Chapter 4
I wanted to grab Sarah's phone and scream at Derek.
Instead, I sat perfectly still.
Sarah remained calm.
"What paperwork?" she asked.
"Just a refinancing arrangement."
"Has Renee agreed to it?"
A pause.
"She's considering it."
I could hear the lie in his voice.
Sarah looked at me.
I shook my head.
"No," she replied. "My understanding is that Renee has not authorized any refinancing."
Derek's tone changed.
"Have you spoken with her?"
"That's confidential."
He laughed sharply.
"Sarah, don't make this complicated."
"I'm advising you that any transaction involving Renee's property requires her informed consent."
Silence.
Then Derek said:
"Fine. I'll handle it myself."
The call ended.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Sarah reached for a legal pad.
"That was helpful."
I stared at her.
"Helpful?"
"He confirmed he was expecting a transaction on Monday."
I stood.
"My daughter has been threatened for weeks, and he's treating this like business."
Sarah nodded.
"I know."
She picked up the disputed filing.
"But now we have more information."
She immediately contacted the county registry, the lender named in the paperwork, and a fraud investigator.
The lender said the application was incomplete.
No money had been released.
But someone had submitted identity documents and a scanned signature.
I felt dizzy.
"So they haven't taken the money?"
"Not from this application," Sarah said. "We're placing formal fraud notices and asking the lender to preserve everything."
She also recommended freezing my credit.
I did it from her office.
Then she asked whether I'd ever shared my identification documents with Derek after the divorce.
"No."
"What about your tax returns?"
I hesitated.
"He used to prepare our taxes when we were married."
Sarah looked troubled.
"He may still have copies."
Maya sat quietly beside me.
Then she spoke.
"Mom?"
I turned.
"What, sweetheart?"
"Mr. Collins asked me to take pictures of your driver's license."
My heart sank.
"Did you?"
She nodded.
Tears filled her eyes.
"I'm sorry."
I moved beside her.
"Listen to me. You were frightened. An adult deliberately scared you into doing things you didn't understand."
She looked down.
"But I helped him."
"You are not responsible for his choices."
Sarah agreed.
"Maya, what you did by keeping that notebook was very brave."
My daughter blinked.
"Really?"
"Really."
For the first time that day, I saw a tiny bit of relief in her expression.
Then Sarah asked another question.
"Did Mr. Collins tell you anything about Monday?"
Maya nodded.
"He said after Monday, Mom wouldn't have to worry about the house anymore."
I felt cold.
"Did he say why?"
"He said we'd be moving."
My breath caught.
"Moving where?"
Maya shook her head.
"He wouldn't tell me."
That afternoon, police contacted the school district.
The superintendent's office confirmed that Mr. Collins had worked there for six years.
He was responsible for attendance adjustments and certain student records.
He had access to information about Maya's schedule.
And he'd changed her attendance entries repeatedly.
By evening, he had been placed on administrative leave pending investigation.
But when officers went to his registered address, nobody answered.
His car wasn't there.
Neither was his phone.
The police told me they were trying to locate him.
I was terrified.
What if he returned?
What if Derek sent someone else?
Sarah arranged for a locksmith to replace every exterior lock.
I also changed our alarm codes.
That night, Maya and I stayed with my sister, Olivia.
Olivia lived thirty minutes away with her husband and their teenage son.
She met us at the door.
When she saw Maya's face, her own expression crumpled.
"Oh, sweetheart."
Maya ran into her arms.
Olivia held her for a long time.
Then she looked at me.
"Tell me what you need."
I almost cried.
Not because she asked.
Because she didn't demand an explanation first.
She simply believed we needed help.
After Maya went upstairs, I told Olivia everything.
Her expression went from confusion to horror.
"Derek did this?"
"We don't know everything yet."
"But you suspect him."
"Yes."
Olivia shook her head.
"I knew he was selfish. I never thought he'd involve Maya."
Neither had I.
Before our divorce, Derek had seemed charming.
He brought flowers home.
Remembered birthdays.
Told everyone how much he loved being a father.
But behind closed doors, he controlled our money.
He opened credit cards without telling me.
He blamed me when bills went unpaid.
And when I finally discovered he'd emptied our savings, he said I was overreacting.
During the divorce, he'd promised to change.
For Maya's sake, I'd tried to remain civil.
Now I wondered whether I'd mistaken politeness for safety.
At nine that evening, Maya came downstairs.
She stood in the doorway wearing borrowed pajamas.
"Mom?"
I opened my arms.
She sat beside me.
"Can I tell you something?"
"Anything."
She twisted her fingers.
"Mr. Collins wasn't the first person who asked me about your papers."
My stomach tightened.
"Who was?"
She swallowed.
"Dad."
I waited.
"At our last visit, he took me to lunch. He said you were hiding money from him."
I shook my head.
"That's not true."
"I know."
She looked down.
"He said if I loved him, I'd help him prove it."
Tears filled my eyes.
Oh, Maya.
"He told me not to tell you because you'd get angry."
I held her hand.
"What happened after that?"
She hesitated.
"Someone came to the restaurant."
"Who?"
"A woman."
I frowned.
"What woman?"
"She had long blonde hair and wore a red coat. Dad called her Claire."
The name meant nothing to me.
Then Maya added something that made me sit upright.
"She said she was helping Dad with the house."
I stared at her.
"What exactly did she say?"
Maya thought carefully.
"She said, 'Once Renee signs, we'll finally have what we need.'"
Olivia and I exchanged looks.
May you like
Then Maya whispered:
"Mom, I think Claire was the person who took the pictures of you."
