Sister Dear

by Hannah Mary McKinnon

  I opened the top drawer of his desk, looked through everything with enough stealth to not displace things and make it obvious someone had searched for something. There was nothing in the top drawer, but in the middle one a folder with Bell Hops’s latest financial reports caught my eye, and I flicked through the profit and loss statement. I’d assumed the company was doing well, and while I wasn’t an accountant like my mother, I knew enough to tell Bell Hops was in trouble. Big trouble. Over half a million dollars lost this year alone. I turned the page, studied the balance sheet, compared assets and liabilities. The debt load was huge and I estimated if they didn’t do something soon, their cash flow wouldn’t last the winter.

  I shook my head, refocused on my hunt for evidence of Hugh’s affair, spotted a plain white cardboard box at the back of the third drawer, hidden behind the hanging folders, about a third of the size of a shoebox.

  I lifted it out and opened it up, hands trembling, my throat dry. Tucked underneath a stack of business cards was a set of birth control pills, a week of them already punched out. Why the hell did Hugh have them in his drawer? Was it an old pack belonging to Victoria, perhaps? But why would he have it at the office? Maybe it belonged to his mistress, but that didn’t make sense, either.

  I put the pills down and kept going, still unsure of what I was looking for, exactly, and hoped I’d know when I found it. But after searching through the rest of the drawers, I’d found nothing screaming adulterer. I dug through a pile of old papers on the floor next to me, flipped through binders and notepads, coming up empty again and again, my frustrations rising.

  Time was disappearing fast, and soon the first of my colleagues would arrive. I crossed to the bookcase and pulled out a few binders, found nothing and moved on to one marked Obsolete. As I did so, a small orange envelope fell to the floor. I snatched it up and emptied the contents on the desk, letting out a loud gasp.

  Photographs. Three black-and-white close-ups of a naked woman on a bed, her head deliberately cropped out. In one of the shots her legs were slightly parted as she knelt on the pillow, one hand placed strategically enough it still left something to the imagination, the other covering a breast. I knew where they’d been taken, I’d seen those pillowcases before, and while the embroidered word was almost obscured by the woman’s thigh, there was enough for me to know exactly what it said. Hugh.

  As far as nudes went, they’d been tastefully shot, and were reminiscent of the picture of Victoria hanging in their bedroom. Except it wasn’t her, and I knew this because of two things. One; with her back arched, I could see this woman’s hair spilling in waves over her shoulders—not dark hair like Victoria’s, but a light shade of blond. And two, the hint of a Celtic tattoo I could just about make out on the woman’s wrist. Both Hugh and I knew someone with that kind of a tattoo, someone he saw and interacted with every day. Often had lunch with. Someone who fluttered her eyelashes whenever he walked into the office. Genie.

  “You bastard,” I said, stuffing the photographs into my bag before reconsidering. If Hugh knew Victoria was on to him and Genie, he’d dispose of any other evidence, and Victoria would lose the advantage. It would be easy enough for her to hire a proper private detective to follow her husband around and get all the evidence she needed. I smacked the pictures down on his desk and took photos of them with my phone.

  As I went to slip them back in the envelope, I spotted something on the floor. A piece of paper—it must’ve fallen when I’d pulled out the pictures. I unfolded it, my eyes darting across the page. It was a letter dated a few weeks ago, responding to the request to increase Victoria’s life insurance, confirming it was “in process.”

  “Jesus Christ,” I whispered. “Five million?”

  Had Victoria known about the change? Had it been approved since the letter had arrived? For an amount that large she would’ve seen the original request, surely? She’d have signed it, and what about a medical? She hadn’t mentioned anything, then again we hadn’t gone into any detail about our personal finances. Aside from her comment about her lack of interest and leaving it all to Hugh, she’d said nothing. Still, she had to know about such a hefty increase.

  Unless Hugh had got her to sign something while fobbing off her questions. But why?

  I shuddered as the numbers on Bell Hops’s financial statements zoomed into my brain. The company was losing money, and a lot of it. But... I shook my head. No, Hugh wouldn’t. Adultery was one thing, but... I could barely get myself to think the word murder, except once it was in my head, I couldn’t make it leave. I grabbed my cell and dialed the number for the insurance company’s twenty-four-hour helpline. A representative called Sloane with a soft Texan drawl asked a set of security questions to verify my identity as Victoria Gallinger, all of which I answered with ease.

  “Okay, now, let me check.” She made tutting noises. “Oh, my stars, our system’s really slow right now. It’s been buggy for the last hour. No...wait...and we’re back. All righty, then. How can I help y’all?”

  “Uh...” I’d called on impulse without thinking things through. I struggled to stop my voice from sounding frantic and forced a smile, knowing it would alter my delivery. “Well, my husband and I spoke about increasing my life insurance, but I can’t remember the details.” I let out a small laugh and squeezed my eyes shut tight, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’m pregnant, and I’ve got a serious case of baby brain.”

  “Congratulations,” Sloane said as she tapped on her keyboard. “I mean about the pregnancy, not the baby brain. Oh, my, I remember when my first—”

  “I’m sorry, but I’m in a bit of a rush,” I said, cringing at my bluntness.

  “Oh, sure, sure. Let me see... Here it is. The coverage increased from two to five million.”

  “Increased? You mean it’s already been approved?”

  “Yes, ma’am. The payment cleared last week.”

  “And who’s the beneficiary?”

  Another few keyboard clicks. “Your husband. He’s listed as the sole beneficiary.”

  “Is that new, too?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Your previous policy listed your husband as the beneficiary, but if there were any children they were to receive fifty percent of the policy, split equally between them.”

  My hand dropped down and, without saying another word, I hung up. A shiver traveled down my spine as I tried to put the pieces together in some kind of logical order. Hugh was sleeping with Genie, probably. Bell Hops was going under, that was a certainty, and he stood to lose whatever he’d invested unless he poured more cash into the business. Cash he might not have in the first place, and certainly wouldn’t get if Victoria left him and enforced the prenup. But the life insurance increase had been applied for before she’d accused him of having an affair. Did that mean he’d been planning this—whatever this was—for a while?

  Somehow he’d managed to change her insurance and exclude children from being beneficiaries. I tried telling myself it made sense if they couldn’t have kids, but then why change it at all? And then I knew... Victoria had become pregnant, and while she said Hugh hadn’t known, maybe he’d found out. Had he caused the miscarriage somehow? Was that why he had birth control pills in his desk? Had he been giving them to her to make sure she didn’t get pregnant again before the insurance policy changed?

  Another shiver went through me at the thought of Hugh’s possible intentions. I couldn’t grasp he could be so evil. He’d seemed genuine on the surface, and a good boss, too—“The best I’ve ever had,” Genie had told me—but if still waters ran deep, he was the human equivalent of the Mariana Trench.

  I wanted to call Victoria and warn her, but couldn’t afford for her to shut down on me, and while the photos were evidence of an affair, the insurance information was pure speculation on my part. Except another terrifying thought occurred to me. Hugh’s first wife, Natalie, had died. Had the fire really been a terrible trag
edy, or was there more to it? Before I made any kind of allegations about Hugh, I needed to do more digging into his past, and as I stood there, I realized I knew just the right person to help.

  It wasn’t quite seven thirty, but I grabbed my phone and called Charlotte, grateful she’d insisted we swap numbers at the end of Victoria and Hugh’s pre-Thanksgiving dinner.

  “Hi, Charlotte, it’s Eleanor.”

  “Eleanor,” she said, sounding more than a little surprised. “Is everything okay?”

  “Uh, yeah, I’m good. Sorry to call you so early—”

  “Oh, don’t worry, the kids always get me up by six.” Her voice became muffled. “Girls, girls. I’m on the phone. Keep it down. Sorry, Eleanor.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “Would you believe there’s been a power outage at their school since last night? They had to cancel class for this morning at least. I was hoping for a quiet day, instead I’m on my second coffee already. Ugh. Anyway, it was lovely meeting you and Lewis the other week.”

  “Yes, it was,” I said, pushing a new level of bubbliness into my voice. “Victoria was so sweet to invite us.”

  “She’s a darling, she really is. Always has been.”

  “Actually,” I said, my mind speeding ten miles ahead. “I was thinking of throwing a surprise party for her. You know, to celebrate launching her new business. I’ve got a few ideas, but I’d love your input as the two of you are so close.”

  “Oooh, sounds lovely,” Charlotte said. “Tell me what you have in mind?”

  “Uh, well, can we meet? I could come over now.”

  “Well...is there a big rush? Can we talk about it on the phone?”

  “Some of my party ideas are a bit...uh, elaborate, you know? And I can show you some examples if we meet face-to-face. Besides, brainstorming works far better in person.” I crossed my fingers. I wanted to sit opposite her and gauge her reaction when I steered the conversation to Hugh and Victoria, and then to Hugh and Natalie.

  “Hmm... I promised to take the kids to Crackle today, God help me,” Charlotte said with a laugh. “It’s a new paint-your-own-pottery place they’ve been begging to go to for weeks.”

  “I could come there?”

  “Well, okay. If you don’t mind being surrounded by kids...”

  I glanced at my stomach and closed my eyes. “Not at all.”

  “I’ll send you the address. Meet me at nine?”

  “I’ll bring you a latte.”

  “Ha. Can you add a shot of Baileys?”

  Before I could answer, the lights went on in the hallway and I heard a deep laugh, followed by a pair of voices, one of them Hugh’s. Fuck. Victoria was supposed to have texted me when he left their place, but she hadn’t, and now I stood in his office, in the dark.

  “I’ll see you later, Charlotte,” I said, hanging up and scrambling to shove the photographs and insurance letter back into the envelope before returning it to its original place on the shelf. I ducked out of his office at the exact same time Hugh’s and Genie’s heads appeared at the bottom of the stairs, her luscious blond hair bouncing with every step, her three-quarter-length sleeves revealing the Celtic tattoo on her wrist.

  “Oh, hi,” she said when she saw me. Was a blush creeping up to her ears?

  “Morning.” Hugh beamed, not looking even slightly phased. “Couldn’t sleep, either?”

  “Not really, no,” I said, plastering ten layers of fake cheerfulness over my face. Two could play at the lying game. What he didn’t know was how much practice I’d had in recent weeks. “There’s a lot going on.”

  “Anything I can help with?” he said, and as his eyes dropped to my neck, I saw a small frown cross his face.

  My hand instinctively flew up to cover the jewelry from Victoria. Hugh hardly knew me—or my wardrobe—well enough to suspect it was new or that she’d given it to me, but I wasn’t taking any chances, not if my suspicions about him were even partially true.

  “I really should get to work,” I said, brushing past him and Genie, but as soon as they went to his office, laughing and chatting, I grabbed my bag and jacket and left Bell Hops without looking back.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  I SHOWED UP AT CRACKLE a few minutes early and peered in through the windows. The place was already busy, at least half of the dozen tables filled with tired-looking parents. Eager kids dressed in smocks had half-painted pieces of pottery in front of them, brushes clutched in their tiny hands, budding artists ready to create their masterpieces. I didn’t spot Charlotte, so I waited outside, stood under the awning to get out from the drizzle. She arrived ten minutes later, red-faced and blotchy, her updo more of a down-do as she hobbled along on her crutches with her mini-me girls in tow.

  “Hey,” she said. “Good to see you. Daisy, Lily, this is Eleanor. She’s a friend of mine and Auntie Victoria’s.” They looked up at me, muttering a quick hello. “Let’s go inside,” Charlotte continued. “Now, remember, girls, you can pick two pieces each, okay? Be careful and take your time. Don’t break anything.”

  It took a while for us to settle down, and I wondered how I’d get Charlotte to open up, given the fact we sat at a tiny table, my legs already cramping from being on a chair the size of a toadstool. Lily, tall and dancerlike, chose a frog and a race car, whereas Daisy, the younger one with a face full of freckles, selected a pumpkin and a piggy bank. The owner came over and distributed paint to the girls, and after Charlotte and I helped them put on their smocks and roll up their sleeves, they got to work.

  “About this party,” Charlotte said, turning to me. “What were you thinking?”

  “Uh, well,” I said, remembering a corporate event from years ago, “I thought we could start with a treasure hunt. Give her a single clue leading to another and another.”

  “That sounds fun. We could take her all over Portland.”

  “Sure, why not,” I said quickly.

  “And we could end up at her new office, decorated to the hilt. I could ask Hugh—”

  “No,” I said, and both Daisy and Lily looked up at me, their eyebrows raised in surprise. I lowered my voice. “Let’s keep this a secret from both of them. He’s been so involved with the business, it would be great to do something nice for him, too, don’t you think?”

  “Oh, yes. I completely agree,” Charlotte said.

  “He works so hard, he deserves a break.” How could I talk like this without throwing up?

  “Yes, he does.”

  I paused, gave a long, dramatic sigh Amy would’ve given me a standing ovation for. “Actually, sometimes I think he does far too much. I think... No...no, never mind...”

  “What’s wrong?” Charlotte said. “Is everything okay?”

  “Well...I’m a little worried about him, to be honest,” I whispered.

  She moved her chair a little closer to me, our knees almost touching. “Why?”

  “He’s always staying late at the office. I mean, I work long hours, but he’s worse.”

  Charlotte sat back and smiled. “Oh, well, that’s nothing new. He’s always been—”

  “Can I go to the bathroom, Mommy?” Daisy asked.

  “Sure, babycakes. Want me to come with you?” When Daisy shook her head, Charlotte added, “Okay. Lily, go with her, would you?”

  Lily rolled her eyes but dutifully trudged to the bathroom holding her younger sister’s hand, lining up behind a few kids already waiting. The opportunity gave me a bit of time to speed things up, so I made a quick calculation in my head and opted for a new angle.

  “Your girls are adorable,” I said. “They’re so well behaved.”

  Charlotte shook her head and blew out her cheeks. “Not always, believe me. Twenty minutes ago, I’d have sworn they were the spawn of Satan.”

  “Still, kids are great. You’re lucky... Victoria told me they’ve been tryi
ng, and I was so sorry to hear things aren’t working out for them. It’s incredibly hard for her.”

  “I know.” Charlotte leaned in. “It’s such a shame. So many of her friends have had babies and she feels so left out. She was in tears the other day, and I didn’t know what to say. I felt guilty because I have two lovely girls. She dotes on them, of course, but it’s not the same as having your own.”

  “No, I suppose it isn’t. But...I feel for Hugh, too,” I said, trying not to grit my teeth. “I mean, with what happened to his first wife, Natalie...? I couldn’t believe it. How horrible.”

  “Gosh, yes, heartbreaking.” She rolled a paintbrush under her fingers, her eyes welling up. “Nat was such a lovely person. I still miss her every day.”

  “Oh, Charlotte, I’m sorry.” I was going to hell for all the manipulation and the lies I was telling, but I had to keep going, I didn’t have much time. “I didn’t know you were so close.”

  “Best friends,” she said.

  “And Victoria knew her, too?”

  “They weren’t as close as Nat and me. But she still cried for weeks.”

  “You all knew each other then? From before? And Hugh, too?”

  “Kind of. I knew Nat from work and had introduced her to Victoria,” she said. “A month later we went to the movies. Victoria was late so we kept a spot for her between ours, and Nat ended up next to the only other spare seats in the entire theater. Anyway, when this guy arrived with a friend, he asked if the seats were taken, and he and Nat started talking.”

  “And that was Hugh?”

  “Yeah. They were great together, and a few months later they were engaged.” She smiled at the memory. “When they got married, Nat thanked Victoria for her crappy timekeeping because if she hadn’t been late, she might have ended up sitting next to Hugh and marrying him instead. God, talk about premonitions.”