Chapter 4: The Name on the Screen
For several seconds, I couldn't move.
Terrence.
My brother-in-law. Marcus's younger brother. The man who had helped us investigate Eleanor's missing retirement savings. The man who had called me that morning and warned me not to let Jayden delete anything.
The man who had just been named by someone threatening my son.
Marcus snatched the phone from my hand.
"What is this supposed to mean?""
"I don't know.""
"Denise, his name is right there!""
"I can read, Marcus.""
He stared at me, his jaw clenched so tightly that a muscle jumped near his ear.
"Your brother-in-law has been handling the investigation, and now someone is using his name to threaten our son.""
"Or someone wants us to believe he's involved.""
Marcus shook his head.
"You're still making excuses for everybody.""
"I'm trying to think clearly!""
My voice echoed through the kitchen.
We both fell silent.
Upstairs, Lily began calling for me.
"Mommy?""
I closed my eyes briefly.
Whatever was happening, my daughter couldn't become another casualty of it.
I went upstairs, found her sitting on the edge of her bed, and knelt in front of her.
"Sweetheart, I need you to stay with Dad for a little while.""
"Where are you going?""
"I have to help Jayden.""
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Is somebody going to hurt him?""
I brushed her cheek with my thumb.
"I don't know, baby. But we're going to find him.""
She threw her arms around my neck.
"Tell him I'm not mad at him.""
My throat tightened.
"I will.""
When I returned downstairs, Marcus was standing beside the kitchen island with his phone pressed to his ear.
He ended the call as soon as he saw me.
"Terrence isn't answering.""
"Maybe he's driving.""
"He answered me on the first ring every other time today.""
I picked up my purse.
"We're going to Eleanor's house.""
Marcus stared at me.
"Why?""
"Because if Terrence knows anything, that's where he'll go. And because your mother deserves to know what's happening with her money.""
He grabbed his keys.
"We should go to the police first.""
"We will. But I want Eleanor somewhere safe, and I want to hear what she remembers before anybody tells her what to think.""
Marcus hesitated.
Then he nodded.
We left Lily with our next-door neighbor, Mrs. Patterson, who had known our family for fifteen years. I explained that we had an urgent family matter and asked her not to let anyone take Lily anywhere without calling us.
She noticed my damp shirt and the strain on Marcus's face.
"Denise, honey, what's going on?""
"Something complicated. I'll explain when I can.""
She squeezed my hand.
"Your little girl is safe with me.""
I kissed Lily goodbye and followed Marcus to the car.
The drive to Eleanor's house took twenty minutes.
Neither of us spoke.
At a red light, Marcus finally broke the silence.
"Do you remember when Terrence was seventeen and he stole money from Mom's purse?""
I looked at him.
"He took forty dollars. He was a teenager.""
"He blamed me.""
"You told me that years ago.""
"He let Mom punish me for it. I spent two weeks doing extra chores because he swore he hadn't touched the money.""
Marcus tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
"Mom found the cash under his mattress six months later. By then, he'd forgotten the whole thing.""
"Terrence was a kid.""
"He was also very good at making other people believe what he wanted them to believe.""
I turned toward the window.
I remembered Terrence differently.
He was charming, generous with his time, and the kind of man who could make a stranger feel like an old friend. When Marcus and I were struggling financially after Jayden's birth, Terrence had brought groceries to our apartment without asking for anything in return.
When my father died, he'd driven me to the funeral home because Marcus was stuck at work.
He'd never once made me feel like an outsider in his family.
But memories weren't evidence.
And the message on my phone wasn't evidence either.
"Let's not convict him in our heads before we know what happened," I said.
Marcus didn't answer.
When we reached Eleanor's house, her porch light was on.
Her white sedan sat in the driveway, and the curtains in the front room were drawn.
Marcus hurried to the door.
"Mom!""
Eleanor opened it before he could knock a second time.
She was seventy-four, with silver hair pinned neatly at the back of her head and reading glasses hanging from a chain around her neck.
The moment she saw Marcus, her expression softened.
Then she noticed my face.
"Denise, sweetheart, what happened?""
I couldn't bring myself to tell her everything in the doorway.
"Can we come in?""
She stepped aside.
Her house smelled of cinnamon and furniture polish. A half-finished crossword puzzle sat beside her favorite armchair, and a pot of tea was cooling on the kitchen counter.
Ordinary things.
Safe things.
They made what we were about to discuss feel even more terrible.
Marcus sat beside his mother.
"Mom, we need to talk about your account.""
Eleanor's hands tightened around her teacup.
"I knew something was wrong.""
"What do you mean?"" I asked.
"Terrence called me last night. He asked if I'd remembered signing anything when Jayden visited.""
Marcus leaned forward.
"What did you tell him?""
"That I remembered signing some papers, but I didn't know what they were for.""
"Did he ask you to change your story?""
Eleanor looked offended.
"Of course not. He told me to tell the truth.""
Marcus exchanged a glance with me.
"Did he say anything about money being transferred into Denise's account?""
Eleanor shook her head.
"No. Why would he?""
I took out my phone and showed her the threatening message.
Her fingers began to tremble.
"That's Terrence's name.""
"Yes," I said.
"But we don't know who sent it.""
Eleanor looked from me to Marcus.
"You're not suggesting my younger son stole my retirement money.""
"No," Marcus said quickly.
"We're trying to understand what happened.""
She placed her cup down.
"Terrence has helped me with everything since your father died. He knows every bill I pay, every account I have. If I needed money transferred, I'd ask him.""
Her voice cracked on the final word.
I sat beside her and took her hand.
"We know how much you trust him.""
She looked directly at me.
"Do you?""
I couldn't answer.
A knock sounded at the front door.
All three of us froze.
Marcus stood.
"Stay here.""
He crossed the living room and looked through the narrow window beside the door.
Then he opened it.
Terrence stood on the porch.
He wore a navy blazer and carried a thick brown folder under one arm.
For half a second, his face showed surprise.
Then he smiled.
"There you are. I've been trying to reach you both.""
Marcus didn't step aside.
"Where's Jayden?""
Terrence's smile vanished.
"Why would I know where Jayden is?""
"Because somebody just sent Denise a message naming you as the person behind this.""
Terrence stared at him.
Then he slowly looked past Marcus at me.
"Denise, what did you do?""
The question hit me harder than I expected.
Not What happened?
Not Is Jayden safe?
What did you do?
I stood.
"Someone sent me a photograph of Jayden and threatened him. Then they sent your name.""
Terrence placed the folder on the entryway table.
"Let me see the message.""
"No," Marcus said.
"Not until you explain why your name keeps appearing in these transactions.""
Terrence's face hardened.
"Because I'm the one who's been investigating them!""
"Then why does Jayden say the person who planned this is someone we trust?""
Terrence looked at Eleanor.
Something flickered across his face.
Fear.
It was there and gone so quickly that I almost missed it.
But Marcus saw it.
He stepped fully into the doorway.
"Terrence, what aren't you telling us?""
My brother-in-law glanced toward the street.
Then he lowered his voice.
"Get your mother away from the windows.""
Eleanor stood abruptly.
"Terrence, what is going on?""
He looked at her, and for the first time since I'd known him, he seemed genuinely afraid.
"Mom, I need you to listen to me. The money wasn't stolen by one person.""
He opened the folder.
Inside were printed bank statements, copies of authorization forms, and a photograph of Jayden standing outside a building I didn't recognize.
Terrence slid the photograph toward us.
"Your son didn't start this," he said.
"He was recruited.""
Marcus stared at him.
"Recruited by whom?""
Terrence hesitated.
Then he pointed to a name printed on the first page of the folder.
May you like
A name that made Eleanor gasp.
Because it belonged to the one person none of us had thought to suspect.
