Chapter 4 - The Shadows of the Pass
The night air was freezing as I stood on the balcony of my temporary apartment in downtown Aspen,
looking out toward the dark,
looming shadow of Independence Pass.
Even from miles away,
the mountain seemed to whisper the horrifying memory of that night back to me,
the howling wind echoing in my ears like a malevolent specter.
I could still feel the biting cold that seeped into my boots as I trudged through three feet of fresh snow,
carrying nine-day-old Lily wrapped inside my woolen sweater,
praying with every agonizing step that her small heart wouldn't stop beating before I reached safety.
If it hadn't been for an off-duty snowplow driver who happened to make one final sweep of the closed road,
we would have been two frozen statues buried beneath the drift,
forgotten until the spring thaw.
My phone buzzed on the metal table beside me,
shattering the grim reverie.
I picked it up and saw an unknown number on the screen.
I hesitated for a moment before swiping to answer.
"Hello?"
I said cautiously.
"Rachel.
.
.
"
a fragile,
trembling voice came through the speaker.
It was Claire.
"Claire?"
I asked,
surprised by her call.
"Are you alright?"
A quiet sob broke through the line before she spoke again.
"I'm at his house.
.
.
the house he said he bought for us,
"
Claire wept,
her voice barely intelligible over the background noise of wind blowing through an open window.
"I started looking through his safe.
.
.
the one in the study behind the painting.
"
"He left it unlocked in his hurry to get to the chapel this morning.
"
My posture straightened instantly.
"What did you find,
Claire?"
"Rachel,
it's worse than you think,
"
she stammered,
her breathing coming in ragged gasps.
"There are files here.
.
.
medical records,
life insurance policies.
.
.
"
"He took out a three-million-dollar policy on both you and Lily just two weeks before she was born.
"
My stomach dropped into a bottomless pit of nausea.
A life insurance policy.
He didn't just want to abandon us to start a new life with Claire and her father's wealth.
He wanted us dead so he could collect millions in tax-free payouts to clear his immense gambling debts in Las Vegas.
"Claire,
"
I said,
trying to keep my voice calm so she wouldn't panic,
"listen to me very carefully.
"
"Do not touch anything else in that safe.
"
"Take photos of every single document with your phone,
lock the door,
and get out of that house immediately.
"
"He has people working for him,
Claire.
"
"His mother is involved,
and if she finds out you're looking through those files—"
"Someone is outside,
"
Claire suddenly interrupted,
her voice dropping to a terrifying whisper.
"What?"
I stood up,
my pulse racing.
"I just heard a car door slam in the driveway,
"
Claire whispered,
the sound of her rustling across carpet audible through the phone.
"I see a black SUV.
.
.
it's Eleanor.
"
"She's coming up the walkway with a set of keys!"
"Claire,
get out now!"
I yelled into the phone,
already grabbing my coat from the chair.
"Go through the back terrace,
run into the woods behind the property!"
"She saw me through the window!"
Claire screamed as the sharp sound of shattering glass echoed through the speaker,
followed by Eleanor's harsh voice screaming inside the house.
"You ungrateful little brat!"
Eleanor's voice shrieked in the background.
"Give me those files!"
The call abruptly went dead with a loud static crackle.
"Claire!"
I shouted,
but the line was completely gone.
I turned toward the bedroom where Lily was sleeping safely under the watchful eye of my trusted nurse,
Sarah.
"Sarah!"
I called out,
my hands shaking violently as I grabbed my car keys.
May you like
"Watch Lily!"
"I have to go back to the mountain!"
