Chapter 4
The drive to the county precinct felt heavy and airless. Chloe sat in the back of Evelyn’s patrol car, cradling her baby—whose name, she revealed, was Lily—while Marcus drove. Richard was locked in the transport van behind them, and Elena had agreed to follow in her own SUV to provide a formal statement.
Inside the interview room, the fluorescent lights hummed a sterile, headache-inducing tune. Evelyn placed a paper cup of water on the scuffed wooden table in front of Chloe. The young mother looked exhausted, the adrenaline of the roadside confrontation finally fading into a bone-deep weariness.
“Drink a little, Chloe,” Evelyn urged, pulling up a metal chair. “Take your time. You’re safe here. No one is going to take Lily from you, and Richard isn’t anywhere near this room.”
Chloe took a small sip, her hands shaking so badly the water sloshed against the rim. “I met him a year ago,” she began, her voice hoarse. “I was working as a receptionist at his firm downtown. He told me his marriage was over. He said they were living separate lives under the same roof, going through the motions for social standing. I was young, naive, and flattered that a successful man like Richard Sterling even knew my name.”
“It’s a very old story, Chloe, but it doesn’t make it your fault,” Evelyn said softly.
“I know that now,” Chloe whispered, blinking back fresh tears. “When I found out I was pregnant, everything changed. The charming, attentive man disappeared. He rented a small, rundown apartment for me on the outskirts of the city, way out past the industrial park. He visited twice a week, always late at night, always worried about who might see him. He made me promise not to tell anyone, especially not his wife.”
“And how did Elena find out?” Evelyn asked, taking meticulous notes.
“I think she always knew, or at least suspected,” Chloe said, staring down at the pink blanket where Lily’s tiny hand had emerged, curling into a miniature fist. “Today, Richard showed up at the apartment unannounced. He looked panicked. He said his partners were auditing the company accounts, and that my name was tied to some off-the-books expenditures he used to pay my rent. He told me we had to pack a bag immediately, that he was driving us to a bus station two states away to lay low.”
Evelyn’s pen stopped scratching against the paper. “He tried to exile you.”
May you like
“He packed us into the back of his SUV,” Chloe continued, her voice trembling. “He told me to stay down on the floorboards so neighbors wouldn’t see. But then Elena intercepted us. She must have tracked his car using her phone. She pulled up right behind him at a red light, got into the passenger seat, and started screaming at him. They argued for miles. When we hit the interstate, Richard lost his mind. He pulled onto the shoulder, dragged me and Lily out of the car, threw our diaper bag into the weeds, and told us we were on our own.”
The door to the interview room creaked open, and Marcus poked his head in. “Ev, you need to see this. Elena Sterling is outside, and she wants to talk. But she’s not talking about the affair. She’s talking about the company books.”
