Chapter 6 – Claire Bennett
Emma sat in her car outside the bank, gripping the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white.
The black file case rested on the passenger seat beside her.
A few minutes earlier, she had been ready to hand everything over to Detective Sarah Collins. Now, after the anonymous voicemail, she didn't know whom she could trust.
Was there really someone inside the police department helping Ryan?
Or was the mysterious caller manipulating her?
Either possibility was terrifying.
She looked at the sealed folder one more time.
Open only after you know who Claire Bennett is.
Who was Claire Bennett?
A witness?
A victim?
An accomplice?
Daniel Mercer had clearly believed the answer would change everything.
Emma started the engine and drove away from the bank.
Instead of going home, she parked outside a quiet coffee shop several blocks away.
She ordered a black coffee she had no intention of drinking and opened her laptop.
The search began with the obvious.
Claire Bennett.
Hundreds of results appeared.
A teacher in Oregon.
A doctor in Colorado.
An author.
A wedding photographer.
None of them seemed connected to Ryan, Harbor Ridge Development Group, or Daniel Mercer.
Emma narrowed the search.
"Claire Bennett" + Harbor Ridge Development Group
Nothing.
She tried another combination.
"Claire Bennett" + Ryan Carter.
Still nothing.
She sighed and leaned back.
Daniel hadn't left her a puzzle without clues.
She simply hadn't found the right one yet.
Then she remembered the financial records.
She opened one of the folders from the file case and began reviewing every page again.
On the fifth page, a small notation caught her eye.
CB Consulting LLC
The initials.
CB.
The company had received dozens of payments from Harbor Ridge over the previous year.
Each payment had been just under $10,000.
Small enough to avoid drawing attention.
Emma searched again.
CB Consulting LLC
This time, the result appeared instantly.
The company had been dissolved eleven months earlier.
Its registered owner:
Claire Elizabeth Bennett.
Emma clicked on the archived business filing.
A mailing address appeared.
Not a business office.
A residential home.
Only twenty minutes away.
Emma hesitated.
She knew she should call someone.
But who?
The police?
The anonymous texter?
Neither felt safe.
Finally, she folded the paperwork back into the file case and drove toward the address.
The neighborhood was older than hers, filled with tree-lined streets and modest brick homes.
Claire Bennett's house sat at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac.
The grass had grown high.
Newspapers were piled near the front door.
A faded FOR SALE sign leaned sideways in the yard.
Emma's stomach tightened.
She knocked.
No answer.
She knocked again.
Still nothing.
Just as she turned to leave, an elderly woman watering flowers next door called out.
"Looking for Claire?"
Emma walked over.
"Yes."
The woman sighed.
"You must not know."
"Know what?"
"She moved away."
"When?"
"Almost a year ago."
Emma tried to hide her disappointment.
"Do you know where she went?"
The woman shook her head.
"Poor thing."
Emma frowned.
"What happened?"
The neighbor looked around before lowering her voice.
"Her husband died."
Emma blinked.
"I'm sorry."
The woman nodded sadly.
"It happened very suddenly."
"What was his name?"
The neighbor thought for a moment.
"Michael Bennett."
Emma pulled out her phone and typed the name into her notes.
The woman continued.
"After the funeral, Claire packed everything she could fit into her car and disappeared."
"Did she have children?"
"A little girl."
Emma's heart softened.
"About Noah's age."
The woman smiled sadly.
"They used to play in the yard every afternoon."
Emma thanked her and walked back toward her car.
Something still didn't make sense.
If Claire had vanished eleven months ago...
Why had Daniel wanted Emma to find her?
Before starting the engine, Emma searched for Michael Bennett.
An obituary appeared.
She opened it.
Michael Bennett, age thirty-eight.
Beloved husband.
Devoted father.
Survived by his wife, Claire, and daughter, Sophie.
Cause of death:
Not listed.
Emma frowned.
She clicked another article.
This one came from a local business journal.
Financial Consultant Dies in Single-Vehicle Crash.
Her heart skipped.
Crash?
Just like Daniel.
Emma kept reading.
Michael Bennett had been a senior forensic accountant hired by several law firms to investigate corporate fraud.
One of his final clients...
Emma's breath caught.
Harbor Ridge Development Group.
She read the sentence three more times.
Michael Bennett had been investigating Harbor Ridge...
Then he died in what police ruled an accident.
Daniel Mercer investigated Harbor Ridge...
Now he was dead too.
Emma slowly closed the laptop.
Neither death felt like a coincidence anymore.
As she pulled away from the neighborhood, her phone buzzed.
Ryan.
For the first time since the birthday party, Emma answered.
There was a long silence before he spoke.
"You've been asking questions."
Emma kept her voice calm.
"I've been looking for answers."
"You need to stop."
"Why?"
Another silence.
Finally, Ryan said quietly,
"Because you're getting close to people who disappeared for a reason."
Emma's grip tightened on the steering wheel.
"You mean Daniel?"
Ryan didn't answer.
"Or Michael Bennett?"
The silence on the other end became absolute.
Then Ryan whispered something that made Emma's blood run cold.
"I never wanted either of them to die."
Before Emma could respond, the line went dead.
She stared at the phone in disbelief.
Ryan hadn't denied knowing them.
He hadn't denied Harbor Ridge.
Most importantly...
He hadn't denied that their deaths were connected.
At that exact moment, another text from the anonymous number appeared.
Good. He's finally telling the truth.
May you like
A second message followed almost immediately.
Now ask him about Sophie Bennett. She isn't missing. Ryan knows exactly where she is.
