Chapter 34 - the crack in the sentence
The drive back north was a blur of gray asphalt and barren trees. My hands were clamped so tightly around the steering wheel that my knuckles turned white.
An evidentiary hearing.
It didn't make sense. The plea deal had been airtight. The evidence Officer Davis had gathered—the burner phones, the encrypted hard drives, the forged custody papers, the child-sized travel harnesses found in Julian’s trunk—had formed a fortress of guilt.
When I reached Claire’s townhouse, the front door opened before I even stepped onto the porch. She was pale, clutching an iPad against her chest.
"You heard," she whispered.
"How long have you known?" I demanded, walking past her into the living room.
"I didn't know until two hours ago! The county prosecutor called. He said Julian’s attorney filed a motion six weeks ago claiming chain of custody violations regarding the digital evidence."
"What digital evidence? The texts from the burner phone?"
Claire swallowed hard, her eyes darting away. "Not just the texts."
I stopped in the middle of the room. The familiar knot of dread, the one I thought had dissolved years ago, tightened in my ribs. "Claire. What aren't you telling me?"
"When Julian was arrested..." She pressed the iPad tighter against her ribs, her voice barely audible. "There were files on his computer that they sealed. Files that weren't introduced in open court because the prosecutor said it would prejudice the jury."
"Files about what?"
"Financial records," Claire whispered, tears suddenly welling in her eyes. "Julian didn't have the money for those forged passports, David. He didn't have the resources to buy the safe house in Costa Rica. Someone paid him. Someone was funding the entire network."
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"And you never told me?"
"I didn't know who it was! Julian told me back then that if I ever spoke about the money, whoever wired it would finish what he started. He said the person behind it wasn't interested in the baby—they were interested in Lily."
