Chapter 4: The Police Were Waiting for Me
The footsteps stopped outside my study.
“Mr. Mercer?”” a man called.
“Please come out with your hands visible.””
Sienna stood beside my desk, trembling so violently that the papers beneath her hands began to rustle.
I stared at her.
“Did you call them?””
She shook her head.
“No.””
“Did Mason?””
“I don't know.””
A fist struck the door.
“Sir, we need you to open this door now.””
I looked toward the hallway. Noah was upstairs, alone in his bedroom. Mason knew that. If the police took me away, my son would be left with the very people who had spent the afternoon teaching him to fear his own home.
I couldn't allow that to happen.
“Where's Noah's birth certificate?”” I whispered.
Sienna swallowed.
“In Mason's briefcase.””
“Why?””
“Because he needs it for the guardianship paperwork.””
I felt a surge of anger so fierce that I had to clench my fists.
“He's preparing to take my son while I'm being arrested?””
“Daniel, please. There's something else you need to know.””
“Not now.””
I moved toward the door.
Sienna caught my wrist.
“If they find the recordings, they'll believe him.””
“What recordings?””
She looked toward the door, then back at me.
“The ones from the night of the accident.””
Before I could ask what she meant, the police knocked again.
“Sir, this is your final request. Open the door.””
I unlocked it.
Two uniformed officers stood in the hallway. Behind them was a plainclothes detective with a square jaw and a silver badge clipped to his belt.
“Daniel Mercer?”” he asked.
“Yes.””
“I'm Detective Harris. We need to speak with you about a complaint involving your wife and child.””
“What's the complaint?””
“Your wife has reported an incident involving threats of violence and an attempt to remove your son from the residence.””
I looked over his shoulder.
Mason stood near the staircase, holding his phone. He had changed his expression completely. His shoulders were lowered, his eyes filled with manufactured concern.
He looked like a man who had just watched his best friend fall apart.
“I tried to calm Daniel down,” Mason told the detective.
“But he became aggressive. I was worried about Sienna and the boy.””
I almost laughed.
“You were trying to take my son from my arms.””
Mason shook his head sadly.
“He's confused. He's been under a lot of pressure.””
Detective Harris raised one hand.
“Mr. Mercer, I need you to let me ask the questions.””
“Of course.””
“Did you threaten your wife today?””
“No.””
“Did you physically assault Mr. Reed?””
“He grabbed my arm while I was holding my son. I pushed his hand away.””
Mason immediately lifted his sleeve.
A red mark was visible on his wrist.
“That's what he did,” he said.
The detective examined it.
“Was anyone else present?””
“My son and my wife.””
“Mrs. Mercer?””
Sienna appeared in the doorway.
Her eyes met mine.
For one fragile second, I thought she might tell the truth.
Then Mason spoke.
“Take your time, Sienna. Just tell them what happened.””
She flinched.
“I was frightened,” she whispered.
The detective turned toward her.
“Did your husband threaten you?””
She looked down at her hands.
“He was angry.””
“That's not what I asked.””
Sienna's eyes filled with tears.
“Yes,” she said.
“He frightened me.””
The words landed like a physical blow.
I stared at the woman who had slept beside me for seven years.
“You know that's not true.””
Her face crumpled.
“Daniel, please don't make this worse.””
Detective Harris stepped between us.
“Mr. Mercer, I need you to come with us while we clarify the situation.””
“Can I speak to my son first?””
“Not at this moment.””
“Noah is three years old. He's upstairs, and he thinks I'm going to disappear. I'm not leaving without telling him where I'm going.””
The detective hesitated.
Mason stepped forward.
“The boy is safe with us.””
I turned on him.
“You are not his father.””
“And you aren't thinking clearly enough to act like one.””
“That's enough,” Detective Harris snapped.
Mason immediately backed away, raising his palms in a gesture of innocence.
I looked at the detective.
“Please. Let me say goodbye to my son. You can send an officer with me.””
After a long pause, Harris nodded.
“One minute. An officer will accompany you.””
I climbed the stairs with a uniformed officer behind me.
Noah was sitting beside his bed, clutching his stuffed dinosaur. The moment he saw me, he jumped up.
“Daddy!””
I knelt and caught him.
“Hey, buddy.””
“Are we going somewhere?””
I pressed my forehead against his.
“I need to answer some questions downstairs. I'll be back as soon as I can.””
His eyes widened.
“No! Mommy said you wouldn't come back!””
The officer looked away.
I held Noah tighter.
“Listen to me. You did nothing wrong. None of this is your fault.””
“Can I come with you?””
I couldn't answer immediately.
He pulled back and searched my face.
“Daddy, please.””
I wanted to carry him out of the house, put him in the car, and drive until the road ran out.
But I knew that if I ran, Mason would use it against me. Every accusation would become easier to believe.
“I love you more than anything,” I whispered.
“And I'm going to make sure you're safe.””
Noah began crying.
I kissed his forehead and stood.
As I reached the door, his small voice followed me.
“Daddy?””
I turned.
“Yeah, buddy?””
“Don't let the bad man have my blue backpack.””
I frowned.
“What bad man?””
Noah pointed toward the hallway closet.
“The man who came yesterday. Mommy put my clothes in the blue backpack. He said we were going away when the clock said eight.””
I felt my blood run cold.
The officer moved closer.
“Sir, we need to go.””
I looked at the closet.
The blue backpack wasn't there.
Someone had already taken it.
Downstairs, Detective Harris was waiting beside the front door. Mason stood behind him, checking his watch.
7:43 p.m.
I walked toward the detective.
“Before we leave, I need you to understand something. My wife and her security consultant have been preparing documents to transfer custody of my son. My business accounts are being targeted, and someone has disabled the cameras in this house.””
Harris studied me.
“Do you have evidence?””
“Some. More is being preserved by my company's financial officer.””
“Then we'll need to verify it.””
“Absolutely.””
He gestured toward the door.
As I stepped outside, a black SUV pulled into the driveway.
The passenger door opened.
A red-haired woman climbed out.
I recognized her from Noah's description.
She carried a blue backpack.
My son's blue backpack.
She looked at Mason, then at Sienna, and finally at me.
“Is the father being taken away?”” she asked.
Nobody answered.
She glanced at her watch.
“Good. We're running out of time.””
Detective Harris turned sharply.
“Ma'am, who are you?””
She hesitated.
Mason stepped forward.
“She works for our family.””
The woman shook her head.
“No, I don't.””
She looked directly at the detective.
“My name is Laura Bennett. And I was told I was coming here to collect a child whose father was already dead.””
The driveway went silent.
Sienna covered her mouth.
Mason lunged toward Laura.
But Detective Harris moved first, catching his arm.
“Don't move.””
Laura dropped the backpack.
It hit the pavement with a heavy thud.
Then she reached into her purse and produced a folded document.
“I think you need to see this,” she said.
The document bore my name.
May you like
My photograph.
And a date of death scheduled for that very night.
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