you do that?"
"Yes."
"And Claire?"
"What?"
"Don't tell anyone we talked."
"I won't." She hesitated. "Emily?"
"Yes?"
"Be careful. My father has friends in places you wouldn't expect."
She hung up. I sat in the silence, staring at my phone.
Then I forwarded her number to Marcus and typed a message: New asset. Claire Hawthorne. She's ready to flip.
His response came within seconds: Understood. I'll have a secure drop set up by tonight.
I looked at the financial documents spread across my table. The liens. The shell companies. The Cayman account. The forged trust amendment.
May you like
And now Claire's embezzlement.
The Hawthorne family wasn't just corrupt. They were a house of cards. And I was about to pull the foundation out from under them.
