Chapter 5
The police arrived twelve minutes later.
Those twelve minutes felt longer than the entire morning.
Marcus made Lily stay upstairs.
I remained with her until two officers knocked.
One of them was Officer Carter, a woman around my age with a calm voice that immediately made Lily relax.
The other officer photographed the broken window and the note.
Marcus explained everything.
The missing money.
Kiara.
Darius.
Jayden's involvement.
I watched my son's face while his father spoke.
Every sentence seemed to make him shrink.
Finally Officer Carter looked at Jayden.
"I need you to understand something."
He nodded.
"You may have committed a crime."
His eyes filled.
"I know."
"And being threatened does not erase your own actions."
"I know."
"But if somebody is threatening you now, we need complete honesty."
Jayden rubbed his palms on his jeans.
"I'll tell you everything."
For the next hour, he did.
He told them about Kiara.
About the first transfer.
About the fake investment returns.
About meetings with Darius.
Then he told them something he hadn't told us.
Darius had given him cash.
Marcus frowned.
"Why?"
"Because he said the account transfers were getting too easy to trace."
Officer Carter leaned forward.
"How much cash?"
"About nine thousand."
"Where is it?"
Jayden looked at me.
I immediately knew I wouldn't like the answer.
"My closet."
Marcus stared at him.
"You have nine thousand dollars hidden upstairs?"
"Not anymore."
"What does that mean?"
Jayden swallowed.
"Kiara took it."
"When?"
"Two days ago."
I closed my eyes.
Of course she did.
Officer Carter asked, "Did she tell you why?"
"She said Darius wanted it moved somewhere safe."
"And you believed her?"
Jayden whispered, "Yes."
The officer wrote something down.
"Do you have messages?"
"Some."
"Don't delete anything."
"I won't."
"And do not contact Darius."
Jayden nodded.
They left after arranging for a detective from the financial crimes unit to call us.
Evelyn had barely spoken.
She sat near the kitchen window with her purse in her lap.
When the door closed behind the officers, Jayden approached her.
"Grandma."
She didn't look up.
"I need to apologize."
"No."
He stopped.
Evelyn finally looked at him.
"An apology is something you say after stepping on somebody's foot."
Jayden's face tightened.
"You didn't step on my foot."
"I know."
"You made me question my own mind."
He nodded, crying again.
"I know."
"You stole from me because you thought I wouldn't notice."
"I wasn't thinking."
"That's not true."
Her voice remained calm.
"You were thinking. You just thought about yourself."
Jayden lowered his head.
Evelyn stood.
"I love you."
He looked up.
"And that's what makes this hurt so much."
She walked toward the door.
Marcus followed.
"Mom, don't drive."
"I can drive."
"You're upset."
"I'm also seventy-one, not helpless."
He stopped.
She hugged him.
Then she hugged me.
She paused at Lily's photograph on the wall.
"Tell my baby I love her."
"I will."
Jayden whispered, "Grandma."
Evelyn didn't turn around.
She left.
That destroyed him more than yelling would have.
He sank onto the couch.
"I ruined everything."
Marcus stood across from him.
"You damaged things."
Jayden looked up.
"What's the difference?"
"Things can sometimes be repaired."
"Sometimes."
"Yes."
Marcus didn't soften it.
"Sometimes."
I went upstairs to check on Lily.
She was sitting on our bed with headphones around her neck.
"Are the police gone?"
"Yes."
"Is Jayden going to jail?"
The question broke my heart.
"I don't know."
She stared at her stuffed rabbit.
"Is he bad?"
I sat beside her.
"No."
"But he did bad things."
"Yes."
She leaned against me.
"Can somebody be good and do something really bad?"
I kissed her forehead.
"Yes."
"Then what happens?"
"They have to take responsibility."
She thought about that.
"Does he still love us?"
"I believe he does."
"Then why did he throw water at you?"
I could have made excuses.
I didn't.
"Because he was angry and made a cruel choice."
"Will he do it again?"
That question stayed with me.
"I won't allow anyone to treat me that way."
She looked up.
"Even Jayden?"
"Even Jayden."
I needed her to hear that.
Maybe I needed to hear it too.
When I returned downstairs, Marcus was standing alone in the kitchen.
"Where's Jayden?"
"Packing."
My heart dropped.
"You told him to leave?"
Marcus looked exhausted.
"I told him he can't stay here tonight."
"Where is he going?"
"Terrence offered his guest room."
I understood.
But understanding didn't make it easy.
"What if Darius comes after him?"
"Terrence's building has security."
"And what if—"
"Denise."
Marcus touched my arms.
"He threw water at you in front of Lily."
"I know."
"He needs to understand there are boundaries."
"I know."
"Do you?"
The question stung.
I stepped back.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"You keep trying to protect him."
"I'm his mother."
"And I'm his father."
Marcus's voice broke.
"I want to protect him too."
He looked toward the stairs.
"But protecting him from consequences is part of how we got here."
That hurt because there was truth in it.
Jayden had always struggled more than other kids.
School.
College.
Jobs.
Money.
Every time he fell, I caught him.
Maybe too quickly.
His bedroom door opened.
He came downstairs carrying a duffel bag.
Lily appeared behind him.
"You're leaving?"
Jayden stopped.
His face crumpled.
"For a little while."
She ran down and hugged him.
He dropped the bag and held her tightly.
"I'm sorry."
Lily whispered something I barely heard.
"Don't be mean to Mommy anymore."
Jayden closed his eyes.
"I won't."
Then somebody knocked.
All of us froze.
Marcus approached the door carefully.
"Who is it?"
"Detective Brooks."
Marcus opened it.
A tall man showed his badge.
"We need to speak with Jayden."
Jayden's shoulders dropped.
Detective Brooks looked at him.
"We located Kiara."
Jayden stepped forward.
"Is she okay?"
"She's alive."
May you like
The detective paused.
"But she's claiming you planned the entire theft."
