“Tell me she’s lying.”
My voice sounded small in the server room.
Margaret stared at the dead screen.
“She’s twisting the truth.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
No answer.
Russell leaned against the wall.
“Margaret.”
She closed her
eyes.
Then she spoke.
“I did have the original files.”
Claire’s expression hardened.
“And my mother?”
Margaret looked at her.
“Eleanor knew I had copied Russell’s archive.”
Russell whispered, “You told me you only took financial records.”
“I lied.”
“What did you take?”
“Everything.”
His face went pale.
Margaret continued.
“Eleanor wanted to expose it. I wanted to disappear.”
Claire took a step forward.
“So you fought?”
“Yes.”
“Inside the car?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
Margaret’s eyes filled.
“Eleanor said if we survived Thomas following us, she would go straight to the police.”
Claire waited.
Margaret whispered, “I told her that would get us killed.”
“And?”
“She said she didn’t care.”
