Chapter 3: Why Lily Had to Go
Daniel replayed the sentence.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
"And what happens if he discovers why you really need her gone?""
Each time, Melissa's face became whiter.
Daniel looked up.
"What does that mean?""
"It means nothing.""
"Your mother asked why you need my daughter gone.""
"She was being dramatic.""
Carol stood near the table, arms crossed tightly.
"Don't drag me into this.""
Daniel almost laughed.
"You're already in it.""
He played the video again.
This time he let it continue.
On screen, Melissa leaned toward Carol.
"He won't find out.""
"How can you know that?""
"Because Daniel never looks at the accounts.""
Daniel frowned.
Accounts?
The video continued.
Carol lowered her voice.
"What if he checks?""
"He won't.""
"And Lily?""
Melissa exhaled.
"If she's gone, there's nothing connecting him back to Rachel.""
Daniel's finger hit pause.
The room seemed to tilt.
Rachel.
His first wife.
Lily's mother.
Rachel had died three years earlier after a sudden illness.
Daniel rarely spoke her name around Melissa because those conversations always ended badly.
Melissa would become quiet.
Then distant.
Eventually she'd accuse Daniel of loving a ghost more than his living wife.
But why was Rachel's name in this conversation?
"What does Lily have to do with Rachel?""
Melissa shook her head.
"Daniel, give me the phone.""
"No.""
"You've misunderstood everything.""
"Then make me understand.""
"I can't do this with you yelling.""
"I'm not yelling.""
That was true.
Daniel's voice was almost unnaturally calm.
He pressed play.
Carol spoke first on the recording.
"Rachel left that money for Lily.""
Daniel stared at the screen.
Melissa answered.
"And Daniel controls it until she's eighteen.""
"So?""
"So as long as Lily lives here, every statement keeps coming here. Every annual review. Every reminder.""
Daniel's heartbeat thudded in his ears.
"What money?""
Melissa closed her eyes.
Daniel turned toward her.
"What money, Melissa?""
No answer.
He resumed the video.
Carol sounded nervous.
"You told me there was barely anything left.""
"There won't be.""
"How much did you use?""
"Enough.""
Daniel paused again.
His stomach twisted.
After Rachel died, Daniel had handled funeral expenses, medical bills, and endless paperwork while trying to raise a grieving one-year-old.
There had been a small life insurance policy.
At least, that was what he'd been told.
His accountant at the time had helped organize most of it.
Then Daniel changed jobs.
Moved houses.
Married Melissa.
He had trusted her to organize household mail and finances while he worked sixty-hour weeks rebuilding their savings.
Now he remembered something.
A letter.
Almost two years earlier.
He had seen Rachel's maiden name on an envelope.
When he asked about it, Melissa said it was junk mail connected to an old account.
Daniel had never seen it again.
He stared at her.
"The letters.""
Melissa didn't move.
"What letters?"" Carol asked.
Daniel ignored her.
"You told me they were junk.""
"Daniel—"
"You've been opening mail addressed to me?""
"No.""
"Then how do you know what's in those accounts?""
Silence.
Daniel felt Lily touch his hand.
He looked down.
"Daddy, are you mad at me?""
His anger vanished from his face instantly.
"No, sweetheart.""
"Because of Mommy Rachel?""
Daniel knelt.
"Never because of Mommy Rachel.""
Lily studied him.
"Melissa doesn't like when I say her name.""
Daniel slowly turned his head.
"What?""
Lily's eyes filled.
"She says Mommy Rachel went away because she didn't want me.""
Daniel felt as though someone had punched him.
He looked at Melissa.
"Did you tell her that?""
Melissa began crying.
"I was frustrated.""
"Did you tell my daughter her dead mother abandoned her?""
"I didn't mean it like that.""
"How else could you mean it?""
Carol suddenly spoke.
"Melissa, you said you stopped saying those things.""
Daniel turned.
"You knew?""
Carol covered her mouth.
Too late.
Daniel stood.
"How long?""
"Daniel, please.""
"HOW LONG?""
Noah began crying again.
Daniel immediately stopped.
He closed his eyes.
Not in front of the children.
He wouldn't become another frightening adult in Lily's kitchen.
He picked up Noah.
Then he crouched beside Lily.
"Sweetheart, go get your shoes.""
Lily's eyes widened.
"Am I leaving?""
"We're leaving together.""
"Where?""
"Uncle Ben's house.""
She hesitated.
"Can Noah come?""
Daniel swallowed.
"Of course.""
That finally brought the smallest smile to her face.
"And my puppy?""
Daniel remembered the stuffed dog lying in the hallway.
He retrieved it.
Lily gasped.
"For me?""
"For you.""
She hugged it.
Daniel nearly broke down.
"Go get your shoes, sweetheart.""
Lily ran upstairs.
The moment she disappeared, Melissa stepped toward him.
"You can't take Noah.""
"He's my son.""
"He's my son too.""
"Then you're welcome to explain everything to the police and an attorney.""
Melissa stared at him.
"You're going to destroy this family over some videos?""
Daniel looked toward the stairs.
"No. I'm trying to find out who already did.""
Carol sat down heavily.
Daniel reopened the gallery.
He searched through the remaining clips.
One was only eleven seconds long.
It showed a stack of envelopes on the kitchen table.
He couldn't read the writing clearly.
Melissa's voice said, "Daniel thinks Rachel left Lily twenty thousand.""
Carol replied, "And the real amount?""
Melissa laughed softly.
Daniel's chest tightened.
Then she said it.
"Almost four hundred thousand.""
Daniel stopped breathing.
Carol had apparently forgotten the phone was still recording because the camera continued running while both women walked out of the kitchen.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then Melissa returned.
She was speaking to someone on another phone.
Daniel turned up the volume.
"Yes," recorded Melissa said.
"I know the next withdrawal is risky.""
A pause.
"No, he hasn't noticed.""
Another pause.
Then:
"Once Lily is out of the house, I'll deal with Daniel.""
The recording ended.
Daniel stared at the black screen.
Four hundred thousand dollars.
Money Rachel had apparently left for their daughter.
Money Daniel had never known existed.
He looked at Melissa.
"How much is left?""
She said nothing.
"How much?""
"I don't know.""
"You're lying.""
Carol started crying.
Daniel turned toward her.
"You recorded this. Why?""
Carol wiped her face.
"I started because Melissa thought the videos would prove Lily was difficult.""
"That isn't what I asked.""
Carol looked at her daughter.
Melissa's expression sharpened.
"Mom, don't.""
Carol's hands trembled.
"After a while, I realized something wasn't right.""
"So you kept recording?""
"I thought I might need proof.""
"Proof of what?""
Carol's eyes filled with tears.
"Of what my daughter was doing.""
Melissa stepped forward.
"Shut up.""
Daniel moved between them.
"No. She's going to talk.""
Carol looked at him.
"The money wasn't the beginning, Daniel.""
He frowned.
"What does that mean?""
Carol glanced toward the staircase, making sure Lily wasn't there.
Then she whispered, "Melissa knew about Rachel's account before she ever met you.""
Daniel stared at her.
"That's impossible.""
Carol shook her head.
"No.""
"How?""
Carol looked down at the phone in Daniel's hand.
"There's another recording.""
"Where?""
"Not in that folder.""
Melissa lunged toward the phone.
Daniel stepped away.
"Mom!""
Carol pointed toward the screen.
"Open the deleted videos.""
Melissa froze.
Daniel's thumb hovered over the phone.
He opened the recently deleted folder.
There was one video.
Recorded eighteen months earlier.
The thumbnail showed Melissa sitting across from a man Daniel recognized immediately.
His former accountant.
Daniel pressed play.
And the first sentence he heard made his entire body go cold.
May you like
The accountant leaned toward Melissa and said:
"If Daniel ever learns what we did to Rachel's trust, we both go down.""
