Chapter 7: The Moment He Thought He Could Still Win
Daniel called Grace's office the next morning at eight-fifteen.
He didn't go through Prescott.
He called himself.
Grace put him on speaker.
I sat across the desk from her, coffee in hand, and listened.
"I want to talk to Claire directly," he said.
"Claire is present," Grace said.
"You're on speaker."
A pause.
"Claire."
I didn't answer.
"I know how this looks," he said.
"I know what Vanessa told you.
But you need to understand — she approached me.
Two years ago.
She made it very clear what she wanted.
I made mistakes, I know that, but she is not innocent in this."
I looked at Grace.
Grace looked at her notepad.
"The fire was supposed to be contained," he said.
"It was never supposed to reach the main house.
Something went wrong with the accelerant placement and it spread faster than—" He stopped.
"I'm not saying this right."
"No," I said.
"You're not."
"Claire." His voice changed.
Softer.
The voice I had known for fourteen years, the one he used when he wanted something.
"We have a daughter.
Whatever you think of me right now, Lily needs her father.
If this goes to the DA, if this becomes a criminal case — what does that do to her?
She's twelve years old.
She'll grow up with this."
I set my coffee cup down.
"Daniel," I said.
"You locked the door."
"The lock was—"
"You locked the door," I said again.
"And then you walked Vanessa across the lawn.
And when I pounded on the glass and you looked up at me — you turned away." I kept my voice level.
"Don't talk to me about what Lily needs."
Silence.
Then: "I'll give back the four million.
All of it.
Clean transfer, no conditions.
I'll drop the property amendment.
You keep everything — the house, the company shares, full custody of Lily.
I'll disappear.
You'll never have to see me again."
Grace's pen stopped moving.
"Everything," he said.
"In exchange for Claire telling the marshals the door was a malfunction.
That she was confused in the smoke.
That she's no longer certain of what she saw."
I looked at the speaker on Grace's desk.
"You want me to lie to a fire marshal," I said.
"In a criminal investigation.
About a fire you just admitted you planned."
"I want us both to walk away from this without destroying Lily's life."
"You should have thought about Lily's life before you lit the match."
"Claire—"
"I'm going to ask you one question," I said.
"And I want you to think carefully before you answer."
He was quiet.
"Did you expect us to survive?"
The silence stretched for four seconds.
I counted them.
"Of course I did," he said.
But it took four seconds.
Grace looked at me.
I nodded once.
"Daniel," Grace said, "this call is being recorded with your implicit consent under Massachusetts law.
I'd recommend you speak with Prescott before calling this office again."
The line went quiet for a moment.
"You were recording this," he said.
"We record all calls to this office," Grace said.
"It's in our standard engagement letter.
Which your attorney has a copy of."
Another silence.
When Daniel spoke again, the softness was completely gone.
"You want a war," he said.
"Fine.
I have resources you haven't touched yet.
I have people who will testify that Colonel Hale's company had serious liability issues that Claire covered up after his death.
I have documentation that she misrepresented the company's financial position to the board.
I will burn everything down before I let her take me apart piece by piece."
Grace wrote something on her notepad and turned it toward me.
*He just threatened to fabricate evidence.
On a recorded line.*
I looked at the speaker.
"Goodbye, Daniel," I said.
Grace ended the call.
The office was very quiet.
"He's going to move fast now," Grace said.
"He'll try to get to someone on the Hale Strategic board before we do."
"Who would he go to?"
"Hartwell," she said.
"Board member since your father's time.
He and Daniel have had dinner twice in the last three months." She paused.
"I only know because Marcus flagged it."
I stood up.
"Set up a board call for this afternoon," I said.
"All members.
I'll run it myself."
Grace was already reaching for her phone.
"And Grace," I said.
"Send the recording to the DA's office."
She looked up.
May you like
"All of it," I said.
"Including the part where he admitted the fire was planned."
