Chapter 4 - The Midnight Return
At 4:45 a.m., Claire finally returned home.
I knew the exact second she walked through the front door because my private server sent an automated ping to my phone. From the hospital room, I opened the live monitor feed.
Claire was laughing as she stumbled into the entryway, kicking off her red designer heels. Marcus Vale walked in behind her, carrying an overnight duffel bag.
"See?" Claire slurred lightly, running a hand through her disheveled hair. "Told you the kids would just sleep through the night. Daniel won't even be back from Milwaukee until tomorrow evening."
"You need to make sure the wire authorization clears first thing at eight," Marcus said, setting his bag on the kitchen counter without even glancing toward the stairs. "Once the funds hit the Aegis routing node, we board the noon flight to Zurich. By the time your husband files a police report, we'll be untouchable."
Claire poured two glasses of white wine from the refrigerator. "He's just a boring state bureaucrat, Marcus. He trusts me completely. He doesn't suspect a single thing."
Suddenly, the front door clicked open again.
Diane walked in wearing a silver sequin party shawl, holding a designer purse.
"Did you two have fun?" Diane asked with a smug chuckle, grabbing one of the wine glasses. "I told Lily that if she made a peep, I'd tell Daniel she broke the antique vase. That girl is terrified of getting in trouble. She stayed in her room like a good little babysitter."
May you like
"Good," Claire smiled, clinking her glass against her mother's. "To a fresh start in Switzerland."
They drank their wine beneath the kitchen lights, completely oblivious to the fact that four squad cars from the Oakridge Police Department and two unmarked black SUVs from the State Attorney General's Special Investigations Unit were already surrounding the perimeter of the property.
