“And?”
“She said she didn’t care.”
Claire’s breathing became ragged.
“Then what?”
“We struggled over the steering wheel.”
The room went silent.
Daniel whispered, “Oh God.”
Margaret nodded.
“The car swerved.”
Claire stared at her.
“You caused the crash.”
“No.”
“You touched the wheel.”
“Yes.”
“You
caused it.”
“I was trying to stop her from turning toward the highway.”
“You killed my mother.”
“I never meant—”
Claire struck her.
The sound cracked through the room.
Margaret didn’t defend herself.
Claire hit her again.
Daniel pulled his sister back.
“Claire!”
“She killed Mom!”
Margaret touched her bleeding lip.
“I have lived with that every day.”
Claire sobbed.
“Good.”
Russell looked destroyed.
For years, every person in this family had carried a different version of one night.
And every version protected the person telling it.
I suddenly understood something.
“Rebecca knows all of this.”
Margaret looked at me.
“Yes.”
“How?”
Silence.
“Mom.”
Margaret looked away.
“Because Rebecca is Eleanor’s daughter.”
Claire froze.
Daniel stared.
“What?”
Russell’s face emptied.
Margaret nodded.
“Not your mother, Claire. Eleanor had another child before she married Russell.”
Claire whispered, “A daughter?”
“She gave the baby up for adoption when she was seventeen.”
Russell
stared at the floor.
“You knew?”
“Not until after the crash.”
Daniel looked sick.
“So Rebecca is our sister?”
“Half-sister,” Margaret said.
Russell sank into a chair.
“No wonder she came to work for me.”
“She came looking for answers.”
“And found what?”
“Enough to hate all of us.”
The generator suddenly kicked in.
Lights returned.
The server rebooted.
The transfer resumed automatically.
19%.
22%.
Then security cameras flickered on.
A car had arrived outside.
Not an ambulance.
A black SUV.
Three people stepped out.
Rebecca was one of them.
The other two wore tactical gear.
Margaret swore.
“She’s not alone.”
Russell looked at me.
“Emily, there is another exit.”
“No.”
“You need to leave.”
“I’m done leaving rooms without answers.”
“Please.”
“No.”
Claire wiped her face.
“I’m staying too.”
Daniel nodded.
Russell looked around at all of us.
