her purse and pulled out a wad of cash. “I got this at the ATM while you were asleep. Five hundred dollars.”
“I’ll pay you back.” Claire took the money and stuffed it into her purse. “I can’t believe you’re doing this.”
“Well, I want to make it clear to you that I’m terrified about what you’re involved in.” She was smiling, but her eyes glistened with tears. “The last time I was terrified about one of my children, I failed everyone in my family. I failed your father and I failed you and Lydia. I’m not going to do that ever again. So, mea culpa all the way to federal prison, if that’s what it takes.”
Claire realized that Helen thought this was about the embezzled money. The FBI and the police had questioned her. Nolan had brought in Claire for a twelve-hour interrogation. Claire was sending her to a bank in Hapeville. She clearly thought she’d put all the pieces together but she had absolutely no idea what was really happening.
Helen picked up Lydia’s phone. “The nice man at the store told me that you go into settings.”
Claire took the phone. “It needs the password.” She angled the screen so her mother couldn’t see the last thing she’d looked at—Paul’s photo of Lydia in the trunk. She got rid of the image and pretended to tap in the password before handing the phone back to Helen, then watched in amazement as her mother navigated the software.
Helen entered in the burner phone’s number, then exited out of the menu. “Oh, look.” She turned the screen toward Claire. “See that funny thing at the top, the image of a phone and an arrow? That means the calls are being forwarded.” She seemed impressed. “What a wonderful little device.”
Claire didn’t trust the funny thing at the top. “Call the number and make sure it’s working.”
Helen took out her iPhone. She found Lydia’s number under recent calls. They both waited. Several seconds passed, then the burner phone started to ring.
Helen disconnected the line. “My mother used to scold me for calling her on the phone. She said, ‘It’s so impersonal. Why don’t you write me a letter?’ And I scold you for emailing instead of calling. And all of my friends scold their grandchildren for their illiterate texting. Such a strange gallimaufry of needs.”
“I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too, Sweetpea.” She cleaned up the mess Claire had left on the coffee table. Helen was trying to appear casual, but her hands were shaking. She still had tears in her eyes. She was obviously conflicted, but she was just as equally determined to do whatever she could to help. “I should get going. How long do I need to stay at the bank?”
Claire had no idea how long it took to access a safety deposit box. “At least half an hour.”
“And then?”
“Get back on seventy-five. I’ll call you on your phone and let you know.” She remembered what Paul had said. “Be careful. That’s not a great area, especially in the Tesla.”
“The bank will have a security guard in the parking lot.” Helen touched Claire’s cheek. There was still a slight tremor in her hand. “We’ll have dinner after this is over. With drinks—lots of drinks.”
“Okay.”
Claire checked the time so she didn’t have to watch Helen walk away. Adam Quinn had said his presentation was first thing this morning. The offices opened at nine, which meant that Claire had half an hour to walk ten blocks.
The burner phone went into her back pocket. Her purse went over her shoulder. She finished her coffee as she walked back toward the bathroom. Claire’s appearance had not improved since she’d seen her reflection in the mirror behind Fred Nolan. Her hair was plastered to her head. Her clothes were a mess. She probably smelled sweaty from running full-bore through the city.
The cut on her cheek was still tender. The dark circle under her eye was turning into a full-on black bruise. Claire touched her ingers to the skin. Paul had punched Lydia, too. He had made her forehead bleed. He had made her eye swell shut. He had done other things, too, things that had made Lydia give up, to believe that no matter what Claire did, she was already dead.
“You are not dead, Lydia.” Claire spoke the words aloud for her own sake as much as her sister’s. “I am not going to abandon you.”
Claire ran water in the sink. She couldn’t go to Adam Quinn looking