Chapter 9: The Son Tasha Hid
Marcus sat down so abruptly that the chair scraped against the floor.
I watched the color drain from his face.
For years, he had believed he had one child. Now a stranger was telling him that he had a second son, a boy who had been hidden from him and whose identity was apparently tangled up in a scheme involving Isaiah's inheritance.
Marcus put the call on speaker.
"Daniel, I need you to tell me where you are.""
"I'm at a gas station off Route 17.""
"Are you alone?""
"Yes.""
"Are you safe?""
Daniel hesitated.
"I think so.""
Marcus closed his eyes.
"How old are you?""
"Eighteen.""
I covered my mouth.
Eighteen.
That meant Daniel had been born before Marcus married Renee, before Isaiah came into the world, and before Tasha entered our family.
"Daniel," Marcus said carefully, "why do you believe I'm your father?""
"My mother told me.""
"Who is your mother?""
"Tasha.""
The room went silent.
Marcus looked at me.
I could see the shock, the anger, and the hurt fighting for space on his face.
"Tasha told you I was your father?""
"She told me a few months ago.""
"Why didn't she tell me?""
Daniel laughed bitterly.
"She said you had a family and that telling you would destroy it.""
Marcus's jaw tightened.
"Then why are you calling me now?""
"Because she promised me that if I helped her, she'd tell you the truth. She said I could finally meet you.""
"Helped her with what?""
Daniel took a shaky breath.
"She wanted me to pretend to be Isaiah.""
Marcus stood.
"What?""
"She told me Isaiah was spoiled and that his grandmother was interfering with everything. She said there was money in a trust that should have been used to help the whole family.""
My hands went cold.
"Did she ask you to go to the bank?""
"Yes.""
"Did you pretend to be Isaiah?""
Daniel didn't answer immediately.
Then he whispered, "Yes.""
Marcus turned away.
I wanted to reach for him, but he looked as though even the slightest touch might make him collapse.
Daniel continued.
"She gave me a school jacket and a folder with Isaiah's information. She told me to say my name was Isaiah Johnson if anyone asked. She said it was only for a photograph and that no money would be taken until everything was approved.""
"Did you know about the eighty-five thousand dollars?""
"I knew she wanted money from a trust. I didn't know how much until I saw the paperwork.""
"Did you know she had forged my mother's signature?""
"No.""
"Did you know she used my mother's name?""
Daniel's voice broke.
"She told me Rebecca would help. She said Rebecca knew Renee and could explain everything.""
I thought of the woman on my porch.
Rebecca Lane.
The woman who had claimed to be Renee's friend and had appeared at the bank the day before.
"Daniel," I asked, "who is Rebecca?""
He went quiet.
"She's my mother's friend.""
"How long has she known Tasha?""
"Years. She used to help my mom with paperwork. She was the one who told me how to get to the bank.""
I gripped the edge of the table.
"Did Rebecca pretend to be Renee?""
"I don't know. I never saw her face clearly at the bank. She wore a hat and sunglasses.""
Marcus spoke sharply.
"Why would you agree to this?""
Daniel's answer came slowly.
"Because I wanted to meet my father.""
The anger in Marcus's face faltered.
Daniel continued, his voice thick with tears.
"I grew up hearing that my dad abandoned me. Mom said he knew about me and didn't want me. When she finally told me who you were, I thought maybe I could have a family.""
Marcus sat down again.
"Daniel, I didn't know you existed.""
"I know that now.""
"How?""
"Because I looked you up. I found your construction company profile, and I saw photographs of you with Isaiah. You looked happy. I realized you weren't the man my mother described.""
Marcus pressed his fingers against his forehead.
"Where are you now?""
"Still at the gas station.""
"Stay there. I'm coming to meet you.""
Daniel panicked.
"No! If Mom finds out I called you, she'll know I told you everything.""
"Then we'll make sure you're safe.""
"You don't understand. She has documents with your signature. She said if I didn't help her, she'd tell the police I stole the money.""
Marcus looked at me.
I could hear the fear in Daniel's voice.
"Did you take any money?""
"No.""
"Did you sign anything?""
"She made me sign a statement saying I was Isaiah's representative. I thought it was just a form for the bank.""
Marcus closed his eyes.
"Daniel, listen to me. Don't sign anything else. Don't delete any messages.
Don't confront your mother. We're going to get you help.""
Daniel began to cry.
"I don't want to go to jail.""
"You won't be facing this alone.""
Marcus looked at me, and I nodded.
He told Daniel to remain in a public place and said he would coordinate with his attorney before meeting him. We also agreed to contact the investigators handling the bank's complaint so Daniel could explain what had happened without putting himself at further risk.
After the call ended, Marcus sat motionless.
I placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You have another son.""
He looked at me.
"I have another son who was taught to hate me.""
"No," I said gently.
"You have another son who was lied to.""
Marcus wiped his face.
"And Tasha used him to steal from Isaiah.""
"We don't yet know everything she did. But we know enough to keep both boys safe.""
He nodded slowly.
Then he looked toward the kitchen, where Isaiah was waiting.
"How am I supposed to explain this to him?""
I thought about my grandson's worn-out shoes, his broken backpack, and the way he had begged me not to tell Tasha he'd asked for help.
"Tell him the truth in a way an eleven-year-old can understand. Tell him another boy has been caught up in adult lies. Tell him none of this is his fault.""
Marcus went to sit with Isaiah.
I remained at the table, looking at the school form and the bank photograph.
Something still didn't make sense.
If Daniel was Tasha's son, why had she hidden him for eighteen years?
Why had she allowed Marcus to believe he had only one child?
And why had she suddenly decided to reveal Daniel's existence just as she was trying to access Isaiah's trust?
My phone vibrated.
A message from Eleanor had arrived.
I found a reference to a second beneficiary-related document in Renee's old file. I believe it may explain why Tasha has been trying to access the trust.
I called her immediately.
"Eleanor, what document?""
"An application for a court-appointed guardian. It was prepared several years ago but never filed.""
"Who was supposed to become the guardian?""
"Tasha.""
My stomach tightened.
"Why?""
"According to Renee's notes, the application claimed Marcus was frequently absent and unable to provide consistent care for Isaiah because of his work. It proposed that Tasha be given authority over certain financial and educational decisions.""
"But Marcus was working to support his son.""
"Exactly. Renee believed someone was attempting to use his travel schedule to portray him as an unfit parent.""
I looked toward the living room.
Marcus was kneeling beside Isaiah, explaining something quietly. My grandson listened with wide eyes, occasionally glancing toward the hallway.
"Was the application connected to the trust?""
"Potentially. The draft included language about managing funds for Isaiah's education. It was never approved, and I don't know who prepared it. But if someone intended to establish control over the trust, this could have been an early step.""
I felt sick.
Tasha hadn't simply taken five hundred dollars meant for school supplies.
She might have been working for years to gain control over a fortune that belonged to Isaiah.
"Can you send us a copy?""
"I'll provide the materials through the proper legal process. But there's something else, Evelyn.""
"What?""
"The application contains a statement claiming Renee had personally requested that Tasha become Isaiah's guardian if Marcus ever became unavailable.""
I shook my head.
"Renee would never have done that without telling me.""
"That's what Renee wrote in her private notes. She denied making the request.""
I stared at the wall.
Another forged statement.
Another attempt to use Renee's name.
Another piece of a plan that had begun long before the bank received the eighty-five-thousand-dollar withdrawal request.
Then Eleanor said something that made me sit upright.
"There's a handwritten notation on the back of the application. It identifies the person who prepared the first draft.""
"Who?""
"Rebecca Lane.""
I closed my eyes.
The woman who had appeared at my door.
The woman who claimed to have known Renee.
The woman who had been at the bank.
She wasn't an innocent messenger caught between Tasha and our family.
She had been involved from the beginning.
Before I could respond, a notification appeared on my phone.
It was a photograph from Marcus.
He had taken it inside the living room.
Isaiah was sitting beside him, holding a small envelope he had found hidden in the lining of his old backpack.
On the front, in Tasha's handwriting, were the words:
*For Daniel. Open only after the money arrives.*
I stared at the photograph.
Tasha had been using Isaiah's broken backpack to hide something.
And whatever was inside that envelope had been intended for Daniel, the son she had kept secret from his father for eighteen years.
I called Marcus.
"Don't open it until the investigators can document it.""
His voice was strained.
"Mom, I already looked inside.""
My heart pounded.
"What was in it?""
He paused.
Then he whispered, "A photograph of Isaiah's school—and a plane ticket with Daniel's name on it.""
"Where was he supposed to go?""
Marcus swallowed.
"The departure date is tomorrow morning.""
I stood frozen in the kitchen.
Tasha hadn't just planned to take money from Isaiah's trust.
She had planned for Daniel to leave town immediately afterward.
But the final line printed on the ticket was what truly frightened me.
It listed the destination as a city where Tasha had never lived, where none of us had family, and where an entirely different person was waiting to receive Daniel.
May you like
A person identified only by two initials.
*R.J.*
