Chapter 4 - THE DINNER THAT EXPOSED THREE LIARSThe Whitmore Club was the kind of private dining establishment where the waiters remembered your preferred wine and the members pretended not to notice how much everything cost.
Jake loved places like that.
He loved being seen as successful.
He loved expensive watches, imported cars, and ordering bottles of champagne without looking at the price.
For years, I believed he was ambitious.
Now I wondered whether he was simply desperate to impress people.
We arrived at seven.
Robert Mitchell was already waiting at a corner table.
He stood when he saw us.
"Emily! How are you holding up?"
He wrapped his arms around me.
Robert was fifty, broad-shouldered, and always smelled faintly of expensive cologne.
I remembered him carrying one of Dad's funeral flowers to the cemetery.
I remembered him shaking my hand afterward and promising to help however he could.
Now I knew he had been discussing my inheritance behind my back.
"I'm taking things one day at a time," I said.
Robert nodded solemnly.
"That's all you can do."
Vanessa arrived five minutes later.
She wore a cream-colored dress and a diamond necklace that glittered beneath the restaurant lights.
"Emily, sweetheart!"
She kissed the air beside my cheek.
"I'm so sorry about your daddy."
Daddy.
The word sounded obscene coming from her mouth.
"Thank you," I answered.
Vanessa sat across from me.
Her perfume was familiar.
I had smelled it on Jake's jacket several times.
Back then, he told me it came from hugging coworkers at company events.
I looked at the necklace.
"That's beautiful."
Her hand flew to the diamonds.
"Oh, thank you! A little present."
"From someone special?"
She glanced at Jake.
It was barely a second.
But I saw it.
"Something like that," she said.
Robert cleared his throat.
"So, Emily, Jake tells us your father's estate is moving along."
I unfolded my napkin.
"Slowly."
Jake reached for my hand.
"Margaret's being very cautious."
"That's her job," I replied.
He squeezed my fingers.
Robert smiled.
"Absolutely. Still, it's important to make sure those assets are positioned properly."
Vanessa nodded enthusiastically.
"Especially with inflation and everything."
I almost laughed.
Vanessa had once asked me whether a Roth IRA was a retirement community.
Now she was giving me financial advice.
Jake leaned back.
"Robert knows some excellent investment people."
"Really?"
"Best in the state," Robert said.
I tilted my head.
"What kind of investments?"
He looked pleased by the question.
"Private placements. Real estate partnerships. Business opportunities with strong growth potential."
"Sounds complicated."
"Not for people who know what they're doing."
Vanessa smiled.
"That's why it's so wonderful that Jake can handle all the boring stuff for you."
I looked at her.
"Do you think I can't?"
Her smile froze.
"Oh, no! I didn't mean—"
Jake laughed.
"Emily, she's complimenting me."
I smiled sweetly.
"Of course."
Dinner began.
For twenty minutes, we discussed ordinary things.
The weather.
Robert's golf tournament.
A new office building downtown.
Then Jake steered the conversation back to money.
"Em, I was thinking we could use part of your inheritance to invest in the new expansion."
I put down my fork.
"What expansion?"
"Our company is considering opening another office."
Robert nodded.
"Potentially huge opportunity."
Vanessa leaned forward.
"And we already have some amazing clients interested."
I remembered the financial chart Daniel had shown me.
Substantial liabilities.
Questionable transactions.
A company that might be struggling to survive.
"How much would you need?" I asked.
Jake and Robert exchanged a glance.
"Nothing unreasonable," Jake said.
"How much?"
"Maybe two hundred thousand to start."
I took a slow sip of water.
Two hundred thousand dollars.
A quarter of Dad's entire estate.
"And what would I receive in return?"
Jake blinked.
"What do you mean?"
"Would I become a shareholder?"
Robert shifted.
"Well, there are several structures we could discuss."
"Would I receive audited financial statements?"
The silence was immediate.
Jake stared at me.
"Audited what?"
"Financial statements."
I smiled.
"Dad always said you should understand something before putting money into it."
Vanessa reached for her wine.
Robert cleared his throat.
"Naturally, we'd make sure everything was properly documented."
"Excellent."
I resumed eating.
Jake's hand tightened around his knife.
I could feel his irritation radiating across the table.
After dessert, Vanessa excused herself.
Jake followed moments later.
He claimed he needed to return an important call.
Robert remained across from me.
"Emily," he said, "can I give you some friendly advice?"
"Of course."
"Your father was a very cautious man."
I looked at him.
"Yes, he was."
"Sometimes too cautious."
My pulse quickened.
"How so?"
"He didn't always understand modern business."
I thought of Dad balancing a household budget on a postal worker's salary while somehow saving hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"Really?"
Robert leaned closer.
"Jake has big plans. You don't want grief or old-fashioned thinking to make you miss an opportunity."
I folded my hands.
"What opportunity?"
"To build something together."
I watched him carefully.
"Robert, did my father ever give you money?"
His eyes flickered.
"Why would you ask that?"
"Just curious."
"No."
The lie came so easily that I almost admired it.
Daniel had shown me documents suggesting otherwise.
Robert smiled.
"Look, Emily, nobody wants to pressure you."
That was when I noticed his phone.
It lay facedown beside his plate.
A message appeared on his smartwatch.
He glanced at it.
I could read only three words.
She suspect anything?
Robert immediately lowered his wrist.
"Excuse me," he said.
He stood and headed toward the hallway.
I waited fifteen seconds.
Then I rose.
I didn't follow him into the private corridor.
Instead, I walked toward the ladies' room.
The club's layout placed the restrooms beside a small outdoor terrace.
As I approached, I heard Vanessa laughing.
"I told you she'd be easy."
I stopped.
A service door stood partly open.
Through it, I could hear three voices.
Jake.
Robert.
Vanessa.
"She asked about audited statements," Robert muttered.
Jake snorted.
"She probably heard the phrase on television."
Vanessa laughed again.
"She looked so serious."
I pulled out my phone and started recording.
Jake lowered his voice.
"Relax. Emily doesn't understand the first thing about business."
Robert sounded less confident.
"Her attorney does."
"Margaret Sullivan is old. She's going to hand over the money eventually."
"She's not that old," Vanessa said.
Jake ignored her.
"The point is, once Emily deposits the estate proceeds into the joint account, we move fast."
Robert asked, "What if she refuses?"
"She won't."
"And if she does?"
A pause.
Then Jake spoke.
"We have options."
My throat tightened.
"What options?" Vanessa asked.
"I've been documenting her behavior."
I pressed myself against the wall.
Robert said nothing.
Jake continued.
"Crying spells. Forgetfulness. Emotional instability."
Vanessa giggled.
"She cried at her father's funeral, Jake. Everybody cries at funerals."
"Exactly. But if we make it look like she's unraveling, maybe she'll agree to let me manage the funds. And if not, my attorney can explore whether we have grounds to seek temporary financial protections."
Robert sounded uneasy.
"You're talking about going pretty far."
"I'm talking about securing what should be mine."
I gripped my phone so tightly that my fingers hurt.
Vanessa's voice softened.
"Baby, you promised we'd be in Florida by Christmas."
"We will."
"I already told my mother."
Jake laughed.
"Then we'd better not disappoint her."
I heard kissing.
For one terrible moment, I wanted to burst through the door.
I wanted to slap Jake.
I wanted Vanessa to see exactly what she had helped destroy.
But I remembered Margaret's warning.
Do not confront them.
So I stayed still.
And kept recording.
Robert interrupted.
"There's still the Walter issue."
My breathing stopped.
Jake's tone changed.
"What about him?"
"He was asking questions before he died."
"Well, he's dead now."
My heart seemed to crack.
Robert lowered his voice.
"His accountant might still have copies."
Jake said nothing.
Then Vanessa asked a question that froze me.
"Jake, are you sure Walter didn't tell Emily about the money you took from his account?"
I leaned closer.
Jake snapped, "Keep your voice down."
Robert swore.
Vanessa continued.
"I'm just asking."
"Nobody knows about that."
Robert responded sharply.
"I told you not to touch the old man's accounts."
Jake's voice became venomous.
"I didn't take anything I wasn't entitled to."
"That's not how a bank sees it."
Another silence.
Then Jake said, "Walter promised me that money."
My knees nearly buckled.
More money?
Dad had already loaned Jake over forty thousand dollars.
What else had he taken?
Robert hissed, "If that authorization was invalid, we've got a bigger problem than Emily's inheritance."
Jake laughed.
"Then it's a good thing Walter isn't around to argue."
The words struck me harder than anything else he had said.
I wanted my father.
Not his money.
Not his house.
Not revenge.
I wanted him sitting at our kitchen table, drinking black coffee and asking whether I remembered to change the oil in my car.
I wanted one more chance to tell him that he had been right.
Instead, I stood alone behind a service door, listening to my husband celebrate the fact that Dad could no longer defend himself.
My phone vibrated.
I nearly dropped it.
A message from Margaret appeared on the screen.
Daniel found another transaction. Call me as soon as you're alone.
I stepped away from the door.
But before I reached the hallway, Jake said something that stopped me again.
"Anyway, tomorrow's the important part."
Vanessa asked, "What's tomorrow?"
"The bank appointment."
Robert muttered, "You scheduled it already?"
"Nine-thirty. Emily thinks we're just updating our accounts."
Vanessa giggled.
"And after she signs?"
Jake answered.
"Then we won't need to worry about Walter Hayes ever again."
I returned to the table before they did.
I was smiling when Jake sat down.
He studied me.
"Everything okay?"
"Wonderful."
He looked suspicious.
"You're in a good mood."
I picked up my purse.
"I was just thinking about Dad."
His expression softened into the familiar performance.
"Oh, sweetheart."
"He always said you could learn a lot about a man by watching what he does when he thinks nobody is looking."
Jake chuckled.
"Sounds like Walter."
"It does, doesn't it?"
He reached for the check.
Then I smiled at all three of them.
"By the way, Jake, what time is our bank appointment tomorrow?"
His hand stopped.
Robert stared into his glass.
Vanessa lowered her eyes.
Jake looked at me.
"Bank appointment?"
I nodded.
"Nine-thirty, right?"
For the first time all evening, my husband couldn't find a lie quickly enough.
And that was when I knew.
May you like
I didn't have to chase the truth anymore.
All I had to do was keep listening.
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