I lowered myself into a chair, barely able to breathe.
"What are you talking about?" I whispered.
Ava clutched Chloe's jacket to her chest.
"The car crash wasn't an accident," she said.
The words hit me like a punch.
"What?"
Ava swallowed hard.
"That night, Chloe and I weren't coming home from the movies. We had stopped by your house first."
My heart pounded.
"Why would you do that?"
"Because Chloe was scared."
I stared at her.
"Scared of who?"
Ava looked toward the window, as if expecting someone to appear.
"Daniel."
For a moment, I thought I had misheard.
"My husband?"
She nodded.
Tears streamed down her face.
"A few weeks before the accident, Chloe told me she'd discovered something about him."
My hands began to shake.
"What did she discover?"
Ava hesitated.
"Money. Lots of money. Hidden accounts. Documents. She thought he was stealing from the company where he worked."
I shook my head immediately.
"That's impossible."
"That's what I thought too," Ava whispered. "But she showed me everything."
The room felt colder.
"That night, Chloe wanted to tell you."
I couldn't speak.
"We came here while you were visiting your sister. Daniel was alone."
"And?"
Ava looked down.
"We heard him on the phone."
The silence stretched.
"He was threatening somebody. He sounded terrified."
"What happened next?"
"He caught us listening."
A cold chill ran through my body.
Ava's voice trembled.
"He became angry. Really angry. Chloe grabbed the papers she'd found and we ran."
My memories spun wildly.
The official report.
The rain.
The crash.
The missing jacket.
"Then what?"
"We got into my dad's car and drove away."
"Why didn't you tell the police?"
Ava started crying again.
"Because Daniel found me in the hospital before anyone else."
I felt sick.
"He told me that if I said anything, nobody would believe me."
She reached into the jacket pocket.
"For five years I've kept this hidden."
From inside she pulled a small plastic flash drive.
I stared at it.
"What is that?"
"The reason Chloe died."
My fingers trembled as I took it.
"What's on it?"
Ava looked directly at me.
"Proof."
Just then, we heard the sound of a truck pulling into the driveway.
Daniel's truck.
Hours earlier than expected.
Ava's face went pale.
"He wasn't supposed to be home yet."
The front door handle began to turn.
And then we heard Daniel's voice.
"Are you two home?"
Ava grabbed my arm.
"Don't tell him about the flash drive."
The footsteps moved closer.
And for the first time in twenty-five years of marriage...
I was afraid of my husband.
To be continued...
