Chapter 7: The Woman Who Disappeared
“Before he met you, Andre had already taken out a policy on another woman—and she disappeared before the payout was ever made.””
Renee's words seemed to drain every bit of warmth from the room.
I gripped the edge of the dining table.
“What woman?””
“My name is Renee Miller. I worked as a bookkeeper for one of Andre's businesses. I handled invoices, payroll, bank reconciliations, and some of the insurance paperwork he kept bringing into the office.””
“Why are you calling me now?”” I asked.
“Because yesterday, I saw something that reminded me of a file I thought I'd never have to look at again.””
Marcus moved closer to the phone.
“Are you saying Andre was involved in someone's disappearance?””
“No. I'm saying there was an insurance policy, a woman who vanished, and a claim that never went through. I don't know what happened to her. I won't pretend I do.””
Her answer was careful, but the fear beneath it was unmistakable.
I glanced at Tasha. She had stopped writing in her notebook.
“What's the woman's name?”” Marcus asked.
“Camille Price.””
The name meant nothing to me.
But when I repeated it aloud, Marcus's expression changed.
“Wait,” he said.
“I remember that name.””
My heart jumped.
“From where?””
“An old photograph. Andre had it in a box when we moved into the house. I asked him who she was, and he said she was a former employee who had moved away.””
Renee made a sharp sound.
“Camille was never his employee.””
Marcus looked at me.
Renee continued.
“She was engaged to Andre before he met you.””
The room went completely silent.
For a moment, I couldn't even hear the traffic outside.
“Engaged?”” I whispered.
“Yes. They were together for years. Camille had been making plans to open a small catering business. Andre told everyone she was going to be his wife.””
I looked at Marcus.
“Did you know about her?””
He shook his head slowly.
“He told me he'd never been engaged before we met.””
Another lie.
One more layer beneath the others.
I sat down heavily.
“How long ago did she disappear?””
“About five years ago,” Renee said.
“The police were contacted after she stopped answering calls and missed a family event. There were rumors that she'd left the state, but I never learned what happened.””
“And the insurance policy?””
“I found it while reconciling records. Camille was the insured person. Andre was listed as the beneficiary.””
My stomach tightened.
“Did she know?””
“I don't know. I never saw her sign the documents. What I do know is that Andre kept asking me whether the company had received any updates on the policy. After she disappeared, he asked again.””
Marcus pressed his fingertips against his forehead.
“What company?””
Renee named an insurance provider.
It wasn't the one handling my disputed policy.
That should have been reassuring.
Instead, it made me more frightened.
Different companies. Different women. The same man.
“Did Andre receive any money from Camille's policy?”” I asked.
“Not according to the records I saw. The insurer suspended the claim because there was no verified proof of death. I don't know whether he ever filed additional paperwork.””
Tasha leaned toward the phone.
“Did you report what you found?””
“I didn't know what I was looking at back then. I thought Andre had legitimate documents. I wasn't investigating him, and I certainly wasn't a detective.””
“Then why keep the records?”” Marcus asked.
“Because a month after Camille disappeared, Andre told me to destroy a folder from the office. He said it contained outdated insurance documents. Something about the way he said it bothered me. I made copies before I shredded the originals.””
I felt a chill move through my arms.
“You kept copies of confidential records?””
“Copies of company accounting documents that were part of my work. I shouldn't have taken them without authorization, and I know that. I also know that some of those records may be important now. I want to hand them over to a lawyer or investigator, not spread them around.””
For the first time, she sounded less frightened than determined.
“What do you have?”” I asked.
“Bank transfers. Policy correspondence. A list of payments to a company called Northbridge Advisory. And an email where Andre asked me to change the description of a transfer from an insurance expense to a business consulting fee.””
Marcus looked up sharply.
“Northbridge Advisory?””
He pulled the statement from the previous day and searched the pages.
“I've seen that name.””
I scanned the document with him.
There it was, buried among dozens of transactions.
A transfer of $42,000.
A company name.
A date.
The same company listed on the insurance paperwork connected to my disputed loan.
I closed my eyes.
“Renee,” I said, “can you prove that Andre was involved in the money transfers?””
“I can show you records with dates and account details. Whether that proves a crime is for the authorities to determine.””
“Where can we meet you?””
She hesitated.
“Not at your house. Not at the office where I used to work. A public place, with cameras and people around.””
“Tomorrow morning?””
“Today. I don't want to keep these records longer than necessary.””
Tasha immediately objected.
“We shouldn't meet someone we don't know without taking precautions.””
“I understand,” Renee said.
“I'll meet you at the central library. There's a security desk at the entrance, and I'll bring the documents in a sealed envelope. You can decide whether to involve the police before we look at anything.””
Marcus nodded, though she couldn't see him.
“Three o'clock?””
“Three.””
Before ending the call, Renee gave us her full name and the name of the former accounting firm. She said she would send a photograph of her employee identification to verify that she had worked there.
Then she added something that made my stomach turn.
“Nia, there's one more thing.””
I closed my eyes.
“Go ahead.””
“When I reviewed the old records yesterday, I saw a payment to Northbridge Advisory made shortly after Camille disappeared. The reference number on that payment was almost identical to the one on your loan paperwork.””
“How is that possible?””
“I don't know. I need to compare the records before I say anything more.””
“Then we'll meet at three.””
She hung up.
For a long moment, nobody spoke.
Tasha was the first to break the silence.
“We are not walking into this blindly. We're telling the attorney about the meeting, and we're not taking those documents home without understanding what they are.””
Marcus nodded.
I stared at the bank statements.
“What if this has been happening for years?””
“Then the records may help establish that,” Tasha replied.
“But we don't get to decide what happened based on a frightening phone call. We get the evidence, and we let the proper people investigate.””
She was right.
Still, my mind kept circling Camille Price.
A woman who had loved Andre. A woman who had apparently disappeared. A woman whose insurance policy named him as the beneficiary.
I thought about the way Andre had looked at me when he realized I was going to report him.
You'll regret this.
I'd assumed he was trying to frighten me into silence.
Now I wondered how far back his secrets went.
At 2:37 that afternoon, my phone rang again.
The number was unfamiliar.
I answered without speaking.
A man's voice came through, low and controlled.
“Are you meeting Renee Miller today?””
My entire body went rigid.
“Who is this?””
“Someone who knows what you're dealing with.””
“Who gave you my number?””
“That doesn't matter.””
I motioned for Tasha to listen.
She immediately began recording the call on her second phone.
The man continued.
“Renee is going to tell you that Andre took money from people. She's going to tell you there were insurance policies. She may even tell you about a missing woman.””
I could barely breathe.
“How do you know that?””
“Because I know Renee.””
“Then tell her to call me herself.””
“She doesn't know I'm calling.””
I tightened my grip on the phone.
“What do you want?””
“I want you to understand that old records can be misleading. People make mistakes. Accounts get mixed up. A missing person doesn't automatically mean a crime.””
The words sounded rehearsed.
“Are you trying to stop me from meeting her?””
“No. I'm trying to keep you from making a terrible mistake.””
“What mistake?””
There was a pause.
Then the man said, “Believing every story someone tells you about Andre.””
I heard a faint click.
The call ended.
Tasha stared at me.
“Did you recognize his voice?””
I shook my head.
“No.””
Marcus stood up and began pacing.
“He knew about the meeting. We only arranged it this morning.””
“How many people know about it?”” Tasha asked.
“Renee,” I said.
“The three of us. Evelyn's office knows we're investigating the documents, but we haven't told them about three o'clock.””
We looked at one another.
Someone else knew.
Someone who apparently knew Renee and knew enough about Andre's past to anticipate what she might tell us.
Then a message appeared on my screen.
It was from Renee.
*I'm sorry. Someone just contacted me about the meeting. I don't know how they found out. Don't come alone.*
A second message arrived seconds later.
*There's something in the file I haven't told you about. It's not just about Camille.*
Before I could respond, another notification appeared.
A photograph.
An old insurance document.
And beneath the image was a short message.
*Look at the date in the bottom corner. That's when everything changed.*
I enlarged the picture.
The document was dated five years earlier.
The month Camille disappeared.
And beside the policy number was a handwritten note I could barely make out.
*Transfer completed. Northbridge confirmed receipt.*
I stared at the screen.
Then Marcus leaned over my shoulder.
“That's not all,” he whispered.
He pointed to the lower edge of the photograph, where a second name appeared beneath Camille's.
May you like
A name I recognized from the insurance paperwork sitting in my evidence folder.
Daniel Brooks.
