Chapter 9 - Monica’s Sister
Claire Hale disappeared before police reached her apartment.
Her office had been cleaned out.
Her company laptop remained behind.
Her personal phone was gone.
Andrew remembered Claire as quiet and efficient.
She had helped manage media coverage of his engagement.
She had arranged the magazine deal for the wedding.
She had access to travel schedules, corporate announcements, and executive calendars.
Rachel stared at Claire’s employee file.
“She knew when Lucas would be on the ferry.”
“Yes.”
“She knew when you’d be taking calls.”
“Yes.”
“She knew about my complaint to HR?”
“Communications shouldn’t.”
“But Monica did.”
Andrew looked at the organizational chart.
HR director Karen Mills had deleted Rachel’s complaint using Victor’s credentials.
Karen was questioned.
She insisted Victor had told her the complaint was fabricated.
But phone records showed something else.
Karen had called Claire immediately after deleting it.
The network was spreading.
Karen eventually admitted Claire pressured her.
“She said Rachel was trying to extort the Bennett family.”
“Did you believe her?” Detective Chen asked.
“At first.”
“And later?”
Karen cried.
“I didn’t want to lose my job.”
Rachel watched the interview through glass.
“So she sacrificed mine.”
Andrew stood beside her.
“Yes.”
The words carried more meaning now.
Power did not require villains in every room.
Sometimes it only required frightened people protecting themselves.
Police found Claire forty-eight hours later in a hotel near Philadelphia.
She surrendered without resistance.
Her story changed the entire case.
“Monica wasn’t supposed to push Lucas.”
Andrew stared across the interview-room table.
Claire had agreed to speak with attorneys present.
“What?”
Claire’s face was pale.
“The plan was to create an accident.”
“That is an accident?”
“No. The original plan.”
Andrew leaned forward.
“What original plan?”
“Lucas was supposed to be removed from the stroller before it went over.”
Silence.
Rachel’s face tightened.
Claire continued.
“The empty stroller would go into the water. Rachel would be accused of negligence. Monica would create panic. David would use the incident to have Rachel fired and increase security around Lucas.”
Andrew stared.
“That makes no sense.”
“It does if the goal was to isolate Lucas.”
Rachel whispered, “From witnesses.”
Claire nodded.
“Monica said Rachel was always watching.”
Andrew’s voice turned cold.
“So they planned a fake accident first.”
“Yes.”
“What changed?”
Claire began crying.
“I don’t know.”
“You threatened Rachel’s mother.”
“Monica told me to.”
“From jail?”
Claire looked down.
“Through our attorney.”
“David?”
“No.”
Another attorney.
Monica’s criminal defense lawyer, Peter Sloan.
Detective Chen immediately looked at her colleague.
Claire continued.
“Monica told me Rachel had the flash drive.”
“She didn’t.”
“I know that now.”
Andrew understood.
Monica still believed evidence remained outside police custody.
“And what did she want you to do?”
“Scare Rachel.”
“Why?”
“To make her stop cooperating.”
Rachel leaned forward.
“You photographed my mother.”
Claire nodded.
“I’m sorry.”
Rachel’s expression did not soften.
Claire wiped her face.
“Monica has always been like this.”
Andrew stared.
“Like what?”
“When we were kids, she decided what happened. If she broke something, someone else did it. If she stole, someone else lost it.”
“That’s not attempted murder.”
“No.”
Claire looked directly at Andrew.
“But she changed after meeting David.”
“Changed how?”
“She started talking about outcomes instead of people.”
Andrew felt cold.
“She said rich families were just legal structures with emotions attached.”
That sounded like David.
Claire continued.
“She told me your father’s mistake was believing blood made people loyal.”
Andrew asked, “Did she love me?”
Claire hesitated.
“Yes.”
Andrew almost wished she had said no.
“But she loved what being with you made her feel more.”
“Powerful.”
“Yes.”
Rachel asked the question Andrew could not.
“Why did she push Lucas if the plan said empty stroller?”
Claire’s eyes filled again.
“I heard her arguing with David the morning of the ferry.”
“About what?”
“Lucas’s trust.”
Andrew leaned closer.
“Tell me.”
“David said the board audit could not be stopped anymore unless Lucas died before the next quarterly certification.”
Andrew froze.
That was six days away.
“Monica asked if there was another way.”
“And?”
“David said, ‘There’s always another way. It’s just more expensive.’”
Claire swallowed.
“Then Monica asked what would happen if Lucas was gone.”
Silence.
“David said Victor would lose leverage, you would collapse emotionally, and Monica could keep you close.”
Rachel whispered, “So David planted the idea.”
Claire shook her head.
“No.”
She looked at Andrew.
“Monica said, ‘Then maybe the simple solution is the right one.’”
The decision had been hers.
Not Victor’s.
Not David’s.
Monica’s.
Then Claire added the detail that finally explained the stroller footage.
“David told her not to do it.”
Andrew stared.
“What?”
“He said murder would expose everything.”
“So why did she?”
May you like
Claire’s answer was almost a whisper.
“Because she found out the flash drive was in Lucas’s bag.”
