Chapter 4: What Marcus Knew
His mother answered the door before he could knock.
Carol Hartley was sixty-three, small-framed, and sharp in the way only women who had raised difficult things alone could be.
She took one look at Ethan's face, then at Lily beside him, and stepped back to let them in without a word.
Lily went straight to the living room, found the basket of toys Carol kept near the window, and sat down on the rug.
Within two minutes she was arranging small plastic animals in a careful line, her rabbit propped against the basket beside her.
Carol handed Ethan a cup of coffee he hadn't asked for and sat across from him at the kitchen table.
"How bad?" she said.
"Bad."
He told her everything.
The chain.
The footage.
Marcus.
The texts.
Vivian's threat about the company.
Carol listened without interrupting.
When he finished, she wrapped both hands around her own cup.
"She threatened you with company records," Carol said.
"She said she kept records of decisions I made before the marriage."
"What decisions?"
"I don't know yet.
It could be nothing.
It could be something she's been building toward for a long time." He looked toward the living room.
Lily had moved on to stacking blocks.
"I need to know who Marcus is."
"You don't know him?"
"The name means nothing to me.
But Vivian's had his number since before we were married.
He's been coming to the house for at least six weeks that I can prove.
Probably longer."
Carol was quiet for a moment.
"There's something I should have told you sooner."
Ethan looked at her.
"About eight months ago, I saw Vivian at the shopping center on Renfield Street.
She didn't see me.
She was with a man — tall, dark jacket.
They weren't shopping.
They were standing near the side entrance, talking close." She paused.
"I told myself it was nothing.
I didn't want to cause trouble."
"Mom."
"I know." She set her cup down.
"I know."
"Did you see his face?"
"Clearly enough.
If you showed me a photo, I'd recognize him."
Ethan pulled out his phone.
He had captured a still image from the security footage before leaving the house — Marcus walking through the front door, face turned slightly toward the hallway camera.
He placed the phone on the table.
Carol looked at it for three seconds.
"That's him," she said.
Ethan nodded slowly.
He picked the phone back up.
"There's something else," Carol said.
"When you and Vivian first got engaged — do you remember her friend from the wedding planning?
The one who introduced you at the charity dinner?"
"Sandra Oakes."
"Sandra called me about two months after the wedding.
She seemed nervous.
She said she needed to tell me something about how the introduction happened.
That it wasn't as accidental as it looked." Carol met his eyes.
"I told her I didn't want to hear it.
That you were happy.
That Lily seemed settled." She pressed her lips together.
"I should have listened."
The block tower in the living room collapsed with a small clatter.
Lily laughed.
Both of them turned to look at her.
"She laughed," Carol said softly.
"She hasn't laughed like that here in months.
Every time you brought her recently, she was so quiet."
Ethan didn't answer.
He was already dialing.
The line rang twice.
"Daniel," he said when it picked up.
"I need you to find everything you can on a man named Marcus.
I have a photo.
I need a full name, background, and any connection to my wife." He paused.
"And I need you to pull the company records from 2019 and 2020.
Everything.
Before I talk to anyone else, I need to know what she thinks she has."
He ended the call.
Carol reached across the table and put her hand over his.
"Whatever she has," Carol said, "you didn't do anything wrong.
I know that."
"You don't know what she found."
"I know you." She squeezed once, then let go.
"Stay tonight.
Both of you.
Don't go back to that house alone."
From the living room, Lily called out, "Grandma Carol, can we have the biscuits?"
Carol stood up.
"We can absolutely have the biscuits."
Ethan stayed at the table.
He looked at the still image on his phone.
Marcus, mid-stride, walking through the front door of Ethan's house like he owned it.
His phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number.
May you like
*You saw the footage.
Now ask Vivian what she was paid to do.*
