Chapter 4 · A Mother's Calculated Ruin

I stood at the foot of the stairs, not moving until I heard Xavier's door click shut.

Mary peeked out from the kitchen, her hands nervously rubbing her apron, clearly wanting to say something but holding back.

I walked over and lowered my voice.

"Has Zoe called lately?" I asked.

Mary shot a quick look toward the living room, then fished a folded-up note from her apron pocket and handed it to me.

"Zoe called the landline at home the day before yesterday. I didn't have the guts to tell Jacob.

"She said she misses you, and her cousin ripped up her homework notebook. Her great-aunt made her kneel on the washboard all night," Mary whispered.

I took the note, her handwriting scrawled and shaky.

The last line read: [Mommy, do you not want me anymore?]

I folded the note and slipped it into my pocket.

"Thank you, Mary. Don't let anyone else know about this," I said.

Mary nodded and slipped back into the kitchen.

That night, Jacob didn't come back to our bedroom. He said he was working in the study.

I lay in bed and reached under my pillow until my fingers brushed the edge of that note.

My phone lit up with a message from Maria: [I've set up a meeting for tomorrow afternoon. Bring the things you talked about last time.]

I texted back: [Okay.]

Then I turned off the screen and lay there in the dark, eyes open.

Xavier's birthday party was eighteen days away.

Eighteen days was enough.

The next morning, I came downstairs to find Xavier already dressed and eating breakfast at the table.

In front of him were Mary's freshly baked croissants, a glass of fresh-squeezed juice, and a plate of bacon cooked to a perfect crisp and eggs fried to a golden brown.

Lucy sat beside him, watching him eat and occasionally wiping his mouth for him.

"Slow down, don't choke," Lucy said.

I took a seat at the table. Mary brought over a bowl of porridge and a small plate of pickled veggies for me.

Lucy didn't even look my way.

Jacob came downstairs from the study, car keys in hand.

"I'll drop Xavier off at school and swing by the office. Rebecca, if you need anything for the birthday party, just swipe the secondary card. Spend whatever you want," Jacob said.

My own daughter got nothing from him when she turned six, but for a kid who wasn't even his own, he was sparing no expense.

I took a sip of my porridge.

"Got it," I said.

Jacob reached the door, then suddenly turned back to look at me.

He gave me a searching look, like he was trying to see through me: was I really serious last night, or just faking it?

I shot him a cool smile, keeping my poker face the whole time.

"Go on, don't let Xavier be late," Lucy said.

Only then did Jacob turn and leave.

Once Jacob was out of sight, Lucy gave the floor a gentle tap with her cane, twice.

"Rebecca, I'm going to say this up front," Lucy said. "If you genuinely mean to organize Xavier's birthday party, then I'll believe you're finally starting to act like an adult.

"But if you're just using this party as an excuse to try anything funny, I'll be the first one to deal with you."

I picked up my bowl of porridge and blew on it to cool it down.

"Lucy, you're really worrying too much," I said. "Xavier is the kid Jacob nearly died to save. Even if I was reckless, I wouldn't pull any tricks at his birthday party."

Lucy stared at me for a long moment before letting out a snort and hobbling upstairs with her cane.

At ten in the morning, I stepped out.

Instead of going to the hotel, I slipped into an old street on the west side of Harborvale. Maria was waiting for me upstairs, in a private room on the second floor of a cozy little coffeehouse.

When I walked in, Maria was on the phone. She saw me and gestured for me to take a seat.

After hanging up, she slid a brown paper bag across the table to me.

Maria glanced at me and said, "That woman you wanted me to check out, Elsa Harvey, she's still alive, no doubt about it."

I opened the bag and found a few photos inside. They were all of a woman just out for a walk in some seaside city, dressed in a designer coat, skin perfectly maintained, swinging a high-end handbag on her arm.

She looked like she didn't have a care in the world.

"These were taken two months ago," Maria said. "She's living in Harborvale now, in a riverside apartment. The lease is under her cousin's name. But get this: every month, she gets a regular deposit from some mysterious account."

Maria tapped her finger right on the woman's face in the photo.

"Look closely at her eyes and eyebrows," Maria said. "Now, think about Xavier, See the resemblance?"

I pulled the photo closer for a better look.

That suspicion that had been lurking in the back of my mind for ages was finally starting to take shape.

"Can you trace where the money's coming from?" I asked.

Maria shook her head. "The people I know can only get this far. If you want to go deeper, I'd have to call in some favors.

"But one thing I know for sure. Elsa is alive and kicking. That whole car accident thing? Just a cover story. Jacob totally made that up for his old army pals."

Chapter 4

I stood at the foot of the stairs, not moving until I heard Xavier's door click shut.

Mary peeked out from the kitchen, her hands nervously rubbing her apron, clearly wanting to say something but holding back.

I walked over and lowered my voice.

"Has Zoe called lately?" I asked.

Mary shot a quick look toward the living room, then fished a folded-up note from her apron pocket and handed it to me.

"Zoe called the landline at home the day before yesterday. I didn't have the guts to tell Jacob.

"She said she misses you, and her cousin ripped up her homework notebook. Her great-aunt made her kneel on the washboard all night," Mary whispered.

I took the note, her handwriting scrawled and shaky.

The last line read: [Mommy, do you not want me anymore?]

I folded the note and slipped it into my pocket.

"Thank you, Mary. Don't let anyone else know about this," I said.

Mary nodded and slipped back into the kitchen.

That night, Jacob didn't come back to our bedroom. He said he was working in the study.

I lay in bed and reached under my pillow until my fingers brushed the edge of that note.

My phone lit up with a message from Maria: [I've set up a meeting for tomorrow afternoon. Bring the things you talked about last time.]

I texted back: [Okay.]

Then I turned off the screen and lay there in the dark, eyes open.

Xavier's birthday party was eighteen days away.

Eighteen days was enough.

The next morning, I came downstairs to find Xavier already dressed and eating breakfast at the table.

In front of him were Mary's freshly baked croissants, a glass of fresh-squeezed juice, and a plate of bacon cooked to a perfect crisp and eggs fried to a golden brown.

Lucy sat beside him, watching him eat and occasionally wiping his mouth for him.

"Slow down, don't choke," Lucy said.

I took a seat at the table. Mary brought over a bowl of porridge and a small plate of pickled veggies for me.

Lucy didn't even look my way.

Jacob came downstairs from the study, car keys in hand.

"I'll drop Xavier off at school and swing by the office. Rebecca, if you need anything for the birthday party, just swipe the secondary card. Spend whatever you want," Jacob said.

My own daughter got nothing from him when she turned six, but for a kid who wasn't even his own, he was sparing no expense.

I took a sip of my porridge.

"Got it," I said.

Jacob reached the door, then suddenly turned back to look at me.

He gave me a searching look, like he was trying to see through me: was I really serious last night, or just faking it?

I shot him a cool smile, keeping my poker face the whole time.

"Go on, don't let Xavier be late," Lucy said.

Only then did Jacob turn and leave.

Once Jacob was out of sight, Lucy gave the floor a gentle tap with her cane, twice.

"Rebecca, I'm going to say this up front," Lucy said. "If you genuinely mean to organize Xavier's birthday party, then I'll believe you're finally starting to act like an adult.

"But if you're just using this party as an excuse to try anything funny, I'll be the first one to deal with you."

I picked up my bowl of porridge and blew on it to cool it down.

"Lucy, you're really worrying too much," I said. "Xavier is the kid Jacob nearly died to save. Even if I was reckless, I wouldn't pull any tricks at his birthday party."

Lucy stared at me for a long moment before letting out a snort and hobbling upstairs with her cane.

At ten in the morning, I stepped out.

Instead of going to the hotel, I slipped into an old street on the west side of Harborvale. Maria was waiting for me upstairs, in a private room on the second floor of a cozy little coffeehouse.

When I walked in, Maria was on the phone. She saw me and gestured for me to take a seat.

After hanging up, she slid a brown paper bag across the table to me.

Maria glanced at me and said, "That woman you wanted me to check out, Elsa Harvey, she's still alive, no doubt about it."

She looked like she didn't have a care in the world.

Maria tapped her finger right on the woman's face in the photo.

"Look closely at her eyes and eyebrows," Maria said. "Now, think about Xavier, See the resemblance?"

I pulled the photo closer for a better look.

That suspicion that had been lurking in the back of my mind for ages was finally starting to take shape.

"Can you trace where the money's coming from?" I asked.

Maria shook her head. "The people I know can only get this far. If you want to go deeper, I'd have to call in some favors.

"But one thing I know for sure. Elsa is alive and kicking. That whole car accident thing? Just a cover story. Jacob totally made that up for his old army pals."