Chapter 8
Tasha sat across from us with her hands wrapped around a cup of coffee she never drank.
For years, I had believed she destroyed her marriage to Daniel.
That was the story he gave us.
She cheated.
She lied.
She took money.
She disappeared.
Now she looked at me and said, "None of that was true."
My chest tightened.
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"I tried."
"When?"
"After I left him."
"I never heard from you."
"Because Daniel controlled everything."
She pulled out her old phone.
"The family group chat."
She opened screenshots.
Messages she had sent.
Marcus, please call me.
I need to explain what happened.
Daniel is lying.
None had ever reached me.
"He blocked my number from your phone when you left it at Mom's house."
I felt sick.
"How do you know?"
"Because he admitted it."
Nia sat beside me.
Her hand touched mine.
I held it.
Tasha continued.
"Daniel became obsessed with money after his first business failed."
I remembered that failure.
We all helped him.
Mom gave him savings.
I loaned him twenty thousand dollars.
"He met Victor Hale through a client," Tasha said.
"Then Reese."
"What did they do?"
"They found vulnerable families."
Her voice lowered.
"Parents going through divorce. People with addiction histories. People with anger problems. Poor families who couldn't afford strong lawyers."
Nia whispered, "And then?"
"They manufactured situations."
My stomach turned.
"Situations?"
"Arguments. Complaints. Anonymous reports."
She looked at me.
"Anything that could make a parent look dangerous."
"And why?"
"Sometimes money."
"Sometimes?"
Tasha swallowed.
"Sometimes control."
Renee leaned forward.
"Explain."
"Reese worked with private guardianship placements."
Tasha's face twisted with disgust.
"Some families paid huge consulting fees to receive children through legal guardianship arrangements."
Nia went pale.
"You mean they were selling placements?"
"I don't know what legally happened in every case."
Tasha shook her head.
"But Daniel called children assets."
My hands clenched.
Noah was in the bedroom watching cartoons with headphones.
Thank God.
"What happened with you?" I asked.
Tasha looked down.
"We were trying to have a baby."
I remembered.
Daniel told us infertility destroyed their marriage.
"We couldn't."
She wiped her eyes.
"Then he started talking about private guardianship."
A chill ran through me.
"He wanted a child?"
"At first."
Her voice changed.
"Then I realized he wanted the money around the process."
She found emails.
Payments.
Fake evaluations.
When she threatened to expose him, Daniel destroyed her reputation before she could.
"He told everyone I was unstable."
My chest tightened.
The same word used against me.
"He told you I cheated."
She looked at Nia.
"He told your mother I stole from him."
"Why didn't you go to police?"
"I had copies."
"What happened?"
"My apartment was broken into."
We all went silent.
"They took my laptop."
The similarity to Mom's break-in was impossible to ignore.
"I got scared."
"And you left."
She nodded.
"I moved to Atlanta."
Renee studied the emails.
"Why keep these?"
"Cloud backup Daniel didn't know about."
For the first time, we had evidence that predated our case.
Evidence showing a pattern.
Renee looked almost relieved.
"This changes the hearing."
"How much?"
"A lot."
Detective Howard arrived an hour later.
He took copies.
Then he shared what police found at Daniel's house.
Multiple fake IDs.
Financial records.
Copies of insurance policies.
Guardianship files.
Cash.
And a second phone.
"Any idea where Daniel is?"
Howard nodded.
"We tracked activity from the second phone."
My heartbeat jumped.
"Where?"
"A motel near the interstate."
"Get him."
"We're moving."
I wanted to go.
Nobody needed to tell me I couldn't.
I knew.
For the first time, I understood patience wasn't weakness.
Sometimes protecting my family meant staying exactly where I was.
Two hours passed.
Then three.
No call.
No update.
By the fourth hour, I was pacing again.
Noah noticed.
"The angry walk."
I stopped.
He smiled slightly.
I smiled back.
Then my phone rang.
Howard.
I answered immediately.
"Did you get him?"
"No."
My stomach dropped.
"The room was empty."
"What?"
"But we found Reese."
"Alive?"
"Yes."
"In custody?"
"Yes."
I exhaled.
"And Daniel?"
"Gone."
I rubbed my face.
"Reese talking?"
"Not yet."
"Then we're still in danger."
Howard hesitated.
"There's something you should know."
"What?"
"We found another vehicle registered through Horizon."
I waited.
Howard continued.
"A gray sedan."
"So?"
"It was seen near Noah's school this morning."
My heart stopped.
"He's not at school."
"We know."
"Does Daniel?"
Silence.
That answered me.
He had gone to the school expecting Noah.
I looked toward my son.
He sat on the floor drawing a superhero.
My brother was still looking for him.
That evening, Renee prepared us for the custody hearing scheduled the next morning.
"Daniel may not appear."
"Then why are we going?"
"Because his petition still exists until the judge dismisses it."
Tasha agreed to testify.
So did my mother.
Nia and I barely slept.
The next morning, security surrounded the courthouse.
I held Noah's hand walking inside.
He wasn't supposed to attend the hearing, but child services arranged a safe room nearby.
Before he left with the specialist, he hugged me.
"Don't let Uncle Danny take me."
I knelt.
"Nobody is taking you."
"Promise?"
I kissed his forehead.
"Promise."
The hearing began at nine.
Daniel's lawyer, Victor Hale, appeared.
Daniel didn't.
Renee presented the files.
The messages.
Tasha's testimony.
My mother's statement.
Victor objected to everything.
The judge's expression became colder by the minute.
Then the courtroom doors opened.
Detective Howard entered.
He whispered something to Renee.
She turned toward me.
Her face was pale.
"What?"
She leaned closer.
"They found Daniel."
Relief hit me.
Then I saw her eyes.
Something was wrong.
May you like
"Where?"
She whispered, "At your house."
