Chapter 3
I wanted to run out of the hospital and find Marcus myself.
Detective Price stopped me.
"Nia, whatever you're thinking, don't."
I couldn't understand how she could speak so calmly.
"My daughter is lying in that hospital because somebody ran her over."
"We're working to establish what happened."
"And Marcus is walking around free."
She pulled out a chair.
"Sit with me for another minute."
I hated that she was right.
If I confronted Marcus, he could destroy whatever evidence remained.
But every second felt unbearable.
"Can you arrest him for the messages?"
"We're examining several possible offenses. I need evidence that will hold up in court."
She explained that the cufflink was only one piece of evidence.
A missing cufflink did not prove someone was behind the wheel.
Neither did a suspicious message.
I looked at Maya's belongings.
"What about her laptop?"
"Was it with her?"
"She always carried it to college."
Detective Price checked her notes.
"Her bag was recovered, but there was no laptop listed."
That frightened me.
Maya guarded that laptop like treasure.
She used it for school.
Work.
Everything.
I told Detective Price.
She immediately called another officer.
Then she asked about Marcus's business.
Marcus had always described himself as a financial consultant.
He worked with medical organizations, helping them manage equipment purchases and vendor contracts.
He traveled frequently.
He had a beautiful office downtown.
And he constantly complained that people underestimated him.
I never questioned much of it.
He had been charming when we met.
Maya was sixteen.
Her father had died when she was eight, and I had spent years raising her alone.
Marcus showed up with flowers.
He repaired the broken kitchen sink.
He attended her school concerts.
At first, Maya liked him.
Then something changed.
"I think she discovered something at his office," I told the detective.
"Why?"
"She worked there last summer."
Detective Price looked interested.
"Doing what?"
"Data entry. Filing invoices. Organizing records."
"Did she mention anything unusual?"
I thought carefully.
"She said some numbers didn't make sense."
"What numbers?"
"Payments. Equipment charges. She thought somebody was overbilling a hospital."
Detective Price stopped writing.
"Which hospital?"
I looked at the name printed across the wall outside.
The same hospital where Maya had died.
"Here."
The detective's expression changed.
"Are you certain?"
I nodded.
"Marcus helped this hospital purchase medical equipment."
She stood.
"I need to make some calls."
Before she left, she asked me to contact someone I trusted.
I called my younger sister, Renee.
We hadn't spoken properly in almost eight months.
Our last argument had been about Marcus.
She told me he was controlling.
I told her to stay out of my relationship.
Then I stopped answering her calls.
When Renee picked up, I heard children laughing behind her.
"Nia?"
I tried to speak.
Nothing came out.
"Nia, what's wrong?"
"It's Maya."
The laughter in the background faded.
"What happened?"
My voice broke.
"She's gone."
There was a terrible silence.
Then Renee whispered, "No."
I heard her breathing change.
"Tell me where you are."
I gave her the hospital name.
"I'm coming."
She didn't ask about our argument.
She didn't remind me of anything.
She simply came.
Forty minutes later, Renee rushed into the waiting area.
She was wearing slippers.
Her hair was tied up carelessly.
She must have left the house without thinking.
The moment she saw me, she started crying.
I stood.
She wrapped her arms around me.
And for the first time since Dr. Bennett delivered the news, I allowed myself to fall apart.
"My baby," I sobbed.
Renee held me tighter.
"I know."
"I didn't answer her."
"I know, sweetheart."
"I let that man near her."
Renee pulled back.
"What man?"
"Marcus."
Her face changed.
I told her everything.
The messages.
The missing phone.
The cufflink.
The files.
She listened without interrupting.
Then she said something that made me feel cold.
"Nia, Maya came to my house last week."
I stared at her.
"What?"
"She asked me not to tell you."
"Why?"
"Because she thought Marcus was watching her."
I gripped Renee's hands.
"What did she tell you?"
"She said she had proof he was stealing money."
"From the hospital?"
Renee nodded.
"She showed me photographs of invoices. Different companies, same bank account."
"Did you keep them?"
"No. She said she needed to verify something first."
I closed my eyes.
All those moments when Maya looked tired.
All those evenings she stayed awake.
She had been trying to uncover something dangerous.
Alone.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.
Renee's eyes filled.
"I tried calling you that night. Marcus answered."
My blood turned cold.
"What did he say?"
"He told me to stop filling Maya's head with lies."
I remembered that call.
Marcus had said Renee was trying to ruin our relationship again.
I believed him.
Renee squeezed my fingers.
"Nia, Maya also gave me something."
"What?"
"A sealed envelope."
I stood so quickly that the chair scraped across the floor.
"Where is it?"
"At my house."
"What's inside?"
"I don't know. She made me promise not to open it unless something happened."
We stared at each other.
Then Detective Price returned.
She looked from me to Renee.
"What's going on?"
Renee explained.
The detective immediately arranged for another officer to accompany her home.
Before Renee left, she hugged me again.
"We're going to find the truth."
I nodded.
But when she disappeared through the doors, fear settled over me.
Maya had prepared an envelope in case something happened to her.
That meant she knew she was in danger.
An hour later, Detective Price received a photograph from the officer accompanying Renee.
She turned the screen toward me.
It showed a plain white envelope.
My name was written across it in Maya's handwriting.
May you like
Underneath were six words.
Mom, if you're reading this, run.
