Chapter 5 No.5

Two uniformed officers knocked on the open door a moment later. They looked uncomfortable, sensing the domestic volatility in the room.

"Mr. Sterling?" one officer asked. "We have the preliminary accident report."

"Arrest her," Nathaniel said, pointing at Victoria with his uninjured hand. "She orchestrated this."

The officer blinked. "Sir, we need evidence before we can arrest anyone."

"I have evidence!" Julia cried from the bed. "My phone. I got a text."

She fumbled for her phone on the bedside table. She held it up. "Look. Right before the crash."

Nathaniel took the phone. He showed it to the officer. There was a text message from an unknown number.

Disappear or else.

"See?" Nathaniel said. "She threatened her."

Victoria walked over. She didn't ask for permission. She peered at the screen over the officer's shoulder.

"That text was received at 2:00 PM," Victoria said.

"So?" Nathaniel challenged.

"At 2:00 PM, I was at Bergdorf Goodman," Victoria said. "With your assistant, Colin. I was buying a very expensive handbag. You can check the timestamp on the receipt. You can check the security footage."

Colin, who was hovering in the hallway, stepped forward. "She... she's right, Mr. Sterling. I was with her the whole time. She didn't use her phone except to call you."

Nathaniel faltered. "She could have hired someone. She could have sent the text remotely."

"Officer," Victoria said, putting on a mask of confused innocence. "Isn't it true that these spam texts usually come from the internet? Like those robo-calls? Can't you trace where it came from?"

The officer nodded. "We can ask Cyber Crimes to look at the headers, ma'am. But it takes time."

"Nathaniel," Victoria said, turning to him. "You own a tech company. Surely your security team can look at the digital footprint faster than the precinct?"

Nathaniel looked at her. Her eyes were clear, challenging him.

He pulled out his own phone. He called his head of cybersecurity. "I'm sending you a number. Trace it. Now."

He read the number from Julia's phone.

Julia lay back against the pillows. She looked paler now. "Nate, please... does it matter? I'm hurt."

"It matters," Victoria said. She sat down in the visitor's chair, crossing her legs. "Where did the accident happen, Officer?"

"Queens," the officer said. "An industrial access road near the old shipyards."

Victoria raised an eyebrow. She looked at Julia. "Scenic drive, Julia? In a construction zone? In Queens?"

Julia swallowed hard. "I... I was lost. I took a wrong turn."

"In the age of GPS?" Victoria scoffed. "You were there because there are no traffic cameras on that road. It's a blind spot."

The officers exchanged a look. They were seasoned cops. They knew when a story smelled bad.

Nathaniel looked at Julia. He saw the sheen of sweat on her upper lip. But then he looked at her bandaged leg, and his heart softened. She was a victim. Victoria was just twisting words.

"That's enough," Nathaniel said. "You're upsetting her. Get out."

"I'm leaving because I'm bored," Victoria stood up and smoothed her coat. "Not because you told me to."

She walked to the door. She stopped and looked back at the officers.

"Check the skid marks," she said. "Just to be thorough."

She walked out. Nathaniel watched her go. He felt a headache building behind his eyes.