Chapter 6 - The Long-Distance Lie
"Claire!" Derek’s voice was loud, sharp with an intensity that made me pull the phone slightly away from my ear. "Where are you? Are you okay? Where is Lily?"
"We're... we're at a motel," I cried, rubbing my eyes to keep the tears flowing, making my voice sound as breathless and panicked as possible. "Derek, the house... there was an explosion! We were leaving to go to the grocery store, and we were just down the street when we heard this horrible boom. We looked back and the whole house was on fire! It's all gone, Derek! Everything!"
Beside me, Sarah’s fingers were flying across her keyboard, monitoring the digital signal. A map of the East Coast appeared on her screen, with a pulsing red circle slowly narrowing down over regional Maryland.
"Oh my god," Derek said, his voice dropping into a register that was meant to sound shocked and devastated, but to my newly opened ears, sounded entirely hollow. "A gas leak... it must have been the furnace. Claire, thank god you and Lily are safe. Where are you right now? Tell me the address. I'll come get you."
"I don't know!" I cried, looking at Marcus, who gave me a reassuring nod. "I just started driving. I was so scared. There was a man... Derek, there was a man in a black car parked near our street. He followed us. He tried to stop us at the park! He had a gun, Derek! He shot at us!"
There was a long, heavy silence on the other end of the line. I could hear the faint sound of wind howling in the background on his end, accompanied by the distinct, low drone of a turboprop aircraft engine idling. He was definitely at an airfield.
"A man with a gun?" Derek said, his voice tighter now. "Claire, you're hysterical. You're imagining things. Who would want to shoot at you?"
"I don't know!" I screamed, letting my anger masquerade as panic. "He shot our mirror! Marcus was with us—he helped us get away!"
"Marcus?"
The name exploded from Derek’s mouth like a curse. I could practically feel the venom dripping through the phone line.
"What the hell is Marcus doing there? Claire, listen to me very carefully. Marcus is dangerous. He's unstable. He's the one who's trying to hurt you. He’s trying to set me up!"
"He saved us, Derek!" I sobbed. "He said you were in trouble. He said... he said you did this."
"He's lying!" Derek shouted. "He’s trying to destroy our family, Claire! He’s always been jealous of me. Listen to me. You need to get away from him right now. Tell me where you are. I’m in Maryland, finishing up some meetings. I can have a car sent to you in thirty minutes. Just give me the name of the motel."
On the laptop screen, the red circle was shrinking. It was hovering over a small private aviation strip near Hagerstown, Maryland.
Trace at 78%, Sarah wrote on a small notepad, sliding it into my line of sight. Keep him talking for two more minutes.
"I... I can't tell you, Derek," I stammered, pretending to hesitate. "I'm so confused. Marcus showed me some papers. He said you were moving money to Switzerland. He said you had a ledger."
I heard a sharp intake of breath on the other side of the line. When Derek spoke again, his voice had lost all of its fake husbandly concern. It was cold, sharp, and menacing.
"What ledger, Claire?"
"The... the business one," I whispered. "The one with the shipping numbers. He said you owed money to dangerous people. He said you wanted us dead for the insurance."
"You listen to me, you stupid bitch," Derek hissed, his voice dropping to a terrifying whisper. "You don't know anything. Marcus doesn't know anything. You’re going to tell me where you are right now, or I swear to God, you will never see the light of day again. I will find you. Leonard will find you. Do you understand me?"
Hearing him speak to me like that—completely dropping the mask of the loving, protective husband—did something to me. The last remnants of my fear evaporated, replaced by a cold, crystalline resolve.
"I understand completely, Derek," I said, my voice suddenly calm, steady, and entirely devoid of tears.
"What?" he snapped, taken aback by my sudden shift in tone.
"I understand that you're a monster," I said, looking directly at the laptop screen.
The progress bar hit 100%. A green text box popped up: TRACE COMPLETE. COORDINATES LOCKED. HAGERSTOWN REGIONAL AIRPORT, HANGAR 4.
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"And I also understand," I continued, a cold smile touching my lips, "that you just spent the last four minutes talking to a federal tracking wire. Have a nice flight, Derek."
Before he could answer, I pressed the red button, ending the call.
