Chapter 10: The Barn

Desmond walked up the drive.

He had a leather folder under his arm and the black car behind him with its engine running.

Jarrett came down the porch steps and stopped at the bottom, filling the path.

"This is private property," he said.

"I'm here for my wife," Desmond said pleasantly.

"She's not your wife."

"Ex-wife. I'm here with a gift."

He opened the folder and held out one sheet of paper to me, past Jarrett's arm.

I took it.

"Five million dollars," Desmond said. "A house in Santa Fe. A nice quiet life with no one looking. All you have to do is sign."

The paper was titled ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF IDENTITY.

I read it standing in the red light with Jarrett's shoulder against mine.

Clause one said that I, Calla Wray, acknowledged Kiera Tolan as the author of Lumen.

Clause two said I would make no further public statement.

Clause four was longer.

"Clause four," I read aloud.

"'The undersigned further acknowledges that all signatures made under the Hartsfield release key were made with her knowledge and consent.'"

"'Including the change order of March the ninth.'"

Nobody said anything.

A cicada ticked in the cedar.

"You want me to say I signed it," I said.

"I want you to be comfortable," Desmond said.

"You want me to own the cut. The thirty percent. The gates."

"You're twisting a standard clause."

"There's no standard clause that names a change order from March, Desmond."

I held the page up to the light.

"You're offering me five million dollars to confess to something you did with my key," I said.

"That's what this proves. You know there's an order. You know whose key signed it."

"You know it's a problem."

His smile finally slipped a notch.

"It proves nothing," he said. "Sign it or don't."

"I'll keep it."

"That's my copy."

"Then you'll have to come and take it," said Odessa.

She had come down off the porch with her phone in one hand, held up like a candle.

The screen was lit red.

"I started recording when you got out of the car," she said.

"Every word, honey. Five million, Santa Fe, clause four."

Keep reading free with an account. Start You Divorced a Genius Heiress from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.