Chapter 12
The drive back up the mountain was even more treacherous in the dead of night. Black ice had formed across the shaded curves of the highway, forcing Helen to grip the steering wheel with white-knuckled precision. When she finally turned into the gravel drive of the courtyard house, the exterior lights were blazing. The modern cedar siding glowed yellow against the black backdrop of the pine forest. The burnt frame of the trampoline still stood in the center of the wooden deck, a stark, blackened skeleton beneath the moonlight. She parked her car, turned off the engine, and stepped out into the freezing mountain air.
Julian was waiting for her on the lower terrace. He sat on the edge of a wooden lounge chair, his head in his hands, staring at the scorched boards beneath his boots. Arthur was gone, his trench coat and cynical laughter vanished into the night. Julian looked up as Helen’s footsteps crunched on the gravel path. He stood up slowly, his shoulders slumped under an unbearable weight. "Where were you?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly. "I thought you packed your bags for good. I thought you weren't coming back." Helen stopped at the base of the deck stairs, keeping a safe distance between them. She held the manila folder containing the separation papers against her chest.
"I went to see Martha, and then I went to see Marcus Vance," Helen said clearly, her voice cutting through the chill of the night. Julian froze, his eyes widening in sudden, raw panic. "You saw Marcus? Helen, what did you do?" She walked slowly up the stairs, stopping three steps below him so she could look him directly in the eye. "I filed for legal separation, Julian. I signed an affidavit of non-involvement. When the auditors arrive at nine o'clock tomorrow morning, they are going to find a clean paper trail that separates me completely from your fraudulent accounts in Nevada and the Caymans." Julian stared at her, the last vestiges of his bravado shattering completely.
