Chapter 3 - Thomas’s Phone Was Already Offline
The message came from Thomas’s number.
That did not prove Thomas typed it.
Police records showed his phone stopped connecting to cellular service at 8:43 the previous evening.
My message arrived at 10:17.
It could have been sent through another synchronized device.
Thomas owned an iPad.
So did Claire.
I had no idea where either was.
Marcus asked whether Thomas had access to my financial accounts.
“Some.”
That answer embarrassed me.
After twenty-two years of marriage, our finances had become a web of shared passwords, saved browsers, and convenience.
I managed the primary credit accounts.
Thomas handled investments.
Claire had helped me organize tax records after my mother died.
Three people had pieces.
Police asked me not to assume Thomas and Claire were acting together.
I laughed.
“You want me to believe Cancun is a coincidence?”
“No,” Marcus said. “I want you to separate what you know from what you think.”
I hated him for being right.
What I knew:
Thomas had flown to Cancun.
Claire had flown with him.
Hotel charges showed two people spending money.
A message said they had run away together.
What I did not know:
Who typed it.
Who initiated the wire.
Why Mar Azul Holdings already interested police.
Then Marcus showed me airport security footage.
Thomas and Claire entered Columbus airport together.
They were not holding hands.
They were arguing.
Claire carried a thick gray document envelope.
May you like
Thomas tried twice to take it from her.
Whatever took them to Cancun had begun before the supposed romantic escape.
