And the letters she had saved contained something that could finally settle the question.
A copy of a letter from Ryan’s father.
A letter Patricia had told everyone never existed.
I hadn’t seen it yet. Elaine had refused to discuss its contents over the telephone.
But she had told me one thing.
“Whatever Patricia tells you about the past, Chloe, ask her why she never wanted Ryan to read his father’s last letter.”
Now I understood why Patricia was so desperate to keep us apart.
She wasn’t merely afraid of losing her son to another woman.
She was afraid of what that woman might discover.
I looked back at the envelope.
“Fifty thousand dollars,” I repeated.
“Yes.”
“And if I take it, you’ll leave Ryan alone?”
Patricia laughed.
“Once you’re gone, everything will return to normal.”
I let a few seconds pass.
Then I picked up the envelope.
“All right,” I said. “I’ll take it.”
