He hesitated for a moment. “What you’re doing is dangerous. Think this through before you decide to go after your own husband.”
“I’ve been thinking very clearly ever since his fists and feet landed in my ribs and my face. Now, do you have anything that could help me?”
“The only things I have are the voice recordings of my sessions with Marie. Her fear of her husband would be enough to launch an investigation, but there’s nothing that would actually prove he was involved.”
“Give them to me! Maybe there’s something on the recordings that will help us.”
“Us?” he asked.
I bit my lip and cursed myself for my stupidity. “I, uh…have a friend helping me with this.”
“I would be very careful with who you consider your friends, Mrs. Evans. Everyone has a price.”
“This friend doesn’t. I can assure you of that.”
“Very well. Give me a moment to collect a copy of the flash drive.” He stood and walked to the door.
Once he disappeared, I let my shoulders slump. The reality of my situation was suddenly very clear to me. Mr. Peters was just as afraid of Robert as I was. He had threatened the man for helping Marie. He’d scared her lawyer enough to convince him to give Robert the papers that had sealed Marie’s fate.
When Mr. Peters returned a few minutes later, I sat up straight again. I couldn’t let him see just how messed up I was inside over all of this.
“Here’s the drive. All of my meetings with Marie are on it,” he said.
I stood and took the thumb drive from him. “Thank you for your help. I truly appreciate this. I hate to leave so abruptly, but I need to return home before I’m missed.”
“I understand,” Mr. Peters said as I walked past him. “Mrs. Evans?”
I turned back to him. “Yes?”
“Watch your back.”
I floored it all the way home, terrified that Robert already knew where I was or that Cooper would call and ask me when I would be home. I made it back to the house in record time. When I parked the car, I quickly climbed out. The thumb drive in my pocket felt like a ten-pound weight. My hands shook as I climbed the stairs and walked to Cooper’s room. I didn’t want to tell him where I had been, but I needed his computer to pull the audio files from the thumb drive.
I knocked on his door, but he didn’t answer. I carefully opened the door and peered inside. The room was empty. I sighed in relief as I walked in and flipped the lights on. I practically ran across his room to where his computer sat. I sat down in his chair and turned his system on. While I waited for it to load, I pulled my phone and charger out of my purse and grabbed the drive out of my pocket. Once the monitor displayed the desktop screen, I plugged my cord into the computer and my phone. I shoved the drive into the computer and waited for the file location to pop up.
When it loaded, I saw that there were four files on the drive. I sighed in relief. I had worried that there would be several. Listening to four would be much easier than going through ten or twenty.
I copied the files over to my phone and pulled the drive out without bothering to disconnect it properly. I did the same with my phone. I threw everything into my purse and shut off Cooper’s computer. I didn’t want him to know that I had been in his room at all. I wanted to listen to the files on my own first. Then, I would come clean about everything I had found out. I knew he would be angry with me for not telling him anything, but I hoped that he would understand my reasoning. I didn’t want to give him false hope.
I stopped by my room to grab a pair of headphones before dashing down the stairs and back out to my car. I left the house and headed into the main part of town. I needed to listen to everything Marie had to say, and I knew I couldn’t do it at the house. Robert or Cooper might come home early and catch me. Neither of them could know what I was up to.
I pulled into the parking lot at Starbucks and walked inside. I had no idea how long it would take me to go through the files—I hadn’t taken the time to see how long each file was—and I needed to stay alert.
I stepped up to the counter where a pretty blonde was standing. She smiled when she saw me.
“Can I get a venti Americano, please?” I asked.
“Sure.” She punched a few buttons on the register and gave me my total.
I swiped my card and took the receipt she handed me.
“Thanks,” I said as I moved over for the customer behind me.
“I need one venti Americano,” she called.
“Sure thing, Chloe,” another girl said as she grabbed a cup.
I tapped my foot impatiently until my coffee was handed to me. Without a word, I hurried back out to my car. Once I was back inside, I locked the doors and pulled my headphones out of my purse. I plugged them into my phone and put them on. My hands shook as I unlocked my phone and pulled up the files. Before I could lose my nerve, I pushed play.
“Today is March fourth, two thousand thirteen. This is session one with client Marie Evans.” Mr. Peter’s voice filled my ears. “Marie is here to seek legal council about a divorce from her husband, Robert Evans. Marie, why don’t we start at the beginning?”
“Why are you recording this?” a feminine voice asked. Marie sounded slightly alarmed.
“I record all sessions with my clients in case I need to listen to our conversations again. I assure you that I’m the only one who will hear this recording.”
“All right then,” Marie said. “As I’ve already told you, I’m here to speak to you about filing for a divorce from my husband, Robert Evans.”
“And you’ve traveled all the way from northern West Virginia because your husband is a lawyer in your town?”
“Correct. I want to keep this completely silent until everything is ready, and the papers are filed. Since my husband is so well connected, that would be impossible if I worked with someone in Morgantown or in the surrounding communities.”
“I understand. So, why don’t you tell me the circumstances for this decision? Also, tell me about Robert.”
“Robert and I have been married for over twenty years. We have one son who is in college. We’ve lived in Morgantown our entire lives, and we are very immersed in our community. My husband owns his own firm with several lawyers and employees working for him. I’ve spent my life raising our son, Cooper, and volunteering on local committee boards.”
“And what has brought you to the decision to file for divorce?”
There was a long pause before Marie answered, “I’ve watched my husband change over the years. As his career took off and he quickly made a reputation for himself, he started to grow distant. Distant turned to cold, and cold turned to cruel. Over the last several years, my husband has abused me, mentally and physically. I also recently learned of several instances when he has been unfaithful to me with both unknown women and some whom I am familiar with. One of those women is my best friend, Sandra Buckhannon, who is married to Robert’s best friend, Brad Buckhannon.”
“You have proof of his infidelities?”
“Yes, I have several photographs.”
“Did all three of them have each other followed?” I said out loud. “Jesus.”
“And the abuse has been going on for a while? Do you have proof of it?”
“Yes, it has, and yes, I do.”
I heard shuffling for a few moments before Mr. Peters spoke again, “Mrs. Evans has several fading bruises along her rib cage and lower back.” He cleared his throat. “May I ask why you’re just now filing for divorce if you’ve been subjected to abuse for so long?”
I tightly clenched my fists. I’d shown Mr. Peters my proof in the exact way that Marie had. There was some sick kind of irony going on there. Robert had hurt her just as viciously as he had me.
“My son,” Marie answered immediately. “I feared that Robert would take him from me since he was a minor. I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him alone with Robert. I feared that he would turn Cooper against me, or worse, abuse our son
the way he has abused me for years. Now that Cooper is legally an adult, I no longer have to worry about him. He’s safe.”
“Is your son aware of what has been happening in your home?”
“I think he has an idea, but he has no proof. When he tries to question me about anything suspicious, I brush it off. I don’t want him to worry about me. Cooper has always been protective of me, and if he knew what Robert has done, he would go after his own father. I can’t have that.”
“I understand. Let’s move on, shall we? What terms are you asking for with the divorce? Do you want to keep your home? What about assets?”
“He can have everything, except for my car and the bank account that has only my name on it. Over the years, I’ve taken measures to ensure that Cooper will be taken care of, should it come to this. He has a trust fund of his own that will provide for him for a very long time. As for me, the account I spoke of earlier has just over two hundred thousand dollars in it. That is more than enough for me to start over with. The stocks, our two joint accounts, the house, and any other assets can go to Robert. I want nothing to do with any of it. I just want my freedom.”
“If these are your terms, I don’t see Robert fighting this much, especially since he’s in the public eye. He’ll want it swept under the rug as quickly as possible. All we need to do is show proof of his infidelity and domestic abuse, and he’ll agree to almost anything. Since you’re asking for so little, this should go quickly.”
“I have proof of everything, but I think you’re underestimating my husband, Mr. Peters. He will be furious when he finds out what I’ve done. I’m going to be blunt. I’m terrified of him. I’m even more terrified of what he’ll do to me once I file for divorce. He won’t go quietly. I’ve had a lot of time to think about this, and I have a plan in mind.”
I listened intently as Marie went over her plans with Mr. Peters. It was just like he had said. Marie had planned to go to an undisclosed location once the papers were filed because she’d feared for her safety that much. When her lawyer had suggested that they contact the Morgantown Police, Marie had refused, stating that Robert had the department in his pocket.
By the time I finished the first recording, I had tears in my eyes. The pain and fear in her voice made me want to reach into my phone and pull her into my arms. She’d been terrified of her own husband and with good reason. In the end, he’d won. She had died because of him.
Hatred more fierce than anything I’d ever experienced before coursed through my body. It blinded me. I’d never hated Robert more than I did in that moment. Marie had spent her entire life with him, and in return, he’d abused her to the point where she feared for her life. I wanted it to be like a movie where justice was served, and the heroine escaped, but sadly, that wasn’t Marie’s story at all. She’d fallen, and the villain had won.
I wiped the tears from my eyes and pushed play on the next audio file. I listened as Marie and Mr. Peters worked out every little detail. Marie had brought him the proof he needed to use domestic abuse and adultery against Robert. I briefly wondered if Mr. Peters still possessed those photos. That would help Cooper and me build a strong case against Robert.
With each recording, I noticed how Marie had opened up a little bit more. My heart sank as I thought of how, in the end, Mr. Peters had betrayed her after gaining her trust. When I pushed play on the last file, I instantly compared Marie’s voice to how it had been on the first recording. She had been stiff and professional before. On this one, her voice was relaxed and even a little bit happy. She had been so close to getting what she wanted, and she’d known it.
As I listened, their conversation turned more personal and less business. I couldn’t help but wonder if Mr. Peters was sitting there, laughing and joking with her, after he’d already betrayed her. Or maybe Robert had visited him after this had been recorded. I supposed I would never know.
“Have you told Cooper about your plans yet?” Mr. Peters asked, breaking through their idle chatter.
“I haven’t,” Marie said. “I don’t want him involved in this until it’s already underway. It’s safer for him that way.”
“He needs to know, Marie. When you up and disappear, he will be frantic.”
“I’ll tell him when I leave.” She sighed. “Speaking of Cooper, I have something I want to give you. While I feel that our plan will indeed work, I want to take certain precautions.”
I listened to someone shuffling around.
“What is it?” Mr. Peters asked.
“It’s a letter to Cooper, explaining everything. If something should happen to me, I ask that you send this letter to him. It will give me peace of mind to know that, even if this doesn’t turn out the way I want, at least Cooper will know the truth.”
“Surely you don’t think there’s a need for this.” Mr. Peters sounded uneasy.
“It’s just in case. My Cooper means the world to me, and I want to make sure he is safe. I wish you could meet him. He’s so full of life, and he’s always there to make me smile. I’m so proud of who he is and what he has already achieved. Do you know that he’s premed at WVU? My son is going to go far in life, and he’ll do it without my help or Robert’s.”
I smiled as I listened to Marie brag about Cooper. The love and pride she’d felt for Cooper was clear. When I handed these over to Cooper, he would be able to hear it with his own ears. I felt that would give him some comfort.
When the final recording finished, I locked my phone and stared out of my windshield. There was so much here, more than I could have hoped for, but nothing that absolutely proved that Robert was behind the accident that had caused Marie’s death. These recordings were enough to launch an investigation, but in my heart, I knew that Robert was too well connected for this to bring him down.
I also knew that the only real way we could do that was to find out whom Robert had hired to kill Marie. That would require a lot of research in his past case files. I would have to make a list of every client it might be and search for them. But it would be pointless to do that. Even if I managed to find the real killer, I would only end up getting myself killed if I sought that person out.
The truth hit me like a brick wall then. Robert would get away with Marie’s death. Even if I couldn’t talk Cooper out of handing everything I’d discovered over to the police, I knew Robert would never be found guilty. His squeaky clean image might be tarnished a bit in the community, but that was it.
I needed to go to Cooper with these recordings and everything else I’d managed to find. I would let him listen, and then I’d talk him out of going after his father. That was the only thing I could do at this point. Diving any deeper would endanger us both. Robert had killed his own wife. I knew that he would silence Cooper, too, if it came to that. The same went for me. Compared to his first wife and son, I was nothing. I meant nothing.
I just hoped that hearing the truth from Marie would be enough for Cooper. If I could convince Cooper to let it go, then I would leave. It was time, and I knew it. No, it was past time. I was going to tell Robert that if he didn’t let me go, I would show the world my bruises. I would ask for nothing, not even enough money to pay for my bus fare out of town. Hopefully, he would let me go. If not, I had no idea what I would have to do to escape. I would find a way though. There was no other option.
Losing Cooper, Ellie, and Shelly would hurt the most, but it was necessary. Once I left Robert, I would leave Morgantown completely. I needed to put as much space between us as I could. I certainly couldn’t drag Shelly along with me. I’d barely be able to keep myself alive, let alone drag her into this mess.
Cooper would try to keep me close. I knew that. I just had to ignore the way my stomach turned queasy at the thought of leaving him behind. Keeping me close would do him no good, none at all. Deep down, he had to know that, too.
Determination filled me as I started my car and pulled out of the parking lot. I drove through the moonlit-filled town to the house while my mind plotted one escape pla
n after another. Each one was worse than the last, but I still filed all of them away for later. I would come up with something. It would soon be time to face the monster I’d married. Time was running out.
When I pulled up to the house, I parked my car in the garage and climbed out. I was relieved to see that Cooper’s car was in the garage and Robert’s was not. He still wasn’t home. That was good. It would give me time to convince Cooper to let his mother’s death go and then to come up with a plan to escape the man I was terrified of.
I walked through the silent house and up the stairs to the second floor. Without hesitating, I marched up to Cooper’s door and knocked. A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal a smiling Cooper. I froze for a moment, taking him in. This might very well be the last time I ever saw him smile at me. I memorized every little detail of his face and stored it away. I knew that I would need it once I left this house of horrors and started my life over again.
“Claire,” he said as he reached forward and pulled me to him. He captured my lips with his and kissed me deeply.
My body turned to jelly as I kissed him back, savoring this happy and innocent moment between us.
Finally, he broke the kiss, but he didn’t release me. “I missed you today.”
“I missed you, too.” I untangled myself from him and moved past him into his room. “We need to talk, Coop. It’s important.”
“All right,” Cooper said. He closed the door and followed me over to the bed.
We sat down next to each other, and I immediately started pulling things out of my purse. I grabbed my phone and everything I had found at the storage unit, and I placed them next to me. I handed the photo album to Cooper.
“What is this?” he asked.
“Just open it.”
I watched as he opened it to the first page. A tiny smile formed on his lips as he began flipping through the pages. He ran this thumb over a photo of him and Marie that had been taken not long after he was born.
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