“Hey—” I close the folder in my hand and toss it back onto the stack. I move across the room to settle beside Ellie on the floor. “Do you have access to his office downtown? Maybe he keeps the good stuff there.”
Ellie considers. “No—maybe his secretary would let me in, but she would tell him.”
“You don’t think you could guess the passcode or find a key to get us in?”
“Maybe the passcode is the same as the laptop I found. I’m not sure.” She’s still digging through a box, distracted. “Wait!”
“Wait, what?” I lean closer.
“I’ve never seen this box before.” Ellie’s holding a gunmetal box that’s engraved with Jack’s initials.
“It looks like a gun case.”
“Oh,” she says. “Do you think...” she frowns, as if considering her next words.
“Do I think what?” I ask.
“Never mind.” Ellie shakes her head, then flips the lock on the box and opens it. “What the fuck?”
“It’s a phone...” I state the obvious.
Ellie powers on the smartphone, waiting for the screen to come to life. “I think I know what this is.” As soon as the screen powers up she navigates to the messaging app. She opens it, then shakes her head when she finds the inbox empty. “Maybe I’m wrong.”
“What did you think it was?” I ask.
“Those threatening messages I’ve been getting... I thought maybe it was him.”
“Hm.” I swipe the phone from her palm and then open the few apps that are on the home screen. Nothing interesting stands out to me beyond a few financial apps and one for mobile banking. “Wait—check this out.” Ellie leans in when I open the contacts on the phone. “The only contact is you.”
“Oh...” she breathes. “Do you think...”
“Do I think that he’s been sending you threatening messages from this phone and deleting the evidence once he’s finished?” I glance at her. “Maybe.”
She nods then sighs. “I never thought... I don’t understand why...”
“To undermine you and fuck with your sanity would be my guess,” I say.
“So my own husband has been stalking me?” Anger flares in Ellie’s voice.
“Maybe. I guess we don’t have proof—”
“This is proof enough for me. What man has an extra phone? He’s up to something, that’s for sure. An affair, shady business deals,something.”I plant the seed that her husband is a dishonest prick.
“What am I supposed to do now?” Ellie asks.
“Well,” I say, shoving the phone back in the box and closing the lid. “First things first: did you turn off the security camera feed you found?”
“No, I didn’t want to alert him that I know. He doesn’t have a camera here in his office, though.”
“Okay... good, so at least he doesn't know what we’ve found. Not yet anyway.”
“Should I keep the phone? Throw it away? What’s a woman supposed to do when she finds out her husband is keeping secrets?”
I hold Ellie’s gaze for a few long beats, considering how to say my next words.
“I say we beat him at his own game.”
“I don’t know—I’m not good at playing games.” Ellie says.
