Chapter 9
For a moment, I thought the tickets had to be fake.
Why Costa Rica?
Why Nicole?
Why Monday?
I sent the screenshot to Melissa.
She studied it.
“Do you have any reason to believe Rachel is planning to leave the country permanently?”
“No.”
“Has she ever mentioned Costa Rica?”
“Vacation. Years ago.”
“Property there?”
“Not that I know.”
“Family?”
“No.”
Melissa leaned back.
“This could be nothing more than a trip.”
“A one-way trip?”
“That’s less ordinary.”
I called Nicole.
No answer.
Again.
No answer.
Then my phone buzzed.
Rachel.
I answered.
“Did Eric tell you?”
“What?”
“About Costa Rica.”
Silence.
That was enough.
“You really were leaving.”
“Daniel.”
“Monday.”
“I can explain.”
“Please do.”
She breathed shakily.
“Nicole and I were going for a month.”
“One-way tickets.”
“Return flights were cheaper to book later.”
“That doesn't make sense.”
“I wasn't sure when I’d come back.”
“Were you coming back?”
“Yes.”
I said nothing.
“Daniel, I swear.”
“You’ve sworn a lot.”
“I needed space.”
“With forty-three thousand dollars in a Nevada account.”
“I wasn’t taking all of it.”
“How much?”
Silence.
“How much were you planning to transfer?”
“Maybe twenty.”
“Twenty thousand dollars?”
“Yes.”
“What about the house?”
“I was going to keep paying my half.”
“What about the business?”
“Jason could run it.”
“What about me?”
She started crying.
“I was going to send you a letter.”
That hurt.
A letter.
Eight years reduced to paper.
“You were going to disappear.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“You would have known where I was.”
“No, I wouldn’t.”
“I was going to tell you.”
“When? After landing?”
She said nothing.
I rubbed my eyes.
“Why is Eric following you?”
“He isn’t.”
“He has photographs.”
“I don’t know how.”
“He knows about the flights.”
“Nicole might have told someone.”
“Why would she tell Eric?”
Silence.
“Rachel, are you involved with Eric again?”
“No.”
“Marcus?”
“No.”
“Nicole?”
“What?”
The shock in her voice sounded genuine.
“No.”
“Then what is actually happening?”
She cried quietly.
“I was scared.”
“Of me?”
“No.”
“Of what?”
She hesitated.
“Jason.”
That surprised me.
“Your brother?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because the storage business isn’t legitimate.”
My stomach tightened.
“What does that mean?”
“We have real tenants.”
“But?”
“One of Jason’s clients uses several units.”
“For what?”
“I don’t know.”
“You do.”
“No.”
“You’re lying.”
“Drugs, maybe.”
I stood.
“What?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did you know when you bought the property?”
“No.”
“When did you find out?”
“Three months ago.”
Exactly when money started moving from the business account.
I understood.
“You emptied the account because you were afraid it could be seized.”
“Yes.”
“And you were leaving the country.”
“For a while.”
“Did Jason know?”
“No.”
“Does he know now?”
“I don't think so.”
I looked at Melissa.
She was listening carefully.
“Who is the client?”
“I don't know his real name.”
“What name does he use?”
“Victor.”
“Last name?”
“Salazar.”
Melissa wrote it down.
“How do you know drugs are involved?”
“I saw men unloading boxes late at night.”
“That proves nothing.”
“Then Jason told me never to go to the property after ten.”
“Still proves nothing.”
“Then I found cash.”
“How much?”
“Almost eighty thousand dollars.”
“Where?”
“In one of the units.”
“Did you touch it?”
“No.”
“Did you call police?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because Jason begged me not to.”
Of course.
“Did he tell you what it was?”
“He said it wasn’t ours.”
“Whose?”
“He wouldn’t say.”
I sat down slowly.
“So your brother may actually be in trouble.”
“Yes.”
“But the embezzlement story was still a lie.”
“Yes.”
“Why not tell me this?”
“Because you would call the police.”
“Yes.”
“That’s why.”
I laughed bitterly.
“At least you know me.”
She whispered, “Better than you think.”
That sentence hurt.
“Rachel, if there are drugs or illegal money at that property, you need a lawyer.”
“I know.”
“You need your own lawyer.”
“Will you help me?”
The question stunned me.
“With what?”
“I’m scared.”
I looked at Melissa.
She shook her head firmly.
“No,” I said.
Rachel started crying harder.
“Daniel.”
“You have family.”
“My mother hates me.”
“She’s angry.”
“Jason caused this.”
“You helped buy the property.”
“I didn’t know.”
“And I didn’t know about any of this, but here I am.”
Silence.
“I’ll give your attorney any documents mine finds,” I said. “That’s all.”
“You really hate me.”
“No.”
That was the truth.
I almost wished I hated her.
“It would be easier if I did.”
She began sobbing.
“I love you.”
I closed my eyes.
“I know.”
“Do you still love me?”
I could have lied.
I didn't.
“Yes.”
Her breath caught.
“But I don’t trust you.”
“Can I earn it back?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then don’t file yet.”
“It’s already being filed.”
She broke.
“No.”
“Rachel.”
“Please.”
“You were leaving Monday.”
“I won’t go.”
“That changes nothing.”
“I’ll close the Nevada account.”
“That changes nothing.”
“I’ll sell the property.”
“That changes nothing.”
“I’ll go to counseling.”
I stayed silent.
“I’ll tell police everything.”
That got my attention.
“About the storage unit?”
“Everything.”
“Including financial fraud?”
“Yes.”
“Against me?”
A long pause.
“Yes.”
I looked at Melissa.
She raised an eyebrow.
“Do not make promises to me,” I said. “Talk to a lawyer.”
“I want to make this right.”
“You cannot make eight years right in one phone call.”
“I know.”
“For once, please stop trying to fix consequences by moving money around.”
She cried.
“I’m sorry.”
“I know.”
I ended the call.
Melissa leaned forward.
“If she intends to disclose possible criminal activity at the storage business, she needs criminal counsel immediately.”
“What about me?”
“You need to stay away from that property.”
“That part is easy.”
My phone rang.
Jason.
I stared at it.
Melissa said, “You don’t have to answer.”
I did anyway.
“Did Rachel call you?” he asked.
“No.”
A lie.
I wanted to hear what he knew.
“Why?”
“She’s saying crazy stuff.”
“What kind of stuff?”
“That I put her in danger.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
“Is a man named Victor Salazar renting units from you?”
Silence.
Jason’s voice changed.
“Who told you that?”
“So he exists.”
“Daniel.”
“What is in those units?”
“I don’t know.”
“Rachel says drugs.”
“She’s panicking.”
“Is there eighty thousand dollars in cash?”
Jason cursed.
“Where is she?”
“I don’t know.”
“You talked to her.”
“I’m not telling you anything.”
“You don’t understand what she’s doing.”
“What is she doing?”
“Making people think I’m involved in something illegal.”
“Are you?”
“No.”
“Then why are you afraid?”
He went silent.
“Jason.”
His next words were almost a whisper.
“Because Victor thinks Rachel stole from him.”
My stomach tightened.
“What?”
“The money she moved from the business account.”
“That was business revenue.”
“Not all of it.”
“How much belonged to Victor?”
“Thirty thousand.”
I stood.
“You laundered his money.”
“No.”
“What would you call it?”
“He paid rent in cash.”
“Thirty thousand?”
“He prepaid.”
“Don’t insult me.”
Jason breathed heavily.
“I made a mistake.”
“No. A mistake is forgetting your wife’s birthday. This is criminal.”
“I was trying to keep the business alive.”
“By taking money from a drug dealer?”
“You don’t know he sells drugs.”
“You’re terrified of him.”
Silence.
“Where is Rachel?”
“I told you, I don’t know.”
“If you hear from her, tell her she needs to give the money back.”
“She says she spent some.”
My chest tightened.
“How much?”
“Ten thousand.”
“On what?”
“I don't know.”
“Then Victor wants thirty?”
“He wants forty.”
“Why?”
“Penalty.”
I laughed in disbelief.
“This is insane.”
“No kidding.”
“And she was planning to fly to Costa Rica.”
Jason went silent.
“How do you know that?”
“Eric.”
“Who the hell is telling Eric everything?”
That question stopped me.
He was right.
Eric knew too much.
The property.
The bank visit.
The tickets.
The secret account.
Things even Jason didn’t know.
“How would Eric know?”
Jason asked again.
“I don’t know.”
“Maybe Rachel is working with him.”
“She says no.”
“You believe her?”
No.
But something still felt wrong.
I called Eric.
No answer.
I texted:
How did you know about Costa Rica?
No reply.
How did you know about the storage property?
Nothing.
How did you get my number?
Still nothing.
Then I remembered the photographs.
I opened them again.
Rachel and Jason at the property.
Rachel at the bank.
The airport itinerary.
Someone had been watching her.
For months.
I zoomed into one photograph.
There was a reflection in the bank window.
A man holding a phone.
Too blurry to identify.
I sent it to Eric.
Is that you?
Nothing.
Then one final text arrived.
Not from Eric.
Unknown number.
Tell your wife I want my money.
A second message.
Tell Jason too.
Then a photograph.
My mother walking out of her apartment building that morning.
I stopped breathing.
May you like
Under the photo were five words.
Everybody has someone they love.
