Chapter 2 - THE SECRET IN THE WATER
At six the next morning, Morgan opened the cabinet and pulled out the glass.
Then she nearly dropped it.
The water that had been perfectly clear the night before was now a cloudy, pale blue. At the bottom of the glass lay several tiny black flakes, and something that looked like a thin strip of silver paper had separated from the necklace's decorative pendant.
Morgan stood frozen in her kitchen.
The necklace itself had changed, too.
What Julian had presented as a delicate gold chain now showed dark spots around the clasp. The pendant, a small oval surrounded by imitation diamonds, had developed a hairline crack.
And inside that crack, Morgan could see something.
Something that definitely wasn't jewelry.
She leaned closer.
A tiny black rectangle was wedged beneath the decorative setting.
Her first thought was that it was some kind of manufacturing defect.
Her second thought was the elderly woman's warning.
Whatever you do, don't wear it.
Morgan's hands began to tremble.
From the hallway came the sound of footsteps.
Julian.
She quickly slid the glass behind a cereal box and closed the cabinet.
"Morning, sweetheart."
Julian entered the kitchen wearing the same cheerful expression he'd displayed the night before.
"Sleep well?"
"Fine," Morgan answered, forcing herself to sound normal.
He poured coffee into his favorite mug.
Then, almost casually, he asked, "So, did you try on your necklace?"
Morgan felt her stomach tighten.
"Not yet."
His hand stopped halfway to his mouth.
"Why not?"
"I told you. I was exhausted."
Julian stared at her for several seconds.
Then he smiled.
"Well, wear it today. I picked it out especially for you."
"I don't think it goes with my work clothes."
"Morgan."
The sudden sharpness in his voice made her look up.
"I spent a lot of money on that necklace."
She studied him carefully.
"How much?"
He blinked.
"What?"
"How much did you spend?"
"Does it matter?"
"Not really. I'm just curious."
Julian set his coffee down.
"Fourteen hundred dollars."
Morgan almost laughed.
Fourteen hundred dollars.
Three days earlier, he'd told her they couldn't afford to replace their broken washing machine.
Now he claimed to have spent fourteen hundred dollars on jewelry.
"That's generous," she said quietly.
He stepped closer.
"Then show me you appreciate it."
For the first time in eight years of marriage, Morgan noticed something she had spent far too long ignoring.
Julian wasn't asking her to wear the necklace.
He was insisting.
And when she didn't immediately agree, his expression changed.
"Are you hiding something from me?"
Morgan's heartbeat accelerated.
"No."
He glanced toward the kitchen cabinets.
Then his phone rang.
The screen displayed a name Morgan didn't recognize.
V. KESSLER.
Julian immediately turned away.
"I have to take this."
He disappeared into the spare room and shut the door.
Morgan waited until she heard him speaking.
Then she retrieved the glass, wrapped it in a dish towel, and slipped it into her work bag.
She had no idea what the black object was.
But she knew one thing.
She wasn't going to ask Julian.
Not anymore.
May you like
And as she hurried toward the bus stop, she didn't notice the dark gray sedan pulling away from the curb behind her.
The same sedan that had been parked across from their apartment for three consecutive mornings.
