The Meeting

Chapter 13 - The Meeting

The note in Unit 15 frightened Claire more than the cash.

The handwriting was almost hers. The slope of the y. The clean margins. The careful exhaustion in every sentence.

June read it and looked at Ethan. “Did Victor have access to Claire’s writing?”

Ethan’s face folded. “I gave him copies of some files. Her notes were in the desk.”

Claire looked away before she said something she would enjoy too much.

Megan stood near the concrete wall, one hand braced against it. “He was going to make Claire look like she agreed.”

“Or collapsed,” June said. “If Victor could present her as unstable and the family as united, a developer could pressure the holdout owners.”

Family as united.

Claire had never heard a uglier phrase.

The manager checked the rental record. Unit 15 had been opened online with Claire’s ID and a prepaid card.

Derek rubbed his face. “Victor does this. He sets people up so every bad choice points where he wants.”

Claire turned to Ethan. “Is this supposed to make me feel better?”

“No,” Ethan said. “It should make you hate me and fear him.”

For once, he had chosen the right sentence.

Then Ethan remembered something. “There’s a meeting tonight. Seven o’clock. Old courthouse annex.”

June snapped her head toward him. “Who?”

“Victor, a developer rep, Linda, and me. Megan if she felt well enough.”

Claire stared. “You were going to sell pressure on my house?”

“I was going to stall.”

“You were going to profit.”

“I was going to survive.”

“Those are not always different,” Derek muttered.

June held up a hand. “No one attends without law enforcement.”

The deputy agreed. “Civilians do not run stings because they’re angry.”

But Claire had already learned something from the duplicate handbag. Victor counted on women being too ashamed to speak in public.

It had worked on Celia.

It had worked on Linda, though she turned shame into control.

It had worked on Megan until last night.

It would not work on Claire.

At six-thirty, with deputies nearby and June wired into the plan, Ethan entered the old courthouse annex alone. Claire sat in an unmarked car across the street with Megan beside her.

At 6:47, Linda entered in navy and pearls.

At 6:55, Victor arrived.

At 7:03, Ethan sent the prearranged text.

Not safe.

At 7:04, the lights in the annex went out.

At 7:05, Megan opened the car door before Claire could stop her.

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“He has my mother,” she said.

Then she ran into the dark.