Chapter 12 - JULIAN'S INSURANCE POLICY
Julian's recording was made two weeks after the first.
The night before he handed me divorce papers.
He had hidden his phone in his jacket pocket and walked into Eleanor's library.
At first, the audio was muffled.
Then Eleanor's voice became clear.
"You're late."
Julian answered, "I want out."
"Out of what?"
"All of it."
A glass touched wood.
Eleanor said, "Don't be dramatic."
"Martin showed me Northstar."
Silence.
Then Eleanor spoke very carefully.
"Martin had no authority to do that."
"How much did you move?"
"Julian."
"How much?"
"Company restructuring is complicated."
"Forty million?"
My breath caught.
Julian had known the rough amount.
Earlier than he'd admitted.
Eleanor didn't answer.
Julian continued.
"Henry Lawson."
"What about him?"
"He disappeared after finding Northstar."
"People leave."
"Martin said he won't be a problem again."
"Martin likes theatrical language."
"Did you hurt him?"
Eleanor laughed.
"Don't be ridiculous."
"Did you?"
"No."
Julian's voice softened.
"Did you hurt Dad?"
Long silence.
Eleanor said, "Your father had a heart condition."
"That's not what I asked."
"You've been speaking to Vivian too much."
My skin prickled.
Julian said, "Leave her out of this."
"I've been trying."
"Don't touch her."
"Then control her."
"She's my wife."
"At the moment."
Julian went silent.
Eleanor continued.
"She's pregnant."
"I know."
"Then the timing is unfortunate."
My throat tightened.
The exact phrase Julian later used with me.
That's unfortunate timing.
I suddenly understood.
He had repeated his mother's words.
Maybe intentionally.
Maybe because he wanted me to believe he had become her.
Either way, it had worked.
Eleanor continued.
"You need a clean separation before the baby arrives."
"Why?"
"Because divorce becomes difficult afterward."
"Bullshit."
Eleanor's voice hardened.
"Watch your language."
"Why does the baby matter?"
No answer.
"Mother."
"Arthur made provisions."
"Martin said that."
"He should learn when to be quiet."
"What provisions?"
"Nothing that concerns you."
"If it concerns my child, it concerns me."
"Not if Vivian controls you."
Julian laughed bitterly.
"This is about control."
"It has always been about control."
Those words stayed with me.
Eleanor said them as if they were obvious.
As if love, marriage, money, children, and trust were all just different forms of leverage.
Julian asked, "What do you want me to do?"
"Divorce her."
"No."
"Julian."
"No."
"Then she finds Northstar."
"Maybe she should."
The room on the recording went silent.
When Eleanor spoke again, her voice had changed.
"If you expose this family, you will lose everything."
"So?"
"Your company."
"So?"
"Your name."
"So?"
"Your inheritance."
"So?"
Another silence.
Then Eleanor said, "And Vivian."
Julian's breathing changed.
"What does that mean?"
"People who dig into dangerous things sometimes get hurt."
I stopped the recording.
Rachel stared at me.
"Play it."
I didn't want to.
I did.
Julian's voice became very quiet.
"If anything happens to her—"
"Don't threaten me."
"I am telling you."
"No, darling."
Eleanor sounded amused.
"I am telling you."
A pause.
"Make her leave."
Julian whispered, "I hate you."
Eleanor answered without hesitation.
"You'll thank me later."
The recording ended.
I stared at the black screen.
Rachel spoke first.
"He was trying to protect you."
"By destroying me."
"Yes."
"That's not protection."
"No."
"I'm not supposed to be grateful."
"No."
I looked at her.
"Stop agreeing with me."
She almost smiled.
"Sorry."
I stood.
My body still ached.
The postpartum bleeding had slowed.
My milk had come in.
I hadn't slept more than ninety minutes at a time.
And somehow my emotional life had become more complicated than the financial investigation.
I hated Julian for choosing for me.
I understood why he had been afraid.
Those two things could exist together.
That was harder than simple anger.
I called him.
He answered immediately.
"Vivian."
"You knew your mother threatened me."
"Yes."
"You didn't tell police."
"No."
"Why?"
"Because I thought she was bluffing."
"You had Henry Lawson's disappearance."
"I didn't know enough."
"You had Northstar."
"I didn't have proof."
"You had her threat recorded."
"I had a wealthy woman speaking vaguely."
"You had me."
Silence.
I continued.
"You had a wife."
"I know."
"No."
My voice broke.
"You had somebody standing beside you who spent her entire career dealing with financial crimes."
"I know."
"You could have trusted me."
"I was scared."
"So was I."
"I know."
"You keep saying that."
"Because there isn't another answer."
I sat.
"Why use Eleanor's words?"
"What?"
"That's unfortunate timing."
He went silent.
"You said it when I told you I was pregnant."
"I remember."
"Why?"
Long pause.
"Because I needed you to hate me."
I closed my eyes.
"Congratulations."
"I know."
"You don't get points for suffering too."
"I'm not asking for them."
"Do you still love me?"
The question escaped before I could stop it.
Silence.
Then Julian whispered, "Yes."
My heart twisted.
I hated it.
I hated that my body remembered his voice.
I hated that love didn't disappear simply because trust did.
"I don't know what to do with that."
"You don't have to do anything."
"Good."
"I won't ask you to take me back."
"Good."
"I will spend the rest of my life fixing what I can."
"You can't fix some things."
"I know."
There it was again.
I know.
I ended the call.
Later that afternoon, Detective Reed arrived.
His expression told me something had happened.
"Victor?"
"Found."
My heart jumped.
"Alive?"
"Yes."
Rachel stood.
"Where?"
"A motel outside Albany."
"Why didn't he contact us?"
"He was afraid Martin was tracking him."
"Is he coming back?"
"Federal agents have him."
Rachel closed her eyes.
Relief washed across her face.
Then Reed added, "Victor confessed."
We both looked at him.
"To what?"
"Forgery."
"Northstar?"
"Yes."
"Arthur's agreement?"
"Yes."
"And?"
Reed's expression hardened.
"He says he knows what happened to Henry Lawson."
My skin prickled.
"Is Henry dead?"
Reed shook his head.
"No."
I stared.
"Then where is he?"
"Living under another name in Oregon."
Rachel whispered, "What?"
"Victor helped him disappear."
My mind raced.
"Why?"
"Because Henry thought Eleanor was going to kill him."
I sat slowly.
"So Martin lied."
"Looks that way."
"Does Henry have evidence?"
Reed almost smiled.
"According to Victor, Henry took the one thing Eleanor never realized was missing."
"What?"
"Arthur Vance's original financial ledger."
I frowned.
"We already have ledgers."
"Not this one."
"What is it?"
Reed looked directly at me.
"It's the book Arthur used to record payments he didn't trust his accountants to see."
My heartbeat quickened.
"How far back?"
"1989."
Before Julian's birth.
Before Northstar.
Before almost everything.
"And what's in it?"
Reed's eyes narrowed.
"We don't know yet."
"Why?"
"Because Henry won't release it until he speaks to one person."
"Who?"
Reed looked at Noah.
May you like
Then at me.
"You."
