Chapter 10 - The Child Frank Harrison Kept in a Ledger

Daniel and I sat in a conference room alone.

Not because I trusted him.

Because I did not want Ellie hearing this before I understood it myself.

“You have ten minutes.”

Daniel looked exhausted.

“You deserve more than ten.”

“Then use them efficiently.”

He almost smiled.

It vanished.

“When I was nineteen, I dated a woman named Susan Avery.”

I had never heard the name.

“We were together for about six months.”

“Before me.”

“Five years before.”

“So far, none of this is a crime.”

“No.”

He looked at the folder.

“She became pregnant.”

My stomach tightened.

“What happened?”

“She told me she was ending the pregnancy.”

“Did she?”

“I thought so.”

“You never went with her?”

“She didn’t want me there.”

“Did you offer?”

“Yes.”

I believed him.

That almost annoyed me.

“Then?”

“She ended things. I left for trade school. I never saw her again.”

“Until?”

“I never saw her again.”

I stared.

“Then why did your father believe there was a child?”

“Because sixteen years ago a letter arrived.”

“From Susan?”

“No.”

“From whom?”

“Her sister.”

Daniel slid a photocopy toward me.

Dear Mr. Harrison,

Susan died last month. Before she passed, she asked me to tell you that Matthew is yours. She did not want money while she was alive. I think he deserves to know where he came from.

The room blurred.

A boy.

Matthew.

If alive, he would be twenty-five now.

“What did you do?”

Daniel’s shame answered before he spoke.

“I gave it to my father.”

“Why?”

“I was twenty-nine. We had just started the company. You were pregnant.”

“With the baby I lost.”

“Yes.”

“You were afraid.”

“Yes.”

I laughed without humor.

Everyone was afraid.

Our family tree apparently grew excuses.

“What did Frank do?”

“He said it was a scam.”

“And you believed him.”

“I wanted to.”

Honest.

Ugly.

“Did he investigate?”

“He said he did.”

“What did he tell you?”

“That Susan never had a son.”

“And then he created a custodial account.”

Daniel nodded.

“Years later, after he died, I found references to it.”

“You knew about the account.”

“Not the source of the deposits.”

“When did you learn?”

“Last week.”

I stared.

“Last week?”

“During sale due diligence.”

Of course.

Everything came back to the sale.

Peter had traced old transactions.

Frank had diverted approximately two hundred and sixty thousand over years into the account.

At first under the name Matthew Avery.

Then, after a legal amendment, under Ellie Harrison.

“What happened to Matthew?”

“I don’t know.”

My anger sharpened.

“You had seven years after Frank died.”

“I did not know Frank had found him.”

“But you knew the letter existed.”

“Yes.”

“And you never looked.”

“No.”

I stood.

Daniel did too.

“Claire.”

“No.”

I walked toward the window.

Chicago spread below us, full of windows holding people who probably believed their families were simpler than they were.

“You had a possible son.”

“Yes.”

“You chose not to know.”

“Yes.”

“Because knowing might disrupt your life.”

“Yes.”

He did not decorate it.

For once.

“What made you look now?”

“The custodial account.”

“And?”

“I hired an investigator.”

“When?”

“Six days ago.”

“Without telling me.”

“Yes.”

Of course.

“Did he find Matthew?”

Daniel took a breath.

“Yes.”

I closed my eyes.

“Where?”

“Chicago.”

I turned.

“What does he do?”

“He’s an architect.”

I almost laughed.

Of course.

A son of Daniel Harrison who designed buildings.

“Does he know?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“Susan told him before she died.”

“And he never contacted you?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“He hates me.”

Daniel’s voice was quiet.

I looked at him.

“For not finding him?”

“For something worse.”

There was always something worse.

“What?”

“Frank did find him.”

My stomach dropped.

“When?”

“When Matthew was ten.”

“What did Frank do?”

Daniel’s face tightened.

“He paid Susan’s sister to keep him away.”

“How much?”

“Monthly payments until Matthew turned eighteen.”

I stared.

“From company money.”

“Yes.”

The missing two hundred and sixty thousand.

Not theft for Frank’s gambling.

Money used to hide Daniel’s possible son.

Then the account shifted to Ellie after payments ended.

“Why Ellie?”

“Frank’s will instructed the bank to transfer anything remaining to his legal grandchild.”

His legal grandchild.

The phrase was crueler than I expected.

“Does Matthew want the money?”

“No.”

“What does he want?”

Daniel looked at me.

“Nothing.”

I understood why that frightened him.

People who want nothing cannot be negotiated with.

“How did you contact him?”

“I went to his office.”

“What happened?”

“He asked me to leave.”

“Did you?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

Daniel looked surprised.

I almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

“Does Lauren know?”

“No.”

“Rebecca?”

He hesitated.

“Yes.”

Of course.

“When?”

“Yesterday afternoon.”

“So when she walked into the ballroom, she knew.”

“Yes.”

Another layer.

“Why did she not tell me?”

“I asked her not to.”

“And she listened.”

“Yes.”

I sat again.

“Daniel, how many people have you asked to keep my life from me?”

He had no answer.

A knock came.

Peter opened the door.

“Claire.”

“What?”

“There is someone downstairs asking for you.”

My stomach tightened.

“Who?”

Peter looked at Daniel.

“Matthew Avery.”

Daniel went white.

“He came here?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Peter looked at me.

“He said he saw the video from last night.”

Of course he had.

Half of Chicago had.

“What does he want?”

Peter hesitated.

Then:

“He says he has documents Frank Harrison left with his mother.”

Daniel stood.

“What documents?”

Peter looked directly at me.

“Documents proving Daniel knew Matthew existed before he married you.”

The room went silent.

Daniel whispered, “That’s not possible.”

I looked at my husband.

He had said those words too many times for them to mean anything anymore.