Chapter 36 THE PHOTOGRAPH

Chapter 36 THE PHOTOGRAPH


THE PHOTOGRAPH

Sienna's POV

I can't stop staring at the photograph.

The coffee shop around me buzzes with morning noise but I'm somewhere else. Twenty years in the past. Watching two figures stand together planning something terrible.

One figure is blurry. Unidentifiable. Could be anyone.

The other is crystal clear. And impossible.

Catherine Harrington. Ethan and Adrian's mother.

My phone sits on the table between me and Detective Chen. The photo pulled up on the screen. She's been studying it for ten minutes without speaking.

"You're sure that's her," she says finally.

"I'm sure. That's Catherine. Twenty years ago but still recognizable. Same posture. Same profile. Same everything."

"And Morgan's journal says this person was meeting with whoever pushed you."

"Yes. November twelfth. Two months after the river incident. Morgan saw them together. Took this photo. Wrote that it was bigger than they thought."

"Why would Catherine Harrington want to kill you? You didn't even know her family back then."

"I don't know. That's what I need to figure out before Saturday."

"Saturday?"

"Dinner party at Ethan's house. Catherine will be there. And I'm expected to show up and pretend everything is normal."

"You can't go. Not until we figure out what's happening."

"If I don't go she'll know something is wrong. She'll know I found out. And whoever is working with her will panic."

"Exactly. Which puts you in danger."

"I'm already in danger. Someone called yesterday threatening me. Someone who knows I have the journals. Someone who's scared of what I'll find. Hiding won't change that."

Detective Chen closes her laptop. Rubs her temples. "This is officially above my pay grade. We're talking about one of the wealthiest families in the city. With lawyers and connections and resources I can't match. If we're going to pursue this we need concrete evidence. Not twenty year old photos and journal entries from someone who's dead."

"So what do I do?"

"You stay alive. You don't confront anyone. You don't let on that you know anything. And you let me do my job. I'll pull everything I can find about Catherine Harrington from twenty years ago. Financial records. Travel history. Phone records if they still exist. See if there's any connection to you or your family."

"What connection could there be? I was nobody. My family was nobody. We didn't run in the same circles."

"Maybe not directly. But money connects everything eventually. Your parents might have worked for someone who worked for someone who had business with the Harringtons. Or maybe you witnessed something. Or knew something. Or were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"And Catherine decided to kill me for it?"

"Catherine might not have been the one who made the decision. She might have just been the messenger. The person meeting with whoever did the actual pushing. Rich people rarely get their hands dirty. They hire others. Pay others. Use others."

My coffee has gone cold. I push it away. "I married into this family. I was engaged to Adrian. I've sat at dinner tables with Catherine. Listened to her talk about charity work and social causes. And the whole time she might have been the person who tried to kill me."

"Or she might be innocent. We don't know anything for sure. All we have is a photo of her meeting someone. That's not evidence of attempted murder."

"Then what is it evidence of?"

"That she knew something. Or was involved in something. Or was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just like you."

My phone buzzes. Text from Adrian.

Adrian: Mom mentioned you're coming to dinner Saturday. She's excited to see you. Says it's been too long.

My stomach turns. Catherine is excited to see me. The woman who might have tried to kill me wants to sit across a dinner table and make small talk.

Me: Looking forward to it too.

The lie tastes bitter.

Detective Chen watches me type. "You're really going through with this."

"I have to. If I don't show they'll know something is wrong. And I need to see her. Need to look her in the eyes. Need to see if I can tell whether she's guilty or innocent."

"That's not how investigations work. Guilty people don't wear signs. They look like everyone else. That's how they get away with it."

"Then help me. Tell me what to look for. What questions to ask. How to get information without giving away what I know."

She pulls out a notebook. Starts writing. "Don't ask direct questions. People get defensive. Instead ask about the past. About what she was doing twenty years ago. About where she was that summer. Make it casual. Make it seem like small talk. See if she mentions anything about the river or that area or that time period."

"What if she doesn't?"

"Then you ask about charitable work. About causes she supported back then. See if any of them connect to your family or your neighborhood or anything that would put her in your orbit."

"And if she asks why I'm asking?"

"You're writing another book. Researching family histories. Doing background for a novel. Whatever lie keeps her talking without raising suspicion."

I write this down. Try to memorize it. Try to prepare for a conversation that could either prove Catherine's innocence or confirm she tried to murder me.

"What about the other person in the photo?" I ask. "The blurry one. Any way to identify them?"

"I'll send it to our tech team. See if they can enhance it. But don't get your hopes up. It's a twenty year old photo taken from a distance. Enhancement only works in movies."

"So we might never know who actually pushed me."

"We might. Or we might find out it was Catherine all along and she just wore a hood. Or we might find out Morgan imagined the whole thing and this is a wild goose chase. That's why we investigate. To find truth instead of assumptions."

We sit in silence. Around us people order coffee. Have normal conversations. Live normal lives. Nobody knows the woman at the corner table is trying to solve her own attempted murder.

My phone buzzes again. Ethan this time.

Ethan: Can you come early on Saturday? Around five? Want to talk before everyone arrives.

Me: What about?

Ethan: Julia is pregnant again. We haven't told anyone yet. Wanted you to know first.

Something warm spreads through my chest. Despite everything. Despite the investigation and the fear and the danger. Ethan is having another baby and he wants me to know first.

Me: That's wonderful. Congratulations. I'll be there at five.

Ethan: Thanks. Means a lot that you're still part of our lives despite everything.

Me: Always.

I set down my phone. Look at Detective Chen. "Ethan wants me there early. Five instead of seven. To tell me something before the party."

"Good. That gives you time to scope the place. See who arrives when. Watch how Catherine interacts with people. Observe without being obvious."

"This feels like I'm going undercover."

"You are going undercover. Into your own past. Into a family you used to belong to. Into a situation that could get you killed if you're not careful."

"Very reassuring."

"I'm not here to reassure you. I'm here to keep you alive. And staying alive means being smart. Being cautious. Being ready to run if things go wrong."

"How will I know if things go wrong?"

"Trust your gut. If something feels off it probably is. If someone says something that doesn't sit right pay attention. If Catherine does anything suspicious leave immediately and call me."

"What counts as suspicious?"

"Anything that makes you uncomfortable. Anything that seems too coincidental. Anything that feels like a threat even if it's disguised as kindness."

She stands. Puts money on the table for her coffee. "I'll have everything I can dig up on Catherine by Saturday morning. Meet me here at noon. I'll brief you on what I found. Then you go to that dinner with as much information as possible."

"And if what you find proves she tried to kill me?"

"Then we arrest her. And you don't go anywhere near that house."

"And if what you find proves she's innocent?"

"Then we keep digging. Because someone pushed you. Someone threatened you. Someone killed Morgan. And that someone is still out there."

She leaves. I sit alone with cold coffee and a photograph that changes everything.

Catherine Harrington. Mother of the man I married. Mother of the man I got engaged to. Woman who sat at my wedding. Woman who welcomed me into the family. Woman who smiled and made small talk and acted like she cared.

Woman who might have tried to murder me when I was fifteen.

I pull out Morgan's journals. Keep reading. Looking for more mentions of Catherine. More evidence. More proof.

"December 1st. I haven't seen the tall figure in weeks. Maybe they gave up. Maybe they realized Sienna is too careful now. Maybe they decided it's not worth the risk.

But the person from school is still around. Still watching. Still meeting with others. I've seen them three more times. Always with different people. Always having quiet conversations. Always looking over their shoulder like they're afraid of being caught.

I tried to get closer last time. Tried to hear what they were saying. Caught a few words. Inheritance. Money. Problem. Accident.

It's about money. It's always about money with rich people. Someone wants money and Sienna is in the way. That's the only explanation that makes sense."

Inheritance. Money. Problem. Accident.

My hands shake as I write this down. Catherine Harrington has money. Lots of money. Old money. Family money. The kind of money people kill for.

But what inheritance could I possibly threaten? I didn't know the Harringtons twenty years ago. Didn't know anyone in their circles. Was just a fifteen year old kid from a middle class family.

Unless.

My phone is in my hand before I finish the thought. Dialing my mother. She answers on the third ring.

"Sienna. What a surprise. You never call."

"Mom. I need to ask you something about twenty years ago."

"Twenty years ago? That's oddly specific."

"The summer I almost drowned. Do you remember anything unusual happening around that time? Anything with money or inheritance or legal issues?"

Silence. Long enough that I think she hung up.

"Mom?"

"Why are you asking about this?"

"Just answer the question. Please."

More silence. Then a sigh. "Your grandmother died that summer. Your father's mother. She left everything to your father. Her house. Her savings. Everything. It wasn't much but it was something."

"How much?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Mom. How much?"

"About two million. The house was worth more than we thought. In a neighborhood that was being developed. Your father sold it immediately. Used the money to start his business. That's how we moved from the apartment to the house on Maple Street."

Two million dollars. Twenty years ago. That's real money. Life changing money.

"Did anyone contest the will? Try to claim the inheritance?"

"There was some family drama. Your father's cousin thought she should get half. Said your grandmother promised her money. But the will was clear. Everything went to your father."

"What was the cousin's name?"

"Margaret. Margaret Harrington. She married into money after that. Some wealthy family. Haven't heard from her in years."

The world tilts. Margaret Harrington. Catherine's sister in law. Part of the same family I married into. Connected to the same money and power and influence.

"Mom. Did Margaret ever threaten Dad? Ever say anything about getting revenge?"

"Not that I know of. Why are you asking all this?"

"I'm writing a book. Family history. Just researching."

"You and your books. Always digging up the past. Some things are better left buried Sienna."

Same words the caller used. Some secrets are better left buried.

"Thanks Mom. I have to go."

I hang up before she can ask more questions. Immediately call Detective Chen.

"I found the connection. My grandmother died that summer. Left everything to my father. Two million dollars. His cousin Margaret contested the will. Lost. Margaret married into the Harrington family. Catherine's sister in law."

"So Catherine might have helped Margaret try to eliminate your father's heir. Eliminate you. So the inheritance would revert to Margaret."

"That's insane. That's murder for money."

"That's the oldest motive in the world. And two million dollars twenty years ago is worth killing for."

"But I was fifteen. Even if I died the money still would have gone to my father."

"Unless the plan was to kill your whole family. Make it look like an accident. Start with you at the river. Make it look like you slipped. Then move on to your brothers. Your parents. One by one until Margaret was the only family left."

My stomach lurches. "They were going to kill my entire family."

"Maybe. Or maybe just you. Maybe scaring your father was enough. Maybe after you survived they decided it was too risky. We don't know. But it's a theory. A motive. Something concrete to investigate."

"Margaret will be at the dinner. Catherine's sister in law. Family. She'll be there."

"Then you need to be very careful. Because if she figures out you know she's not going to let you walk away. Not this time."

"What do I do?"

"You stay in public. You don't go anywhere alone. You keep your phone on you. And you text me every thirty minutes so I know you're alive. If I don't hear from you I'm sending every cop I have to that address."

"This is insane. I'm going to a family dinner not a war zone."

"Those might be the same thing. Be careful Sienna. These people have already tried to kill you once. They won't hesitate to try again."

She hangs up. I sit in the coffee shop trying to process everything.

My grandmother's inheritance. Margaret Harrington. Catherine. The push at the river. Twenty years of lies. Twenty years of danger I didn't know existed.

And in three days I'm walking into a house full of people who might want me dead.

With only myself to protect me. And journals from someone who couldn't protect themselves.

But I have to go. Have to see this through. Have to find out the truth.

Because hiding didn't save me twenty years ago.

And it won't save me now.

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