She Was Hired to Finish the Book—But the Last Chapter Was a Confession
CHAPTER 9
Mara drove to Vermont.
Daniel met her there.
The rehabilitation facility stood behind iron gates.
They obtained records through a lawyer Daniel knew.
Jane Mercer had been admitted under a false identity.
Her real name was Celia Vale.
Mara demanded to see her.
Eventually, a doctor agreed.
The woman sitting behind the glass looked nothing like the photographs.
Older.
Thin.
Her hair gray.
But the eyes were unmistakable.
Celia.
“You came,” she whispered.
Mara sat opposite her.
“You hired me.”
Celia smiled.
“I needed someone who understood stories.”
“Why?”
“Because no one believes a confession when the confessor has spent her life writing fiction.”
Mara felt a chill.
“Did you kill June?”
Celia’s eyes filled with tears.
“No.”
“Did you cause the accident?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To make Ethan believe I was dead.”
Mara stared.
“But he knew.”
“Eventually.”
“What about June?”
Celia looked down.
“June is alive.”
“Where?”
Celia shook her head.
“If I tell you, Ethan will find her.”
“Then why did you bring me here?”
“Because Ethan is going to kill me.”
Mara froze.
“When?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Why?”
“Because he knows I remember everything.”
Mara leaned closer.
“What happened to Richard?”
Celia closed her eyes.
“He discovered what Ethan was doing.”
“Financial crimes?”
“That was only part of it.”
“What else?”
Celia whispered:
“Ethan was selling identities.”
Mara stared.
“What?”
“People who needed to disappear. Witnesses. Criminals. Runaways.”
“And June?”
“June saw something she wasn’t supposed to see.”
Mara felt sick.
“What?”
“She saw Ethan kill Richard.”
Silence.
Celia opened her eyes.
“I thought I could protect her.”
“You hid her.”
“Yes.”
“Then why did you pretend she was dead?”
“Because Ethan was looking for her.”
Mara stood.
“I need proof.”
Celia smiled sadly.
“You already have it.”
“What?”
“The manuscript.”
Mara froze.
Celia continued:
“The story wasn’t a warning.”
“It was evidence.”
