I winced.
“I would have fired her too.”
He looked surprised.
“Really?”
“Being paralyzed doesn’t mean you want someone mourning over your shampoo.”
Christopher laughed.
A real laugh.
It transformed his face.
For a moment, he looked younger.
Then the locket shifted against his chest.
And the mystery returned.
Two days later, everything changed.
Mrs. Alvarez was downstairs when I entered Christopher’s study carrying coffee.
He was on the phone.
“No,” he said sharply. “Rachel doesn’t know.”
I froze.
A man’s voice answered through the speaker.
I couldn’t make out every word.
Then I heard one sentence clearly.
“If she finds the file, she’ll know what happened to Ryan.”
My blood turned cold.
Christopher saw me.
His face changed.
He ended the call.
“What file?”
“Rachel—”
“What file?”
He looked toward the door.
“Close it.”
I set down the coffee.
“No.”
“Close the door.”
