Chapter 9

Margaret suddenly rushed over. "Quit pressuring James. Claire, I'm telling you, the Nolan family had nothing to do with the kidnapping. If you keep spreading lies, I'll sue you for slander."

I looked at her. "I never mentioned the Nolan family."

Margaret froze, caught off guard.

I said, "I meant you."

Her hand was still hanging in the air, as if she'd slapped someone and hadn't had time to pull it back.

I finished my sentence. "I said the kidnapping has something to do with you."

Margaret snapped, "Bullshit!"

Olivia stepped forward. "Mrs. Nolan, the cops are still here. Are you yelling so loud because you're afraid no one will notice how guilty you look?"

Margaret turned to the cops, her expression shifting in a flash. "Officer, I'm really angry right now. She lost her baby, so she's totally losing it and snapping at everyone."

I said, "You know better than anyone whether I'm lashing out."

James grabbed my wrist. "Claire, stop making a scene."

I looked down at his hand on my wrist. "Let go."

He didn't let go. "What you're saying now is going to hurt a lot of people."

I let out a cold laugh. "When you had me kidnapped, did you ever worry about hurting me?"

His hand jerked away from my wrist.

Margaret jumped in, "What proof do you have? Without evidence, you're making things up."

I pulled out an old receipt from my bag and set it down in front of the cops. "Two days before the kidnapping, Margaret went to the shop near the old warehouse in the south of the city.

"She bought something, handed the owner 300 dollars in cash, and asked him to lend her the back door key."

Margaret's eyelid twitched. "What, now shopping is a crime?"

I looked at her. "The back door of the shop leads to the path behind the old warehouse. That's how the kidnappers got inside."

She immediately shouted, "That's ridiculous. I never did that!"

The cop took the receipt. "Ms. Winters, where did you get this from?"

"The shop owner gave it to me," I replied.

Margaret's voice shot up. "Who is the owner? Bring him out here."

I said, "He's right outside the door."

The hall door swung open, and a man in a gray jacket walked in, his hat pulled low over his face.

Margaret's face visibly trembled when she recognized him. "W-Why are you here?"

The man glanced at me, then turned to the cops. "I'm Mason Brooks, the owner of the shop.

"That day, Mrs. Nolan came to me and said her daughter-in-law was being difficult, so she wanted to scare her a bit. She told me not to worry about anyone coming in or out through the back door."

Margaret lunged at him, trying to silence him. "You took money from Claire. You're making things up."

Mason ducked behind the cops. "I didn't take any money from her. The 300 dollars Mrs. Nolan gave me is still with me, and I even wrote down the serial numbers.

"She said her family had plenty of money and told me not to ask any questions."

James stared at Margaret. "Mom, you really went there?"

Margaret glanced at him, her tone softening. "James, I went to buy something. This guy's trying to shake down the Nolan family. He'll say anything to get what he wants."

Mason started to panic. "I'm not scamming anyone. That night, two other people came to the back door to get the key. One of them had a scorpion tattoo on the back of his hand."

I said, "One of the kidnappers had the same tattoo."

The cop looked at me. "You saw it?"

"When he tore at my clothes, the back of his hand was pressed right against my face," I said.

Olivia muttered a curse under her breath, then bit it back.

James's face went pale.

Emily, sitting in her wheelchair, whispered, "Claire, why are you involving Margaret in all this? Maybe she's been hard on you, but she'd never actually hurt you."

I turned to look at her. "Then tell me, who would want to hurt me?"

Emily looked down. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" I set the pill bottle back next to the evidence bag. "You don't know how the meds ended up in your blanket. You don't know why the prescription record has your signature.

"And you don't know why Margaret borrowed the shop's back door. You're so innocent, aren't you?"

She bit her lip. "I know you hate me."

"I don't only hate you." I shot a look at James. "I hate him, too."

James's throat tightened, as if he were choking on his own guilt. "Claire, I'll look into it."

Olivia scoffed. "You'll look into it? James, are you going to say again that she's not feeling well, she's pregnant, and it wasn't her fault?"

Emily immediately clutched her stomach. "Ms. Grant, please don't say that. My baby is innocent."

I kept my voice steady. "And what about my baby? Wasn't my child innocent?"

She fell silent.

The cops told Mason to come in for questioning.

Margaret was also asked to cooperate with the investigation.

She refused to leave, clinging desperately to James's sleeve. "James, you can't let them take me away. I'm your mother. Claire's gone crazy. She's trying to destroy the Nolan family."

James stood there, not moving to help her.

Margaret's voice took on a desperate edge. "You actually believe her? I gave birth to you, raised you, and now you're doubting your own mother because of that woman?"

James said quietly, "Mom, it's cooperating with the investigation."

"Cooperating?" Margaret jabbed a finger at me. "She's trying to put me behind bars."

I said, "If you didn't do it, no one can lock you up."

Margaret shot me a venomous glare. "Claire, don't get too full of yourself. Without the Nolan family, you're nothing. Your dead baby? That's karma."

James snapped, "Mom!"

His words came too late.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed for the door.

Emily called out to me from behind, "Claire, are you really going to take things this far? James is already suffering enough."

I stopped in my tracks. "He's only upset because the truth is about to come out, not because I lost my baby."

James followed me out. Under the harsh hospital lights, his face looked like he'd aged years in one night. "Claire, give me a little time."

I looked at him and asked, "Time for what?"

"If it was my mom, I wouldn't protect her," he said.

"What about Emily?"

He fell silent.

I said, "You see? That's your answer right there."

He reached out to grab me, but his hand froze in midair. "I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you for losing our baby."

I turned to face him. "James, some things can't be fixed with money."

He asked in a low voice, "Then what do you want?"

I stared straight into his eyes. "I want everyone who hurt me to stand before my child and confess their sins, one by one."

His face went ashen.

The elevator doors slid open, and David was standing inside.

He glanced at James, then turned to me. "The car's downstairs."

James frowned. "And you are?"

David ignored him and turned to me. "Let's go?"