Chapter 7
I almost jumped across the table.
"You put something connected to Darius in your little sister's bedroom?"
Jayden flinched.
"I panicked."
"You panicked?"
"Mom—"
"She is seven!"
Renee raised a hand.
"Denise."
"No."
I turned back to my son.
"You brought danger into our house and hid it beside your sister?"
Tears appeared in his eyes.
"I didn't know he'd come after me."
"You knew enough to hide it."
That stopped him.
Marcus leaned forward.
"Where exactly?"
"Inside her old dollhouse."
My stomach twisted.
Lily had stopped playing with that dollhouse months ago.
It sat in the back of her closet.
"How long has it been there?"
"Three days."
Marcus called Detective Brooks immediately.
The police met us at the house.
I wasn't allowed inside while they searched Lily's room.
Standing in my own driveway waiting for strangers to inspect my daughter's closet was one of the worst moments of my life.
Jayden stood beside me.
An officer had brought him from the station.
He wasn't handcuffed.
Somehow that made the situation feel even stranger.
He looked at the ground.
"I'm sorry."
I didn't answer.
"I know that doesn't fix it."
"No."
"It doesn't."
He nodded.
Minutes later, Detective Brooks walked outside holding a clear evidence bag.
Inside was a small black portable drive.
"Is this it?"
Jayden nodded.
"Yes."
"Where did you get it?"
Jayden explained.
The last time he visited Darius's rented office, Kiara had left them alone.
Darius was angry about money missing from one of his accounts.
He stepped outside to make a phone call.
Jayden noticed several drives beside a laptop.
He took one.
"Why?" Detective Brooks asked.
"I wanted insurance."
"Against what?"
Jayden looked embarrassed.
"I realized something wasn't right."
"So you stole evidence."
"I didn't know what was on it."
Brooks sighed.
"We'll examine it."
That evening, Lily returned home.
Before she entered her bedroom, I sat with her.
"Some police officers looked through your room today."
Her eyes widened.
"Why?"
"Jayden hid something there without permission."
"Bad stuff?"
"Something that wasn't his."
She looked toward the stairs.
"Is he here?"
"No."
"Are you mad at him?"
"Very."
She considered that.
"But you still love him."
It wasn't a question.
"Yes."
"That must be hard."
I almost laughed.
"Very."
She hugged me.
Children sometimes understood things adults spent years avoiding.
Three days passed.
Jayden stayed at Terrence's apartment under instructions from his attorney.
Evelyn didn't contact him.
I knew he called her twice.
She didn't answer.
Then Detective Brooks called.
"Mrs. Carter, we found something on the drive."
My hands went cold.
"What?"
"Records."
"What kind?"
"Financial transactions. Names. Account numbers. Copies of identification."
"How many?"
"More than sixty victims."
I sat down.
"They're all elderly."
My chest tightened.
Darius wasn't just stealing from Evelyn.
He had a system.
He targeted older people.
Some through relatives like Jayden.
Others through fake investment offers.
"There's more," Brooks said.
"What?"
"Audio files."
I waited.
"Some appear to be recordings of Darius discussing how the scheme worked."
"With Kiara?"
"Yes."
I closed my eyes.
"Does that clear Jayden?"
"It helps distinguish his actions from theirs."
"But?"
"He still participated."
"I understand."
Brooks paused.
"There's one recording involving him directly."
My heart started pounding again.
"What does it say?"
"Darius is threatening him."
"When?"
"About two months ago."
I remembered Jayden during that period.
Sleeping late.
Jumping whenever his phone rang.
Snapping at everyone.
I had thought he was depressed after losing another job.
Maybe he had been terrified.
"What does Darius say?"
"He tells Jayden that if he stops helping, he'll make sure the police believe Jayden organized everything."
I covered my mouth.
"Why didn't he tell us?"
"Fear makes people do irrational things."
No.
That was too easy.
Fear explained some choices.
It did not erase them.
Jayden had still stolen from Evelyn before Darius ever threatened him.
He had still given Kiara access.
He had still lied.
And he had still thrown water in my face.
I needed to separate his victimhood from his wrongdoing.
That evening Marcus and I went to Terrence's apartment.
Jayden opened the door.
He looked thinner.
"Detective Brooks called."
He nodded.
"He called Renee too."
We sat in the small living room.
I looked directly at my son.
"I heard about the recording."
His eyes dropped.
"Okay."
"Why didn't you come to us?"
"Because you'd know what I did."
"We know now."
"I know."
"And we're still here."
He looked up.
Tears filled his eyes.
"I thought Dad would hate me."
Marcus leaned forward.
"I hate what you did."
Jayden's face fell.
Marcus continued.
"But you're my son."
Jayden started crying.
Marcus did too.
I had seen my husband cry only a handful of times.
He moved across the room and pulled Jayden into his arms.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Jayden whispered into his father's shoulder.
"I'm sorry."
Marcus held him tighter.
"Then become somebody who doesn't need to say it again."
Later, I spoke to Jayden alone.
"You owe me something."
He nodded.
"I know."
"I don't mean an apology."
He looked confused.
"What?"
"The truth about this morning."
He swallowed.
"I was scared."
"That explains your feeling."
I held his gaze.
"Not your behavior."
He nodded.
"I wanted you to feel small."
The honesty hurt.
"Why?"
"Because I felt small."
Silence.
"I saw that transfer on your laptop and thought you were helping Grandma find me. I was furious."
"So you punished me."
"Yes."
He wiped his face.
"I hated myself the second I did it."
"But you didn't apologize."
"I was ashamed."
I nodded slowly.
"That's something you need to learn."
"What?"
"Shame can either make you hide or make you change."
He looked at me.
"Which one did I do?"
"You hid."
He lowered his head.
May you like
I touched his hand.
"But you still have time to choose differently."
