“Yes.”
“You knew she wanted a confrontation.”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t warn me.”
“No.”
The couple sitting nearby glanced over.
I lowered my voice.
Melissa did not defend herself.
She reached into her purse.
A flash drive appeared.
“This is why I called.”
I stared at it.
“What?”
“A recording.”
“Of?”
“Brooke and Derek.”
“When?”
“Four days ago.”
“Why were they at your house?”
“They wanted me to sign something.”
My skin went cold.
“What?”
“A statement.”
“What kind of statement?”
Melissa looked directly at me.
“They wanted me to say you were controlling.”
For several seconds, I did not understand the sentence.
Then I understood too well.
“What exactly?”
“That I'd seen you checking Brooke’s phone.”
“I never checked it.”
“I know.”
“Questioning where she went?”
“Yes.”
“She disappeared for hours.”
“I know.”
“What else?”
Melissa swallowed.
“That you'd become angry when she talked to other men.”
I stared at the flash drive.
Brooke did not only want to betray me.
She wanted to rewrite me.
Every reasonable question.
Every suspicious detail.
Every time I sensed something was wrong.
She intended to separate each moment from the lies surrounding it and turn my confusion into evidence against me.
“I refused,” Melissa said.
“What happened?”
“Derek got angry.”
“With you?”
“With Brooke.”
“Why?”
“Money.”
I frowned.
“What money?”
Melissa pushed the flash drive toward me.
“You need to hear it.”
CHAPTER 2: THE RECORDING
I did not listen in the coffee shop.
I drove to Rachel’s husband’s construction office.
Tom owned a medium-sized commercial contracting company and had a conference room in the back where nobody bothered him.
He listened while I explained.
When I finished, he asked:
“You believe Melissa?”
“I believe paper.”
“What about the recording?”
“Haven’t heard it.”
“Then listen before you do anything.”
That was the best advice anyone gave me that week.
We plugged in the drive.
The file ran nineteen minutes.
Brooke’s voice came first.
“You don’t understand Nathan.”
Derek:
“I understand you keep telling me he’s finished, but you still live with him.”
“I explained how this works.”
“No. You said you were leaving.”
“I am.”
“When?”
“After he reacts.”
Silence.
“What if he doesn’t?”
Brooke laughed.
“He will.”
Derek sounded irritated.
“He didn’t at the party.”
“He’s getting closer.”
I looked at Tom.
He stared at the laptop.
Then Melissa’s voice:
“I’m not signing this.”
Brooke:
“It isn’t legal.”
“It’s still a lie.”
“You’ve seen how jealous he gets.”
“I’ve seen him ask questions because you disappear.”
Brooke’s tone sharpened.
“Whose side are you on?”
Melissa answered:
“There shouldn’t be sides.”
Then Derek spoke.
“I’m tired of this.”