Chapter 4
Thomas called the police.
Rebecca told him not to.
That became the next argument.
“You received a threat,” Thomas said.
“It doesn’t say he’s going to hurt anyone.”
“It says leave Maya alone.”
“It could be a prank.”
Thomas stared at her.
“A prank from someone who knows Daniel’s old address?”
Rebecca looked away.
Emma sat beside me now.
I barely noticed.
My thoughts were moving too fast.
My father.
Mark.
Old financial records.
My mother.
Somebody had known I was here.
Or somebody had expected me to be here.
That made no sense.
“I wasn’t supposed to work tonight,” I said.
Everyone looked at me.
Kevin was still by the door.
“What?”
“I switched shifts with Angela yesterday.”
Thomas frowned.
“So whoever sent that message couldn’t have known Maya would be here.”
“Unless they knew about the shift change,” Emma said.
Rebecca stared at me.
“Who knew?”
“Coworkers.”
“Anyone else?”
“My roommate.”
Thomas looked at Kevin.
“Who has access to staff schedules?”
Kevin answered quickly.
“Managers. Corporate operations. HR.”
Rebecca laughed nervously.
“So half the company.”
Thomas ignored her.
“When did the schedule update?”
“Yesterday afternoon.”
Thomas pulled out his phone.
He made a call.
“Peter, I need an access audit on the Harbor Street location. Staff scheduling system. Last forty-eight hours.”
He listened.
“No. Tonight.”
Then he hung up.
Rebecca stared at him.
“You still do that.”
“What?”
“Order people around like nothing else matters.”
Thomas looked at her.
“Someone may be threatening my granddaughter.”
Rebecca rolled her eyes, but I saw something behind it.
Jealousy.
Maybe not of me.
Maybe of the word granddaughter.
I stood.
“I’m going home.”
Thomas stood too.
“No.”
I stared at him.
“Excuse me?”
“You should not be alone tonight.”
“I’m not going home with you.”
“You don’t have to.”
Rebecca folded her arms.
“You could come with me.”
Emma looked shocked.
“So you can throw food at her in private?”
“Emma!”
I almost smiled.
Almost.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number again.
Everyone stared at it.
Thomas said, “Don’t answer.”
I answered.
“Hello?”
Silence.
Then breathing.
I stood very still.
“Who is this?”
A man spoke.
His voice was low.
Older.
“You look like her.”
My blood ran cold.
Thomas moved closer.
“Who is it?”
I raised one finger.
The caller continued.
“More than I expected.”
“Who are you?”
“You already know.”
My knees weakened.
“Daniel?”
Silence.
Then a quiet laugh.
Thomas reached for the phone.
I turned away.
“Are you my father?”
The man stopped laughing.
“Yes.”
Every sound in the room disappeared.
I had imagined this moment.
Not often.
But enough.
When I was a child, I imagined a man appearing at our door with an explanation.
He had been searching for us.
He had been sick.
He had been overseas.
He had lost our address.
Anything.
I never imagined hearing him through a phone while standing beside the family my mother had hidden from me.
“Where are you?”
“Not far.”
I looked toward the dark windows.
Thomas stepped between me and the glass.
“Why now?”
Daniel was silent.
Then he said, “Because Thomas found you.”
My eyes moved to my grandfather.
“He didn’t find me. He happened to come into my restaurant.”
Another soft laugh.
“Nothing about tonight happened by accident.”
I stopped breathing.
Thomas heard that.
“What did he say?”
I put the call on speaker.
“Say it again.”
Silence.
Then Daniel spoke.
“Hello, Thomas.”
Thomas’s face changed.
Not shock.
Recognition.
“Daniel.”
“Still pretending to be the good guy?”
“Where are you?”
“That’s always your first question. Never how are you.”
Thomas stepped closer to the phone.
“You stay away from Maya.”
Daniel laughed.
“There it is. The command.”
Rebecca went pale.
“Daniel?”
He went silent.
Rebecca leaned toward the phone.
“It’s Rebecca.”
“I know.”
Her face tightened.
“You sent me the bank statement.”
“Yes.”
Thomas looked at her.
Daniel continued.
“I figured it was time.”
“Time for what?” I asked.
“The truth.”
I gripped the phone.
“Then tell me.”
Thomas shook his head.
“Maya, don’t.”
I snapped toward him.
“No. Everyone keeps telling me not to hear things.”
I spoke into the phone.
“What truth?”
Daniel inhaled slowly.
“I didn’t steal that money.”
“Then who did?”
Silence.
Rebecca stared at the phone.
Thomas’s face was stone.
Daniel said, “Your aunt.”
Rebecca exploded.
“You liar!”
Emma jumped.
“I never touched that money!”
Daniel laughed.
“You signed the overrides.”
“I didn’t!”
“Tell them about Mark.”
Rebecca stopped.
Thomas looked at her.
“What about Mark?”
Daniel said, “Ask her when she met him.”
Rebecca whispered, “No.”
Emma frowned.
“Mom?”
Daniel kept going.
“Go ahead, Rebecca. Tell your daughter.”
Rebecca grabbed the phone from my hand.
“You don’t get to do this.”
“Why not?”
“Because you destroyed Sarah.”
The room went silent.
Daniel’s voice changed.
“Careful.”
“No. I kept your secrets long enough.”
“What secrets?” I demanded.
Rebecca ignored me.
“You left her when Maya was two.”
Daniel said nothing.
“You took every dollar in their account.”
Silence.
“You told Sarah you were coming back.”
“Rebecca—”
“You never did.”
My hands began shaking.
I looked at the phone.
“Is that true?”
Daniel’s voice softened.
“Maya, your mother and I had problems.”
“Did you leave?”
“I had to.”
“Why?”
“Because Thomas was coming after me.”
Thomas shouted, “I didn’t know where you were!”
“You had investigators everywhere.”
“To find my daughter!”
“To put me in prison.”
“You stole from me!”
“I didn’t!”
Their voices collided.
I screamed.
“Stop!”
Silence.
I looked at Rebecca.
“You said he took their money.”
“Yes.”
“How do you know?”
“She called me.”
“When?”
“The night after he disappeared.”
I looked at Daniel.
Well, at my phone.
“Did you take it?”
“It was our money.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“I had to survive.”
“And she didn’t?”
He went quiet.
My throat tightened.
“Did you know she died?”
“Yes.”
That hurt more than I expected.
“When?”
“Six years ago.”
I closed my eyes.
She had been dead twelve years.
“You found out six years after she died.”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t come find me?”
“I knew you were safe.”
A bitter laugh escaped me.
“You knew?”
“I kept track.”
I opened my eyes.
“What does that mean?”
Daniel hesitated.
“I knew where you lived.”
Thomas’s expression became dangerous.
Rebecca whispered, “Oh my God.”
I felt sick.
“You knew where I lived.”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“Years.”
I sat down because my legs stopped working.
“You knew I was sixteen and alone.”
Daniel’s silence answered.
“You knew I was staying in someone’s basement.”
“Maya—”
“You knew I was working at a grocery store after school.”
“I didn’t want to disrupt your life.”
I laughed.
Then I started crying.
I hated that.
I wiped my face angrily.
“You didn’t want to disrupt my life?”
“I thought staying away was best.”
“For who?”
No answer.
“For who?”
“For everyone.”
I ended the call.
Thomas reached for me.
I moved away.
“Don’t.”
He stopped.
Emma put her hand beside mine on the table.
Not touching.
Just there.
I appreciated that more than she knew.
Rebecca stared at the phone.
“He said Mark’s name.”
Thomas nodded.
“What does Mark have to do with Daniel?”
Rebecca looked terrified again.
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t lie.”
“I’m not.”
Emma spoke quietly.
“Dad knew Grandpa wasn’t dead.”
Rebecca turned.
“What?”
Emma swallowed.
“Last year, I heard him talking about Collins Hospitality. He said, ‘Her father still controls the board.’ I thought he meant someone else.”
Rebecca stared at her.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t know you told me Grandpa was dead.”
Rebecca sat down slowly.
Thomas looked furious.
“How long have you been married to Mark?”
“Nineteen years.”
“When did you meet him?”
“Twenty years ago.”
“Where?”
She hesitated.
“A consulting firm.”
“What firm?”
“Barton Financial.”
Thomas went still.
I noticed.
“What?”
Thomas looked at Rebecca.
“Barton Financial performed the original internal audit on Daniel.”
Rebecca’s mouth fell open.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No, Mark worked in another division.”
“What division?”
“Corporate restructuring.”
Thomas shook his head.
“I want his employment file.”
Rebecca stood.
“You’re not investigating my husband.”
“I already am.”
“Dad!”
It was the first time she had called him that.
Everyone heard it.
Even Rebecca.
Thomas froze.
Her anger faltered.
For a second, they looked like father and daughter instead of enemies.
Then Thomas’s phone rang.
He answered.
“Peter.”
He listened.
His face became grim.
“When?”
Another pause.
“Send it.”
He ended the call.
Rebecca immediately asked, “What?”
Thomas looked at me.
“Someone accessed the employee schedule yesterday.”
“So?”
“The login belonged to a corporate finance executive.”
Rebecca frowned.
“Who?”
Thomas turned the screen toward us.
A name appeared.
MARK HOLLOWAY.
Rebecca’s husband.
Emma’s father.
My uncle by marriage.
The man who had chosen this restaurant tonight.
Rebecca stared at the screen.
“That’s impossible.”
Then Kevin knocked on the door.
His face was pale.
“Mr. Collins?”
Thomas turned.
“What?”
Kevin held up a security tablet.
“There’s a man standing in the employee parking lot.”
My stomach dropped.
May you like
Kevin looked directly at me.
“He says he’s Maya’s father.”
