Chapter 6 - The Night Tasha Tried to Disappear
I dropped Grandma's tablet onto the couch.
"Jordan, don't go!"
His face filled with fear.
"I don't know what to do."
Behind him, a door slammed.
He flinched.
"Mom's coming."
The screen went dark.
I stared at it.
Then I ran toward the kitchen.
"Grandma!"
She turned from the stove.
"What's wrong?"
I could barely get the words out.
"Jordan says Tasha's taking them away!"
Dad rushed in from the hallway.
"What?"
I told him everything.
He immediately called Tasha.
No answer.
He called again.
Still nothing.
Then he contacted Detective Brooks.
I stood beside Grandma while Dad explained what Jordan had said.
His voice was controlled.
But his hands were shaking.
The detective asked whether there were court orders or custody restrictions in place.
Dad explained that Tasha's children were not legally his and that their father had parental rights.
Detective Brooks said officers would check on the children's welfare and notify the appropriate parent.
Dad called Jordan and Ava's father, Marcus.
I had met Marcus only a few times.
He lived about an hour away.
He answered on the second ring.
Dad explained the situation.
Marcus sounded alarmed.
"She told me the kids were staying home tonight."
Dad looked at Grandma.
"Jordan says she's packing."
Marcus swore under his breath.
"I'm heading there."
Dad stopped him.
"Let the officers handle it. I don't want anybody getting hurt."
Marcus agreed.
I stood in the doorway.
My stomach hurt.
Tasha had been cruel to me.
But Jordan and Ava were still my family.
I didn't want them to be frightened.
I didn't want them to disappear.
***
For nearly an hour, we waited.
Dad paced across the living room.
Grandma held my hand.
Every time a car passed outside, I looked toward the window.
Finally, Dad's phone rang.
Detective Brooks.
He answered immediately.
"Yes?"
I watched his face.
He closed his eyes.
Then exhaled.
"Thank God."
Grandma leaned forward.
"Malcolm?"
Dad nodded.
"They found them."
My whole body relaxed.
"Jordan and Ava?"
"Both safe."
I started crying.
Grandma hugged me.
Dad continued speaking to the detective.
Tasha had been stopped before leaving town.
The children were frightened but unharmed.
Marcus had arrived and was arranging to care for them.
Investigators also wanted to question Tasha about the financial documents.
Dad thanked Detective Brooks.
Then he ended the call.
For several moments, nobody spoke.
Finally, Grandma whispered:
"Those poor children."
Dad nodded.
"All three of them."
I looked at him.
He knelt beside me.
"Isaiah, you helped keep Jordan and Ava safe."
I shook my head.
"Jordan called me."
Dad smiled sadly.
"And you told us."
I looked toward the tablet.
I wished Jordan could hear us.
***
The next morning, Dad took me to school.
It was the first time he'd done that in months.
I wore my new sneakers.
Carried my new backpack.
And had three fresh notebooks inside.
Everything should have felt wonderful.
But as we reached the school gate, I stopped.
Dad looked down.
"What's wrong?"
I swallowed.
"What if everybody knows?"
"Knows what?"
"About Tasha."
He knelt beside me.
"Some people might hear things. But none of this is yours to be ashamed of."
I looked at the ground.
"What if they laugh?"
His face softened.
"Then you tell your teacher. And you tell me."
I nodded.
He hugged me.
Then he said:
"I'll be here when school ends."
I looked up.
"Promise?"
His eyes filled.
"Promise."
I walked inside.
But three times that morning, I looked toward the classroom clock.
Not because I wanted school to end.
Because I was afraid Dad wouldn't come.
At three fifteen, I walked outside.
And there he was.
Standing beside his truck.
Holding a bottle of water and a small paper bag.
He waved.
I ran toward him.
"Daddy!"
He hugged me.
"How was school?"
"Good!"
He smiled.
"Ready to go home?"
I nodded.
For the first time, I knew exactly where home was.
***
That evening, Monica Reed called with more news.
Tasha had been questioned about the trust withdrawals.
Investigators had recovered financial records from her phone and computer.
There were transfers to personal accounts.
Large purchases.
And payments toward debts unrelated to my needs.
Dad listened silently.
Then Monica said something that made his face harden.
"The records suggest the activity continued even after Tasha knew the account was being questioned."
Grandma shook her head.
"She tried to take more?"
Dad nodded slowly.
Monica explained that the bank had blocked the disputed transactions before additional funds could be removed.
Then she told Dad about another document.
A property application.
Submitted several months earlier.
It listed my trust as a source of funds.
And it contained a signature purporting to be Dad's.
Dad's expression changed.
"I never signed that."
Monica answered:
"That's why we're requesting a forensic comparison."
I watched him hang up.
He stood completely still.
Then Grandma asked:
"What property?"
Dad swallowed.
"A house."
My heart jumped.
"Another house?"
He looked toward me.
Then away.
Grandma's voice became sharp.
"Malcolm, whose house?"
Dad whispered:
"One Tasha was planning to buy without telling me."
I looked between them.
I didn't understand.
Then Dad added:
"She was using Isaiah's money to prepare a life somewhere else."
Grandma covered her mouth.
But the worst part came the next morning.
A letter arrived from the bank.
Dad opened it at the kitchen table.
His face went pale.
Monica's investigation had uncovered a pending transfer connected to the property application.
The transfer had been rejected.
But the destination account belonged to someone none of us recognized.
Dad read the name aloud.
"Richard Lawson."
Grandma frowned.
"Who is that?"
Dad stared at the paper.
May you like
Then he whispered:
"I think that's the man Tasha's been seeing."
