Chapter 3
James met Colin at a diner outside the base.
I sat in the car with Emma, watching through the front window. James had asked me to wait, but he promised he would come get me if anything changed.
Colin arrived carrying a thick file. He looked exhausted.
They spoke for twenty minutes. Then James came back to the car and opened the passenger door.
“Colin wants to talk to you.”
“Why?”
“He says Lauren told him something about your family.”
“Something about me?”
“About Emma.”
My chest tightened.
I followed James inside.
Colin stood when we approached. He was broad-shouldered, with tired eyes and a wedding band on his left hand.
“Claire,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For not stopping this earlier.”
James’s expression sharpened.
“What did Lauren tell you?”
Colin looked around the diner.
“Can we speak somewhere private?”
We took a booth near the back. Emma stayed in her carrier beside me.
Colin began carefully.
He and Lauren had met online. She had told him her marriage was over and that she was staying with our parents while she worked out a separation.
“She said she had no children,” he added.
I blinked.
“She has a daughter.”
“I know that now.”
“She’s my sister.”
“I didn’t know.”
James leaned forward. “What happened?”
Colin had sent Lauren money twice. First, two thousand dollars for what she said were legal fees. Then five thousand for a car repair.
The money James had lent her was not for her car. Lauren had asked Colin for money first, then asked James to cover what she owed after Colin stopped responding.
“Why did you stop?” I asked.
“My wife saw the messages.”
“Does she know about the money?”
“Yes.”
He looked down at his hands.
“I was wrong to get involved. I’m not here to ask for sympathy. I’m here because Lauren said something that worried me.”
“What?”
“She said she could make sure your husband lost his career if he chose you over her.”
James’s face hardened.
“Did she explain how?”
“She said she had proof you were involved in misconduct.”
“I wasn’t.”
“I know. The complaint was reviewed. Nothing supported it.”
“When did she threaten that?”
“Three weeks ago.”
I thought of the Christmas dinner. Lauren had looked annoyed, not ashamed. She had been confident we would all protect her.
“What does the investigation have to do with Emma?” I asked.
Colin hesitated.
“Lauren told me your family had promised to help her raise money. She said James was holding it back.”
“What money?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did she ever mention an account belonging to Emma?”
“No.”
James sat back, jaw tight.
“Then why did she hit her?”
Colin rubbed his forehead.
“She told me she was tired of everyone treating you like the golden child.”
“I’m not the golden child.”
“I know.”
“Did she say anything else?”
He took a folded note from his file.
“She sent this last week.”
I opened it.
You said James would be out of the way. You promised this would be handled before he came home.
The message was addressed to Colin.
“What did she mean?”
“I don’t know. I thought she meant the complaint.”
James read it again.
“Did you reply?”
“I told her not to contact me.”
“Can we keep this?”
“Yes.”
Colin placed the original on the table.
“I should have told James when the messages started. I thought it was personal drama. Then I learned she was contacting his family.”
“Did she contact my parents?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
James studied the note.
“She said I’d be out of the way.”
“Maybe she thought you were staying overseas longer,” Colin said.
“I was scheduled to return in three weeks. My orders changed.”
The three of us looked at each other.
The words on the page suddenly felt less like gossip and more like a clue.
“Why would Lauren care when James came home?” I asked.
Colin shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
We left the diner and drove back to my parents’ neighborhood.
I asked James to stop outside the house.
“Why are we here?” he asked.
“I need to know if Mom knew about Colin.”
“You don’t have to confront them today.”
“I know.”
I sat in the car for a minute with Emma in my arms. Then I rang the bell.
My father opened the door.
His gaze went to James, then to me, then to Emma.
“Come in.”
My mother was in the living room. She stood as we entered.
“You should have called.”
“I didn’t think you’d answer honestly over the phone,” I said.
Her face tightened. “About what?”
“Did Lauren have a relationship with a married man overseas?”
My father froze.
My mother looked at him.
That was answer enough.
“You knew,” I said.
Margaret sat down.
“Lauren told me it was over.”
“When?”
“Months ago.”
“Did you know he was married?”
“Yes.”
“And you helped her hide it?”
“I didn’t help her hide anything.”
“You told me nothing.”
“You were already struggling with James being away.”
I laughed once.
“You thought I’d be upset that my sister was involved with a married man, so you kept it from me?”
“We were trying to keep the family calm.”
“Was she paying him back?”
My mother didn’t answer.
My father spoke instead.
“Lauren borrowed money from us, too.”
“How much?”
“About nine thousand.”
“Did you give it to her for legal fees?”
My mother looked toward the window.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
“You’re both acting as if I’m asking you to reveal state secrets.”
My father stood.
“Your sister made bad decisions. We tried to keep her from making worse ones.”
“By covering for her?”
“She’s our daughter.”
“So am I.”
The words came out before I could stop them.
My mother looked wounded.
I had spent years believing I had to earn the same place as Lauren. I had told myself that was childish. That it was old grief. That Mom and Dad loved us equally.
But when Emma was hurt, they had looked at their plates.
“Why did Lauren hit my baby?” I asked.
“She said she was reaching for a toy,” Mom said.
“Her hand was still in the air. She told me Emma needed to learn when enough was enough.”
My mother’s eyes filled.
“I don’t know what she meant.”
“Then ask her.”
“We have.”
“What did she say?”
“She said Emma startled her.”
“Babies cry. That doesn’t justify hitting one.”
“No one said it did.”
“You called it one mistake.”
Mom lowered her gaze.
James rested a hand on my back.
My father looked at him.
“Did you come here to threaten Lauren?”
“No,” James said. “I came to find out what happened.”
“Then don’t turn a private family matter into a military problem.”
“It became a military problem when Lauren threatened his career,” I said.
My father’s face changed.
“What?”
I told them about Colin.
My mother covered her mouth.
My father looked down at the carpet.
“Did Lauren tell you James was part of a military investigation?” I asked.
“No,” Mom said.
“Did she tell you she borrowed money from a married man?”
“No.”
“Did she tell you she threatened him?”
Neither parent answered.
I looked at them.
“You’ve been protecting her from consequences for so long that you don’t even know what she’s doing.”
My mother began to cry.
I didn’t comfort her.
I wasn’t punishing her. I simply had nothing to give her right then.
We turned to leave.
My father followed us to the door.
“Claire, wait.”
I stopped.
“Your mother and I are going to speak with Lauren.”
“Good.”
“She needs help.”
“Then help her get it. Don’t ask me to call this harmless.”
He nodded slowly.
Outside, James helped me secure Emma in her car seat.
“What now?” he asked.
“I don’t know.”
My phone buzzed.
May you like
A message from an unknown number.
If James keeps digging, he’ll find out what your parents paid to keep quiet.
