Chapter 6
"Where is she planning to go?"
My voice sounded unfamiliar.
Tasha stood in front of me, twisting her fingers together.
"Mexico."
I stared at her.
"When?"
"Three days after Malik's birthday."
The timing was too precise to ignore.
My son would turn twenty-one.
His inheritance would become available under the trust's terms.
And Jane apparently intended to leave the country shortly afterward.
I looked at Tasha.
"How do you know?"
"Mom asked me to help her check the flight details."
I felt sick.
"Did she say why she was traveling?"
Tasha shook her head.
"She called it a vacation."
"Was your name on the tickets?"
"No."
"Who was traveling with her?"
Tasha looked down.
"Brenda."
I stared at her.
Jane's friend.
The woman connected to the address on the unauthorized inheritance request.
I reached for my phone.
Raymond answered immediately.
When I explained the travel plans, his voice became serious.
"Tell Detective Brooks."
"I will."
"And Dennis?"
"Yes?"
"Don't confront Jane yourself."
I took a breath.
"I understand."
I called the detective.
She listened carefully.
Then she asked Tasha to provide any messages or booking confirmations she had received.
Tasha agreed.
That surprised me.
Only a day earlier, she had defended Jane angrily.
Now she was helping us expose her.
After the call, I sat beside Malik.
He was staring at the floor.
"Son?"
He looked up.
"Was she waiting for my birthday?"
I didn't want to answer.
But I wasn't going to lie.
"It looks possible."
His face crumpled.
"All those years."
I moved closer.
"What do you mean?"
"She used to tell me she couldn't wait until I turned twenty-one."
My stomach tightened.
"What else did she say?"
"That I'd finally become a real adult."
He laughed bitterly.
"I thought she was encouraging me."
I wrapped my arm around him.
He leaned against my shoulder.
"Did she ever love me, Dad?"
The question broke my heart.
I wanted to say yes.
I wanted to tell him that Jane had simply made terrible decisions.
But I couldn't claim to know what she felt.
So I told him the truth.
"I don't know what was in her heart."
He lowered his head.
"But I know her actions were wrong."
He began crying.
"And none of those actions say anything about your worth."
I held him.
Then I looked toward Tasha.
She was wiping tears from her cheeks.
For the first time, I saw the possibility that Jane had manipulated both children in different ways.
One had been exploited.
The other had been spoiled and taught to believe she deserved everything.
Both had been harmed.
But Malik had carried the heavier burden.
Later that evening, Jane called me.
I almost ignored it.
Then I remembered Raymond's advice about keeping communication calm and preserving records.
I answered.
"Dennis."
Her voice was sweet.
Too sweet.
"I think we've both been emotional."
I said nothing.
"I've been thinking about us."
"Have you?"
"Yes."
She sighed.
"Five years is a long time to throw away over a misunderstanding."
I stared at the wall.
"A misunderstanding?"
"Dennis, I was trying to help Malik grow up."
I closed my eyes.
"By using his identity?"
Silence.
Then she laughed nervously.
"What are you talking about?"
"The loan application."
"I don't know anything about that."
"The credit card."
Another pause.
"The inheritance request."
This time, she didn't speak.
I waited.
Finally, she whispered, "You've been talking to people."
I felt a chill.
"What people?"
"People who don't understand our family."
"Jane, I understand what happened to my son."
Her voice sharpened.
"No, you don't."
"Then explain."
She exhaled angrily.
"I sacrificed five years raising someone else's child."
The words cut through me.
I stared at the phone.
"Someone else's child?"
"You know what I mean."
"No."
My voice was quiet.
"I don't think I ever understood what you really felt about Malik."
She began crying.
Or pretending to.
I couldn't tell anymore.
"Dennis, please. I love you."
I looked toward the living room.
Malik was sitting with Tasha, reviewing his bank statements.
For the first time, they were speaking without arguing.
I thought about everything Jane had taken from him.
Then I answered.
"I don't know whether you love me. But love doesn't look like this."
I ended the call.
The next morning, Detective Brooks contacted me.
She had obtained additional information through the investigation.
Jane and Brenda had previously operated a small financial-assistance business.
The company advertised help obtaining loans and managing credit.
It had closed two years earlier.
Several former clients had complained about unexplained charges.
I felt sick.
"Was Jane charged?"
"Not in that matter."
"What happened?"
"The complaints didn't result in criminal charges at the time. We're examining whether the new evidence connects them."
I rubbed my forehead.
"Does this mean she knows how to manipulate loan applications?"
"She appears familiar with financial paperwork."
I looked at Malik.
He had trusted Jane because she was his stepmother.
She had understood exactly which documents to place in front of him.
Exactly which fears to exploit.
And exactly how to make him feel responsible.
Detective Brooks continued.
"We're also reviewing the eighteen-thousand-dollar deposit slip."
"Did you find anything?"
"The account receiving that deposit was connected to Brenda."
My heart pounded.
"Where did the money come from?"
"We're still tracing it."
Then she said something unexpected.
"Mr. Carter, we need to ask about a life insurance policy."
I froze.
"What policy?"
"One issued in Malik's name."
I stared at the phone.
"Malik doesn't have life insurance."
The detective paused.
"Someone submitted an application listing him as the insured person."
My hands began trembling.
"Who was the beneficiary?"
She couldn't provide every detail over the phone, but she asked us to come to the station.
I looked toward my son.
He was eating breakfast.
He had no idea what I'd just heard.
I swallowed.
"Detective, please tell me something."
"Yes?"
"Was the policy actually issued?"
"We're verifying its status."
I closed my eyes.
The room seemed to spin.
Jane had taken rent.
She had obtained a loan through deception.
She appeared to have applied for credit in Malik's name.
She had attempted to reach his inheritance.
And now there was a life insurance application.
I struggled to breathe.
"What kind of person does this?"
The detective's voice softened.
"I know this is frightening. We're going to follow the evidence."
After the call ended, I sat at the table.
Malik looked up.
"Dad?"
I forced myself to breathe.
"Yes, son?"
"What's wrong?"
I looked at his face.
So much like his mother's.
The same eyes.
The same gentle smile.
I reached across the table and took his hand.
"We need to talk about something else Jane may have done."
His expression changed.
"What now?"
I swallowed.
Then I told him about the policy.
He stared at me.
For several seconds, he didn't move.
Then he whispered, "Dad, why would she need life insurance on me?"
May you like
I didn't have an answer.
And that frightened me more than anything.
