Chapter 6
I didn't go to school the next day.
Daddy said we needed to be careful until the police understood who had taken the photograph.
I sat at Aunt Denise's kitchen table, wearing my blue locket and drawing pictures of Mommy's roses.
Every time a car passed outside, I looked up.
I hated feeling afraid.
Before Vanessa came into our lives, I had never been scared of opening the front door.
Now even the sound of a phone ringing made my stomach hurt.
Daddy noticed.
He pulled up a chair beside me.
"Sweetheart, you don't have to pretend you're okay."
I stared at my drawing.
"What if Vanessa comes back?"
"Then the adults responsible for keeping you safe will deal with it."
"What if she takes me?"
He held my hand.
"She does not have permission to take you anywhere. And we're making sure everyone knows that."
I wanted to believe him.
But I had believed Vanessa when she first told me she loved me.
That made trusting anyone feel difficult.
Later that morning, Detective Angela Morris arrived.
She was a calm woman with short curly hair and a notebook.
She sat across from Daddy.
"We've identified the person who took the school photograph."
Daddy leaned forward.
"Who?"
"Raymond Brooks."
My heart began pounding.
Vanessa's brother.
Detective Morris explained that school security footage showed Raymond's car near the entrance.
Investigators were working to establish whether he had sent the threatening message.
Daddy's jaw tightened.
"He's helping her."
"We're examining the evidence," the detective replied.
She turned toward me.
"Maya, would you feel comfortable telling me what you remember about the man visiting your home?"
I nodded.
I described his gold watch.
The kitchen conversation.
The way Vanessa always seemed nervous when he called.
Then I remembered something else.
"He brought a big brown folder."
Detective Morris wrote that down.
"What happened to it?"
"Vanessa put it in the drawer beside the refrigerator."
Daddy immediately looked up.
"I know the drawer."
The detective asked whether we had seen what was inside.
I shook my head.
"But I heard Raymond say something."
"What did he say?"
I closed my eyes, trying to remember.
"He said, 'Your husband can't find out about the house before the sale.'"
Daddy's face drained of color.
Detective Morris stopped writing for a moment.
"Are those the words you remember?"
I nodded.
"I didn't know what house he meant."
She thanked me.
Then asked Daddy to contact Mr. Carter before anyone attempted to retrieve documents from the house.
The lawyer arranged for investigators to preserve relevant paperwork through proper legal procedures.
That afternoon, Daddy received another call.
It was from Chloe's father, Anthony Walker.
I had met Anthony only twice.
He worked as a mechanic in another town.
Vanessa always said he was irresponsible and didn't care about Chloe.
But when Daddy put the call on speaker, Anthony sounded frightened.
"Marcus, I need to talk to you about my daughter."
Daddy sat down.
"Is Chloe okay?"
"I don't know. Vanessa isn't returning my calls."
Daddy explained that Chloe had been with Vanessa when they separated.
Anthony was silent for a moment.
Then he said, "She's been telling Chloe you're trying to steal her birthday presents."
Daddy closed his eyes.
"That isn't true."
"I know."
Anthony sighed.
"Marcus, I've been dealing with Vanessa's lies for years."
Daddy looked surprised.
Anthony continued.
"She told Chloe I abandoned her. She blocked my calls and claimed I never sent child support."
Daddy frowned.
"Did you?"
"Every month. I've got the records."
My stomach twisted.
Vanessa had told Chloe her father didn't love her.
Just like she told me Daddy didn't love me.
Anthony's voice broke.
"I want my daughter to know the truth."
Daddy replied quietly.
"So do I."
They agreed to cooperate with their lawyers regarding Chloe's care.
Later, Daddy explained something important to me.
"Chloe was cruel to you, Maya. But her mother has also been lying to her."
I stared at the floor.
"Chloe laughed when Vanessa hurt me."
"I know."
"Do I have to forgive her?"
Daddy shook his head.
"No. You get to decide what relationships feel safe for you."
That answer made me feel better than anything else he could have said.
I didn't want revenge against Chloe.
But I didn't want to pretend we were friends either.
Two days later, Mr. Carter brought us important news.
The property manager had located security footage from the white house.
It showed Raymond visiting the property several times.
On one occasion, Vanessa was with him.
They had entered the garden through a side gate.
Daddy watched the footage.
Then froze.
On the screen, Raymond carried something toward his car.
A wooden box.
"That's it," I whispered.
Daddy turned.
"What?"
"The box from Mommy's bedroom."
Mr. Carter paused the video.
The small box was clearly visible.
Detective Morris was contacted immediately.
The footage gave investigators another piece of evidence connecting Raymond and Vanessa to the property.
But we still didn't know what had been inside.
That evening, Daddy called me into the living room.
He was holding a folder.
"I want to tell you something."
I sat beside him.
He opened it.
Inside were bank statements.
Letters.
And a photograph of Mommy.
"I found out Vanessa opened a credit account using information from our household," he said.
I frowned.
"Does that mean she stole money?"
"She may have committed several financial crimes. The investigators are working to determine exactly what happened."
I looked at Mommy's picture.
"Why did she hate me so much?"
Daddy took a long breath.
"I don't know everything that was happening in her mind."
He gently lifted my chin.
"But I know this: nothing you did caused her to treat you badly."
I looked away.
For years, I had believed that if I behaved perfectly, Vanessa might love me.
I had cleaned my room.
Folded Chloe's clothes.
Given up my favorite snacks.
Stayed quiet when I wanted to cry.
And none of it had worked.
Daddy pulled me close.
"You never had to earn your place in this family."
I started crying.
He held me until I stopped.
Then Aunt Denise entered the room.
Her face was pale.
"Marcus, you need to see this."
She handed him her phone.
A news report had appeared on a local community page.
It showed a photograph of Daddy.
The headline claimed he was trying to steal an inheritance from his own daughter.
Daddy stared.
"Vanessa."
Aunt Denise nodded.
"She's telling everyone you're the criminal."
My heart sank.
Then Daddy's phone rang.
It was Detective Morris.
She sounded urgent.
"Mr. Bennett, we've uncovered something in the property records."
Daddy gripped the phone.
"What?"
"Raymond Brooks has been attempting to sell the trust property using falsified authorization documents."
Daddy stood.
"But the house belongs to Maya."
"Yes. And we've identified a potential buyer who has already transferred a large deposit."
I watched Daddy's face change.
"How large?"
"One hundred thousand dollars."
There was a pause.
Then Detective Morris added something worse.
"The money appears to have gone into an account controlled by Vanessa."
Daddy looked at me.
I saw anger in his eyes.
But I also saw something new.
Certainty.
Vanessa hadn't simply been cruel.
May you like
She had been building a plan.
And she had expected nobody to notice until it was too late.
