Chapter 12 - The Woman Who Came Back
Sabrina Cole had changed.
Daniel almost had not recognized her when she walked into the leasing office three days before Christmas.
Gone were the polished camel coats, diamond earrings, expensive blowouts, and carefully neutral designer handbags.
She wore a black wool coat, cheap boots, and no jewelry.
But the look in her eyes had not changed.
Sabrina still looked at people as though she were calculating their price.
Daniel had been alone behind the front desk when she entered.
“What are you doing here?” he had demanded.
Sabrina smiled.
“Nice office.”
“Get out.”
“I drove six hours.”
“You should’ve kept driving.”
She glanced around the depressing room.
A flickering fluorescent light.
A humming vending machine.
A wall calendar advertising discount carpet cleaning.
“This is really your life now?”
Daniel stood.
“I said leave.”
Sabrina’s smile disappeared.
“I didn’t destroy you.”
“No. I did that myself.”
For a moment, she appeared genuinely surprised.
Daniel continued.
“You helped. But I destroyed my marriage. I stole money. I lied. I humiliated Emma. I blamed everybody else because admitting the truth was harder.”
Sabrina stared at him.
“Therapy?”
“Court ordered.”
“How touching.”
“What do you want?”
She lowered her voice.
“To warn you.”
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“About what?”
“Emma.”
His expression changed instantly.
“If you threaten her—”
“I’m not threatening Emma.”
Sabrina stepped closer.
“I’m telling you somebody else is.”
That was when she mentioned Stonegate.
According to Sabrina, six months before Apex collapsed, she had accidentally discovered a set of archived development files tied to Meridian.
They dated back nearly twenty years.
Arthur Whitmore’s name appeared everywhere.
But so did another name.
Victor Hale.
Daniel had never heard it.
Sabrina claimed Victor had once been Arthur’s closest business partner before the two men had a violent falling-out involving land rights, pension funds, and a failed development company.
Arthur rebuilt.
Victor disappeared.
At least publicly.
“You expect me to believe you came all this way because you suddenly care about Emma?” Daniel asked.
Sabrina’s eyes hardened.
“No. I came because someone broke into my apartment in Ohio and stole the only copy of those files.”
“Why did you have them?”
“Insurance.”
“Against who?”
“Everyone.”
Daniel shook his head.
“You’re lying.”
“Probably about some things.”
At least she was consistent.
“But not this.”
She reached into her coat and placed a USB drive on the desk.
Daniel stared at it.
“I thought you said the files were stolen.”
“The originals were. I made a partial backup.”
He didn’t touch it.
“Take it to Marcus Vance,” Sabrina said.
“You take it.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
Fear finally appeared behind her eyes.
“Because the man following me knows where I’m staying.”
Daniel’s stomach tightened.
“What man?”
“I don’t know his name.”
“Call the police.”
Sabrina laughed without humor.
“You think I haven’t?”
Daniel studied her more carefully.
There was a faint purple mark along her wrist.
“What happened?”
She pulled her sleeve down.
“Nothing.”
“What happened, Sabrina?”
“Someone came into my motel room while I was sleeping.”
Daniel went still.
“He didn’t steal my purse. Didn’t take cash. Didn’t touch my laptop.”
“What did he take?”
“The file.”
She leaned closer.
“And he left a photograph of Emma’s baby on my pillow.”
That memory replayed in Daniel’s mind as he sat inside Marcus Vance’s office the following morning.
It was the first time Daniel had entered the building since his disastrous deposition.
He looked uncomfortable beneath the security cameras.
Emma was not present.
Marcus had insisted she remain home with Clara while Noah Grant interviewed Daniel separately.
Daniel placed Sabrina’s USB drive on the table.
“I haven’t opened it.”
Noah inspected the device.
“Good.”
Marcus folded his hands.
“Where is Ms. Cole now?”
“I don’t know.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
Daniel looked tired.
“I told her to call you. She laughed.”
Noah asked, “Did she mention Victor Hale again?”
“Only that Arthur destroyed him.”
Marcus’s expression changed.
It was small.
But Daniel noticed.
“You know the name,” he said.
Marcus did not answer.
Daniel leaned forward.
“Who is Victor Hale?”
Marcus stood and walked slowly toward the window.
“Twenty-three years ago, Victor Hale and Arthur Whitmore founded a development partnership called Whitmore-Hale Infrastructure.”
Daniel waited.
Marcus’s reflection stared back from the glass.
“Victor stole eleven million dollars from a pension-backed construction fund.”
“What happened?”
“Arthur discovered it.”
“And?”
“He turned over the records to federal investigators.”
Daniel swallowed.
“Victor went to prison?”
“For nine years.”
Noah looked at Marcus.
“And afterward?”
“He vanished from legitimate business.”
Daniel leaned back.
“So this man hates Emma because her father sent him to prison?”
Marcus’s voice was grave.
“No.”
He turned around.
“Victor Hale died eight years ago.”
Daniel frowned.
“Then who’s doing this?”
May you like
Marcus looked toward the USB drive.
“That is what frightens me.”
