Chapter 10
I started the car and got back on the road.
By the time I got home, it was already two in the afternoon.
Mary was in the kitchen, getting dinner ready. When she saw me come in, she pulled out a note from her apron pocket again.
"Zoe called again today. This time, she used the village store's phone. She said her great-aunt wouldn't let her have lunch because she broke a bowl," Mary said.
I took the note and stared at the childish scrawl.
Zoe had written: [Mom, I'm hungry.]
Five days.Five days until the birthday party.
I folded the note and slipped it into my pocket, adding it to the pile of notes I'd kept.
Xavier's laughter drifted down from upstairs—he was video chatting with Lucy.
"Grandma, do you like my new outfit? Mom bought it for me. I'm wearing it to the party!" Xavier said, his voice full of excitement.
Lucy's voice came through the phone, and she was grinning from ear to ear.
"It looks great! You look good in anything, Xavier! I've got a big surprise for you—you're gonna be shocked!" Lucy said, her voice bubbling with excitement.
I stood at the corner of the stairs, catching every word.
'Grandma's got a big surprise for you.'
'Let's see if her big surprise can top mine,' I thought.
Xavier's birthday party was three days away.
That morning, I went to the hotel to do a final check on the venue.
The banquet hall was already half-decorated, balloons and streamers everywhere, and the big screen in the middle was all set up.
I handed a USB drive to the banquet manager.
"On the day of the party, when I give you the signal, play what's on this USB drive. No matter what happens, no matter who tries to stop you, don't stop for anyone until it's done," I said.
The manager looked a bit hesitant.
"Mrs. Swinburne, what if Mr. Swinburne tells me to stop it?" he asked.
"I'm the one who planned this party, I signed the contract, and I'm the one paying for it. During the party, you take orders from me, not someone else," I said.
The manager checked the signature on the contract and nodded.
After leaving the hotel, I drove straight to Harborvale.
This time, I wasn't just watching from afar.
I waited downstairs at Elsa's apartment building for half an hour, until she finally headed out to the supermarket.
Then I followed her inside.
At the seafood section, I pushed my cart past her.
She was carefully picking out salmon, checking each piece for freshness.
I stopped next to her, grabbed a box of shrimp, and tossed it into my cart.
"You know, the clearer the lines in the salmon, the fresher it is," I said.
She turned to me and gave me a polite smile.
"Thanks," she said.
She had no idea who I was.
Jacob kept her so well hidden; she probably had no clue what I even looked like.
I pushed my cart forward a few steps, then threw out a casual question, as if we were just making small talk.
"Got a big family? That's a lot of fish," I said.
Her smile stiffened for a moment.
"Just me," she replied.
"So you live alone? Must be pretty quiet. No kids at home?" I kept it casual.
Her hand hesitated for a second, then she went right back to picking out the fish.
"No kids," she answered.
She kept her head down, her shoulders unconsciously drawing in, as if she wanted to disappear.
I didn't say another word, just pushed my cart away.
When it was time to check out, I lined up right behind her.
She paid and was about to leave with her bags when I called after her at the checkout.
"Hey, miss, you dropped your phone," I said.
She instinctively patted her pocket, found her phone was still there, and turned around, puzzled.
But instead of a phone, I was holding up a photo for her to see.
It was Xavier, beaming in his school uniform at the front gate, his smile bright enough to light up the whole street.
Elsa froze, like someone had hit pause on her entire body.
She locked eyes on the photo, and her lips started to tremble.
I stepped closer, lowering my voice so only she could hear. "In two days, it's his tenth birthday. Serenford Seaview Hotel, banquet hall."
"Will you come?" I asked.
Elsa jerked back, and the salmon tumbled out of her bag, hitting the floor with a wet slap.
Her eyes shifted from confusion to suspicion, then finally to outright fear.
"Who are you?" Elsa asked.
I gave her a calm, almost knowing smile, feeling a surge of quiet confidence.
"I'm Rebecca Tate. Jacob's wife," I said.
Elsa's face went completely pale.
She spun around and bolted, her steps frantic, leaving her shopping bags behind as she dashed straight out of the supermarket.
I didn't chase after her.
I bent down, picked up the salmon from the floor, and put it back in the cold case.
As I walked out of the supermarket, I spotted Elsa way off at the entrance to her apartment building.
She was standing in front of the gate, her hands shaking so much she could barely get the card to work.
I got in my car, but didn't rush to leave.
I waited for about twenty minutes.
Then, the window on the ninth floor of Elsa's apartment lit up.