For a moment, we were young again.
Then my phone rang.
Maya.
I answered.
Her first sentence erased every trace of peace.
“Evelyn, we found who sent Caroline to Sophie's condo.”
We met at Maya's office.
Sophie arrived first.
Alex and I came together.
A file sat on the table.
Maya did not immediately open it.
“I need you all to understand something,” she said. “This information came from a forensic review of Caroline's encrypted phone.”
Alex's expression sharpened.
“We searched it months ago.”
“We searched what we knew existed.”
Maya turned a tablet toward us.
A hidden messaging application.
Several conversations.
No names.
Only numbers.
One account had contacted Caroline six months before Sophie's wedding.
THE EVIDENCE IS IN THE BROOKS PROPERTY.
Caroline replied:
CONFIRMED?
Answer:
YES. ALEX WILL NEVER LET THE GIRL SELL IT. THAT IS WHY.
Another message two months later:
MARRIAGE MUST HAPPEN BEFORE TRANSFER. OTHERWISE ALEX MAY INTERFERE.
