Chapter 9 - THE INVESTIGATOR
Finding the man took less than a day.
His name was David Mercer.
He had worked as a private investigator for twenty-seven years.
When Nick called, David initially refused to discuss Martha.
Then Nick mentioned his father.
Silence.
Finally, David agreed to meet.
We found him in a small office above an insurance agency.
The moment he saw Nick, he sighed.
“You look like your father.”
Nick remained standing.
“You knew him?”
“Briefly.”
“Did my mother hire you?”
“Yes.”
I felt my shoulders tighten.
“To investigate Emily?”
David looked at me.
“Yes.”
The word landed heavier than I expected.
Nick sat down.
“When?”
“About seven years ago.”
“What did she want?”
David opened an old cabinet.
“She wanted evidence.”
“Of what?”
“That Emily was using you.”
I almost laughed.
“For what?”
“Money.”
Nick shook his head.
“I barely had money.”
“I told your mother that.”
David took out a file.
“She also wanted evidence of infidelity.”
“There wasn’t any.”
“I know.”
“You followed Emily?”
“For four days.”
A chill moved through me.
David noticed my expression.
“I’m not proud of taking that job.”
“Why did you?”
“It was legal surveillance in public places.”
He paused.
“But after four days, I realized there was nothing to investigate.”
He handed the folder to me.
The report was absurdly boring.
Monday.
Emily arrived at work at 8:07 A.M.
Left at 5:16 P.M.
Stopped at grocery store.
Returned home.
Tuesday.
Work.
Gym.
Home.
Wednesday.
Work.
Dinner with mother.
Home.
Thursday.
Work.
Met Nick at restaurant.
Returned home with Nick.
I stared at the pages.
“This cost money?”
David almost smiled.
“A surprising amount.”
Nick didn’t.
“What happened when you told my mother there was nothing?”
“She asked me to keep looking.”
“For how long?”
“Two more weeks.”
“And?”
“Nothing.”
David leaned back.
“Then she asked me something I refused to do.”
Nick’s expression changed.
“What?”
“She wanted me to create the appearance of something.”
My skin prickled.
“What does that mean?”
“A photograph that could be misinterpreted.”
Nick stood.
“She wanted you to fake evidence?”
“Yes.”
David’s voice remained calm.
“I terminated the contract.”
“Did my father know?”
“Eventually.”
“How?”
“He contacted me.”
David looked toward the photograph Nick had brought.
“He had seen your mother meeting me.”
“And you told him?”
“Everything.”
Nick closed his eyes.
David continued.
“Your father asked for copies.”
“That explains the storage unit.”
“Probably.”
I looked at David.
“Did Martha ever contact you again?”
He hesitated.
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Last year.”
Nick and I looked at each other.
“What did she want?”
“The same thing.”
My heart started pounding.
David continued.
“She wanted me to investigate you again.”
“Why?”
“She said you were pressuring Nick into marriage.”
“What did you tell her?”
“No.”
“Did she hire someone else?”
“I don’t know.”
Nick took out his phone.
“Do you have proof she contacted you?”
David nodded.
“Email.”
“Can we have a copy?”
“Yes.”
He printed it.
The subject line was:
OLD PROBLEM.
NEW CIRCUMSTANCES.
The message itself was worse.
I NEED TO KNOW WHAT EMILY IS HIDING BEFORE NICK MAKES THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF HIS LIFE.
I read it twice.
Then I noticed the date.
It had been sent three days after Nick bought my engagement ring.
Before he proposed.
Before I knew he was planning to.
I looked at him.
“How did she know?”
Nick stared at the date.
“I told Dad’s old jeweler.”
“The one your family uses?”
“Yes.”
“Did your mother know him?”
His face changed.
“She introduced me to him.”
May you like
Our eyes met.
And suddenly we had another person to call.
