Chapter 6: What My Stepson Was Hiding
I didn't sleep that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the bank receipt lying in my hand.
Nine hundred dollars.
Withdrawn eleven months earlier.
The same amount that might have belonged to Molly.
And Tara had admitted using it to pay something she believed would destroy our family.
At 2:13 in the morning, I went downstairs for a glass of water.
The house was dark except for the light beneath the kitchen cabinets. I found Tara sitting at the table with her phone in front of her.
She looked up sharply when I entered.
"Can't sleep?""
"No.""
She turned the phone facedown.
"Me neither.""
I filled a glass at the sink.
For a moment, I considered asking her about Cole again.
Then I remembered the way Molly had flinched when Tara entered a room.
I wasn't going to interrogate anyone in the middle of the night. I wanted the truth, but I didn't want to frighten the children into silence.
I took my water and started toward the stairs.
"Scott?""
I turned.
Tara's eyes were red.
"If I tell you something, will you promise not to overreact?""
I stood still.
"That depends on what you're telling me.""
She let out a small, bitter laugh.
"Of course it does.""
She looked down at her phone.
"I was trying to fix something before it became a problem.""
"What?""
"Something Cole did.""
My grip tightened around the glass.
"What did Cole do?""
Tara shook her head.
"I can't explain it tonight.""
"Then why bring it up?""
"Because you keep asking about the money, and I need you to understand that I wasn't trying to hurt Molly.""
I watched her for a moment.
"Did Cole take the nine hundred dollars?""
"No.""
"Did you give it to him?""
"No.""
"Then what does he have to do with it?""
She looked away.
"I said I can't explain it tonight.""
I left the kitchen without another word.
At six the next morning, I made coffee and called Jean.
She had already gathered the documents.
"I'll bring everything over at eight," she said.
"I've also arranged for the attorney's office to speak with us this morning.""
"Thank you.""
"Scott, how is Molly?""
I glanced toward the staircase.
"She's scared.""
Jean was silent for a moment.
"Keep her close.""
"I will.""
"And don't make any decisions about the money until we've reviewed the records.""
After the call, I went upstairs to check on Molly.
She was awake, sitting on her bed with her knees pulled against her chest.
"Good morning, sweetheart.""
She looked up.
"Did Tara tell you what happened?""
"She said I should ask Cole.""
Molly's expression changed.
"Did she?""
"Yes.""
She looked toward the door.
"Dad, I think Cole knows something.""
"Why?""
"Because he came into my room yesterday while Tara was packing my suitcase.""
"What did he say?""
Molly hesitated.
"He asked if I was really going to Grandma's.""
"What did you tell him?""
"I said I didn't know.""
She pulled a loose thread from her blanket.
"Then he said he was sorry.""
"For what?""
"He wouldn't tell me.""
I sat beside her.
"Did he seem frightened?""
Molly nodded.
"He kept looking at the hallway. Then he told me not to let Tara throw away the purple notebook.""
I frowned.
"What purple notebook?""
"I don't know. He said it was important.""
My thoughts raced.
"Did he tell you where it was?""
Molly shook her head.
"No. He just said that if something happened, I should remember that I didn't do anything wrong.""
I felt a chill.
Cole was ten years old.
Whatever was happening in our house had reached him too.
I went downstairs and found him sitting at the kitchen island, eating cereal and watching cartoons on a tablet.
He looked up when I entered.
"Morning, Scott.""
"Morning, buddy.""
I poured myself coffee and sat opposite him.
"How are you doing?""
"Fine.""
He returned to his cereal.
I waited until he looked up again.
"Can I ask you something?""
His spoon stopped halfway to his mouth.
"About what?""
"Your mom mentioned that something happened last year. Something involving money.""
Cole's face drained of color.
"I don't know anything about money.""
I kept my voice gentle.
"That's okay. I'm not accusing you of anything.""
He looked toward the stairs.
"Is Mom mad?""
"She's upset. But you don't need to worry about that right now.""
He set down his spoon.
"Did Molly tell you about the notebook?""
My heart gave a hard thump.
"What notebook?""
Cole immediately looked frightened.
"I shouldn't have said that.""
I leaned forward.
"Cole, listen to me. You're not in trouble for talking to me.""
He shook his head.
"You don't understand.""
"Then help me understand.""
His eyes filled with tears.
"Mom said if anyone found out, everything would fall apart.""
I set my coffee aside.
"What would fall apart?""
Cole pressed his lips together.
For a moment, I thought he wouldn't answer.
Then he whispered, "The money wasn't supposed to go to me.""
The words hung between us.
"What money, Cole?""
He shook his head.
"I can't.""
"Why not?""
"Because Mom said she'd lose the house.""
I stared at him.
"Did she tell you that?""
He nodded.
"She said if the bank found out what happened, we'd have to move. She said I'd lose my school, my friends, everything.""
I felt a wave of anger rise inside me.
Not at Cole.
At the fact that a ten-year-old child had been made to carry a secret he was clearly terrified to reveal.
I pulled my chair closer.
"Cole, you are not responsible for your mother's decisions. Whatever happened, it isn't your job to protect adults from the truth.""
He looked at me with wide eyes.
"But she said it was my fault.""
"Why?""
He started crying.
I moved around the island and knelt beside him.
"Hey. Look at me. You're safe.""
He wiped his face with his sleeve.
"Mom told me to say Molly took the money if anyone asked.""
My entire body went cold.
"What?""
He covered his face.
"She said Molly was already in trouble, and nobody would believe her anyway. She said it would be easier if everyone thought Molly took it.""
I couldn't speak.
Cole began sobbing harder.
"I didn't want her to get in trouble. She's my sister.""
I wrapped my arms around him.
"It's okay.""
"No, it's not!""
His voice broke.
"I knew Mom put the money in Molly's bag. I saw her do it!""
I closed my eyes.
There it was.
The truth we'd been circling since the moment I came home.
Tara had searched Molly's backpack, found three hundred dollars, and packed her suitcase.
But according to Cole, she'd put the money there herself.
I pulled back and looked at him.
"When did you see her do that?""
"Yesterday morning.""
"What time?""
"Before school. Molly had already left. Mom was in the hallway with her backpack.""
"How do you know it was Molly's backpack?""
"It has her name on the tag.""
He wiped his cheeks.
"Mom opened the front pocket, then the little zipper pocket inside. She took an envelope from her purse and put the money in it. Then she put the envelope in the backpack.""
My hands trembled.
"Did you see the money?""
"Yes.""
"How much?""
"I don't know. There were lots of bills.""
I took a slow breath.
"Cole, did your mom tell you why she did that?""
He nodded.
"She said Molly was going to make trouble for her. She said Molly had been snooping through her things.""
"Was that true?""
Cole shook his head.
"Molly doesn't snoop. She just wants everyone to stop fighting.""
I looked toward the stairs.
"Where's the purple notebook?""
Cole hesitated.
Then he whispered, "In my room. Under the loose board beside my bed.""
I stared at him.
"Why did you hide it?""
"Because Mom told me to throw it away.""
He looked down at his hands.
"But I read some of it first.""
"What did it say?""
"I don't know everything. There were dates and amounts and notes about the bank. And there was a page with Molly's name on it.""
My pulse quickened.
"What did the page say?""
Cole swallowed.
"It said the nine hundred dollars had been used to pay a debt.""
"What debt?""
"I don't know.""
He began to cry again.
"But underneath it, Mom wrote something about making sure Molly couldn't claim the money.""
I felt as though the floor had shifted beneath me.
Before I could ask another question, footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Tara entered the kitchen.
She stopped when she saw me kneeling beside Cole.
Her gaze moved from her son to his tear-streaked face.
Then she looked at me.
"What have you been telling him?""
I stood slowly.
"Nothing he didn't already know.""
Tara's eyes narrowed.
"Cole, go upstairs.""
He didn't move.
"Cole," she repeated, louder.
He looked at me.
I gave him a small nod.
He slid off the stool and hurried toward the staircase.
Tara waited until he was gone.
Then she stepped close to me.
"You had no right to question him.""
"He came to me.""
"He's ten years old! He doesn't understand what he's saying.""
"Then you shouldn't be afraid of what he says.""
Her face flushed.
"You think you've solved everything because a frightened child told you a story?""
"No. I think we need to examine the evidence.""
"What evidence?""
"The notebook.""
For the first time, Tara looked truly terrified.
It lasted only a moment, but I saw it.
She grabbed her handbag from the counter.
"Where is it?""
"I don't know.""
"Scott, where is the notebook?""
"You tell me. Why were you trying to make him throw it away?""
She stared at me.
Then she said, "Because it contains private information about our family.""
"About Molly's money?""
"About everything!""
Her voice cracked so loudly that the kitchen seemed to echo.
She pressed both hands against her forehead.
"You don't understand what happened last year. I was trying to protect Cole.""
"From what?""
She looked at me with tears streaming down her face.
"From a mistake that could have ruined his life.""
"What mistake?""
Tara opened her mouth.
Before she could answer, a small voice came from the staircase.
"Dad?""
Molly stood on the landing, holding her phone.
"Grandma just sent me a picture.""
I took the phone from her.
The image showed a page from an old notebook.
At the top was the date of the nine-hundred-dollar withdrawal.
Below it were several handwritten entries.
One read:
Payment made. Account cleared.
Another said:
Molly cannot be allowed to find out.
And beneath those words, in Tara's unmistakable handwriting, was a final sentence.
If Scott discovers the original account, blame Molly before he asks questions.
I slowly raised my eyes.
Tara stood frozen beside the kitchen counter.
Then the front doorbell rang.
I looked toward the entrance.
Through the glass, I could see Jean standing on the porch beside a man in a dark suit carrying a leather briefcase.
The man raised a document toward the window.
Jean's face was pale.
When I opened the door, she stepped inside and spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Scott, this is the attorney who handled Emily's estate.""
The man extended his hand.
"Mr. Bennett, we need to discuss a document your wife submitted last year.""
May you like
He opened his briefcase.
"And I think you'll want to see who signed it.""
