Chapter 4 - The USB Drive
I froze with two plates in my hands. That’s what she’s for. Five words. Apparently eight years of marriage, one child, thousands of meals, hundreds of school mornings, hospital visits, mortgage payments, birthdays, funerals, Christmases, and every quiet compromise between them could be reduced to the same category as a dishwasher. Marin followed me into the kitchen anyway. We stood on opposite sides of the island. Through the opening toward the dining room I could see Reed scrolling on his phone while Norine inspected my tablecloth like she suspected it of criminal activity.
Marin reached inside her jacket. She pulled out a small black USB drive. Then she pressed it into my hand. I slipped it into the pocket of the apron Norine had given me. “Don’t react,” Marin whispered. I looked at her. “He transferred another $40,000 this morning. New account. Routing information. Statements. Everything is there.” For a moment, neither of us moved. Then Marin leaned closer. “He thinks I came here for him.” From the dining room, Reed called, “What’s taking you two so long?” Marin’s eyes stayed on mine. “He thinks tonight is the audition for his new life.” I closed my fingers around the little drive inside my apron. The woman Reed expected me to hate had just handed me the last piece of evidence I needed. And suddenly I understood what Reed had never considered possible: Marin and I were no longer standing on opposite sides of anything.
