Chapter 10 - The Name Vanessa BuriedMarcus Vale lived in Charlotte, North Carolina.

He wasn't Vanessa's former husband.

He was her younger brother.

That discovery relieved Daniel for approximately three seconds.

Then Rebecca found the civil lawsuit.

Seven years earlier, Marcus had sued his sister over ownership of a small investment company.

The dispute involved money their mother had left for Marcus's education.

The lawsuit had ended in a confidential settlement.

Rebecca obtained the public filings.

"According to the complaint, Vanessa controlled the funds while Marcus was a college student," she explained.

"Did she steal them?"

"That's an allegation. The settlement doesn't establish liability."

Daniel nodded.

He was learning to distinguish suspicion from proof.

Rebecca continued.

"The interesting part is Julian Vale."

"Her cousin?"

"No apparent family relationship. Vale is a common surname. But they've been business associates for at least nine years."

Daniel frowned.

"Why did Vanessa tell me Julian was somebody she met through a charity board?"

"That may be another question for her."

That evening, Daniel found Vanessa in the sitting room.

She had returned from an afternoon with friends and was reading messages on her phone.

"Who's Marcus?" he asked.

Her fingers stopped moving.

"My brother."

"You told me you were an only child."

"I told you my family wasn't close."

"That's not the same thing."

Vanessa set down the phone.

"Did you hire somebody to investigate me?"

"I'm trying to understand what you've been doing."

She folded her hands.

"Marcus is unstable. He sued me because he couldn't manage his money."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I wasn't interested in inviting family drama into our marriage."

Daniel sat opposite her.

"Did you authorize BrightPath to receive forty-eight thousand dollars?"

She stared at him.

"So that's what this is about."

"Answer the question."

"It was legitimate consulting."

"For whom?"

"For Naomi."

"Naomi has never been evaluated by a BrightPath clinician."

"Julian was arranging services."

"Julian is not a psychologist."

Vanessa stood.

"Do you want me to say I hate your daughter? Is that what would satisfy you?"

Daniel felt anger rise, but he remained seated.

"I want you to tell the truth."

Her voice sharpened.

"The truth is that you married me because you wanted somebody to take care of the child you couldn't bear to look at after Amara died."

Daniel flinched.

Vanessa noticed.

"You wanted a beautiful wife, a perfectly managed house, and somebody else to handle all the uncomfortable parts of parenting."

"You're right about what I wanted."

The admission startled her.

"But I didn't give you permission to hurt her."

Vanessa looked toward the windows.

"That girl has been against me since the day I moved in."

"She was five."

"Five-year-olds can be cruel."

Daniel stared at her.

He suddenly understood something.

Vanessa did not merely dislike Naomi's behavior.

She resented Naomi's existence.

His phone vibrated.

A message from Rebecca appeared.

Marcus Vale has agreed to speak with us.

Beneath it was a second message.

He says Vanessa used the same strategy against their mother.

Daniel looked up.

Vanessa was watching his face.

"Who is that?"

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He locked the screen.

"Someone you forgot to tell me about."