Chapter 4 - The Safe Colin Thought I'd Forgotten
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Paige didn't sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Colin's office.
The dark walnut desk.
The wall of expensive liquor.
The painting of a sailboat hanging above the fireplace.
And the steel safe concealed behind that painting.
She remembered the night clearly now.
It had been raining.
Colin had returned home shortly after midnight, furious about a telephone call.
He'd gone directly to his office.
Paige was preparing to leave the penthouse when she heard him shouting.
“Geneva wasn't supposed to leave a paper trail!”
Then came the crash.
A folder struck the hallway wall.
Several documents scattered across the floor.
Paige had bent to collect them.
One page was headed:
L.R. — Geneva Transfer.
Another carried the words:
Beneficiary account pending verification.
She remembered something else.
A number written in red ink.
417\.
At eight the next morning, she told Gabriel everything.
He listened without interrupting.
Then asked, “Are you sure about the number?”
“Absolutely.”
“Why?”
Paige looked embarrassed.
“Because 417 was my apartment number in college. I remember thinking it was a strange coincidence.”
Gabriel sat across from her in the estate's library.
Sunlight poured through the windows.
A cup of coffee sat untouched beside him.
“Was that document inside Colin's personal safe?”
“I think so.”
“Did you ever see him open it?”
“Yes.”
Gabriel leaned forward.
“How?”
Paige hesitated.
“He used a six-digit code.”
“Do you know it?”
“No.”
His expression didn't change.
Paige continued.
“But I know he changed it every month. He used dates that meant something to him.”
Gabriel frowned.
“Birthdays?”
“Sometimes. Once it was the day he bought his first Ferrari.”
Despite himself, Gabriel gave a short laugh.
“That sounds like Colin.”
Paige looked down.
“I don't know whether the paper is still there.”
“We won't assume it is.”
He reached for his phone.
Then stopped when Paige spoke.
“Gabriel?”
“Yes?”
“Please don't send men to break into his apartment.”
His eyes returned to hers.
“Why?”
“Because I know what Colin is like when he feels humiliated.”
Gabriel waited.
“He doesn't get angry at the person who embarrassed him. He hurts whoever is closest.”
Her voice trembled.
“And there's a woman who works for him.”
“Who?”
“Marisol Vega. His housekeeper.”
Gabriel's expression became serious.
“Does she still work there?”
“I think so.”
Paige swallowed.
“She's sixty-two. Her husband is sick. She can't afford to quit.”
Gabriel nodded slowly.
“You're worried he'll punish her.”
“Yes.”
“I'll have my attorney contact her discreetly. No break-in.”
Paige looked up.
“Thank you.”
He studied her for a moment.
“Even after everything, you're thinking about another woman who might be trapped in that house.”
Paige gave a sad smile.
“Someone should have thought about me.”
The words hung between them.
Gabriel looked away first.
An hour later, a woman named Evelyn Carter arrived.
She was an attorney with sharp gray eyes, a navy suit, and the patient manner of someone accustomed to dealing with frightened clients.
She introduced herself.
“I'm independent of Gabriel's businesses. My responsibility is to you, Paige.”
Paige glanced toward Gabriel.
He immediately stood.
“I'll give you privacy.”
When the door closed, Evelyn placed her briefcase on the table.
“Let's start with something simple. Are you here voluntarily?”
Paige hesitated.
“That's complicated.”
“Then let's make it less complicated.”
Evelyn leaned forward.
“Do you want to leave?”
Paige thought about the unlocked car door.
The five dollars hidden in her shoe.
Colin's men.
Her father's betrayal.
Then she shook her head.
“Not until I have somewhere safe to go.”
Evelyn nodded.
“That's a reasonable answer.”
She explained Paige's legal options.
Protection orders.
Documenting the assaults.
Recovering identification.
Obtaining an independent medical examination.
Making a statement about the interrupted wedding.
For the first time in years, Paige heard possibilities instead of commands.
Then Evelyn asked about the offshore accounts.
Paige told her everything she remembered.
The Geneva reference.
The number 417.
The hidden safe.
The argument.
When she finished, Evelyn looked thoughtful.
“Have you ever handled Colin's financial paperwork?”
“Sometimes.”
“In what capacity?”
“He made me organize his personal correspondence.”
“Did you sign anything?”
Paige went still.
A memory surfaced.
Colin standing beside her at the kitchen island.
A stack of papers.
His impatient voice.
Just sign, Paige. It's a formality.
Her stomach dropped.
“Yes.”
Evelyn's expression sharpened.
“What did you sign?”
“I don't know.”
“How many documents?”
“Maybe four or five.”
“Were you given copies?”
“No.”
Evelyn made a note.
“Did you understand what the documents authorized?”
Paige shook her head.
Colin had told her they were harmless administrative forms.
She'd believed him.
Or perhaps she'd been too frightened to question him.
Evelyn leaned back.
“Paige, we need to check whether your name was used in any of the Hale family's financial arrangements.”
Paige felt cold.
“You think Colin used me?”
“It's possible.”
Before Paige could answer, Evelyn's phone vibrated.
She glanced at the screen.
Her expression changed.
“Excuse me.”
She stepped into the hallway.
When she returned, her face was grim.
“Paige, I have some news.”
Paige sat straighter.
“What?”
“Your former apartment in Portland was searched yesterday.”
Her heart stopped.
“By who?”
“The property manager reported two men entering with keys supplied by someone claiming to represent you.”
Paige couldn't breathe.
She had spent two years building that life.
Working in a coffee shop.
Saving money.
Trying to become someone Colin couldn't find.
Now strangers had entered the last place she'd ever felt safe.
“Did they take anything?” she whispered.
Evelyn hesitated.
“They removed several boxes.”
Paige closed her eyes.
She knew what had been inside those boxes.
Old clothes.
Photographs.
Bank statements.
And a small blue notebook.
A notebook in which she'd written down every time Colin hurt her.
Every threat.
Every date.
Every detail she was afraid she'd eventually forget.
May you like
She looked at Evelyn.
Then whispered, “They found my journal.”
