Chapter 5
The officers did not arrest anyone.
They did not raise their voices.
They asked questions and wrote down answers.
It felt worse than shouting.
They confirmed that the bank had received my fraud report. One officer asked Claire whether she had moved money from Maya’s education account. She said yes. Asked whether she had permission from me or Maya, she said the family had agreed.
Maya spoke from the sofa.
“I didn’t agree.”
Claire looked at her.
“You were a child.”
“I’m not now.”
The officer made a note.
He explained that the bank would investigate the transfers and that the officers could not decide ownership on the spot. If the account was accessed without authorization, it would be handled through the proper channels.
Claire went quiet.
After they left, she walked into the dining room and shut the door.
I stayed in the living room with Maya, Brooke, and Eleanor.
No one touched the food left over from the party.
The cake still sat on the counter beneath its plastic cover. A red icing rose leaned to one side.
Brooke stared at it.
“I thought she bought the car because she knew I wanted it.”
“She may have,” I said.
“But she used Maya’s money.”
“Yes.”
“That makes it feel like I took it.”
“You didn’t.”
“I said thank you.”
“You didn’t know.”
Maya watched Brooke’s hands twisting together.
“I don’t blame you.”
“I was happy,” Brooke whispered. “I saw the bow and the keys and I just thought… I thought she wanted to make me feel special.”
“She did want that,” Maya said. “That doesn’t make what she did okay.”
Brooke’s eyes filled.
“I’m sorry.”
“I know.”
Eleanor placed the documents back in the envelope.
“May I speak with Maya alone?”
“No,” I said.
Maya rose.
“I want to hear what she has to say.”
I didn’t like the idea, but I nodded toward the sunroom, whose door remained open. Eleanor stayed inside while I waited nearby.
Their voices were low.
I caught pieces.
Maren’s name.
A hospital.
A promise.
Then a long silence.
When Maya came out, her face had changed.
Not because she had stopped hurting.
Because she had found a new place to put the hurt.
“She has letters from Mom,” Maya said.
“Why?”
“Mom wrote to her after I was born. They planned to meet again. Claire told her it would upset me.”
“That isn’t true,” Eleanor said quietly.
Maya carried the old box upstairs.
“I’m going to read them later.”
I followed her.
At her bedroom door, she turned.
“Did you know Mom had an older sister?”
“No.”
“Did Claire tell you anything about the baby?”
“No.”
“Why didn’t you ask?”
The honest answer was that I hadn’t known there was a reason to ask.
“I should have checked every story that mattered to you,” I said.
“That’s not the same as knowing.”
“No.”
She shut the door gently.
I stood in the hallway until Brooke came up behind me.
“Dad, where’s Mom?”
“She’s in the dining room.”
“She’s packing.”
I went downstairs.
Claire had opened a suitcase on the table. She was folding clothes into it.
“What are you doing?”
“Leaving.”
“You can’t take money or documents from this house.”
“I’m taking my clothes.”
“Where are you going?”
“My mother needs me.”
“Is that why you used Maya’s money? To pay for her care?”
Claire stopped folding.
“I did what nobody else would do.”
“You could have told us.”
“And you would have questioned every choice.”
“Yes. That’s what partners do.”
She pushed a sweater into the case.
“I knew you’d choose Maya over me.”
“I chose the truth.”
“You always say that when you’re losing.”
“Did you take the rest of the money?”
She shook her head.
“I didn’t keep it.”
“Then where did it go?”
“Paying for the house. Paying for Brooke. Paying for my mother.”
“That’s the same account you used for the Mustang?”
“No.”
“The transfers are on the bank statement.”
“I moved the money into my account and paid bills.”
“Some of it?”
She stopped.
I saw the answer before she said it.
“Where’s the rest?”
Her phone buzzed.
She glanced down at it.
A message appeared from a number not saved in her contacts.
STOP TALKING TO ELEANOR. SHE KNOWS WHAT YOU DID.
Claire’s fingers tightened around the phone.
I took a step closer.
“Who sent that?”
“No one.”
“Show me.”
“No.”
“You’re leaving, and I’m trying to find out if someone is threatening you.”
“I don’t need your help.”
She turned the phone over.
The message stayed in my mind.
Eleanor was still in the living room. I went back and showed her what I had seen.
She frowned.
“Did Claire get messages before?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’ve received one too.”
“From the same number?”
“Different number. Same wording.”
She opened her purse and took out a folded note.
It read: STOP DIGGING. MARREN IS GONE.
My breath caught.
Maren’s name had been misspelled, but the message was clear.
“Who would threaten you?”
“I don’t know.”
“You said someone called about the account.”
“Someone named Tessa. She worked at the bank with Maren years ago.”
“Do you know where she is?”
“She said she would call me again.”
The front door opened behind us.
Claire carried her suitcase outside.
Brooke rushed down the stairs.
“Mom, wait.”
Claire did not stop.
Brooke reached the porch.
“Are you coming back?”
Claire lifted her eyes.
“I need time.”
“Are you coming back?”
“I don’t know.”
Brooke stood in the doorway as the car pulled away.
Then she looked at me.
“I thought she was the safe parent.”
May you like
I sat beside her on the porch step.
“So did I.”
