Chapter 3: The Sister Who Knew Too Much
Nia didn't answer immediately.
She watched Tasha standing beside the silver sedan, one hand holding her phone and the other gripping the strap of her purse.
Her sister had driven across town in the middle of the night because Nia had asked for help.
But according to Jonathan Reed, Tasha's name was on the company documents connected to their father's missing inheritance.
Both things could be true.
That was the frightening part.
Nia answered the call.
“Why are you listed as a director of a company owned by Denise Carter?””
Silence.
Tasha looked up at the bedroom window.
“What?””
“Don't pretend you didn't hear me.””
“Nia, open the door. We need to get you out of there.””
“Answer my question.””
Tasha's face tightened.
“Where did you get that information?””
“From an attorney who says someone stole Dad's inheritance.””
Her sister closed her eyes.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Tasha whispered, “Oh, God.””
Nia felt her stomach drop.
“You knew.””
“No.””
“Then why did you say that?””
“Because I knew something was wrong. I didn't know it was this.””
Nia backed away from the window.
“Come inside.””
She ended the call and grabbed her overnight bag.
When she opened the bedroom door, Darius was standing at the end of the hallway. His mother stood beside him, arms folded. Malik leaned against the wall, holding a fresh glass of whiskey.
Darius looked at the bag in Nia's hand.
“Where do you think you're going?””
“To my sister's.””
“No, you're not.””
Nia kept walking.
Denise stepped into her path.
“You're not taking family business outside this house.””
Nia stopped.
“You mean the family business where you sit on a sofa and watch your son beat his wife?””
Denise's nostrils flared.
“Don't you dare speak to me like that.””
“Move.””
“You ungrateful little—”
“Move!””
The sharpness in Nia's voice startled even Malik.
Denise stepped aside, but not before grabbing Nia's wrist.
“You have no idea what you've done.””
Nia looked down at the hand gripping her.
“Let go.””
Denise tightened her fingers.
“Your father should have raised you better.””
Nia jerked her wrist free.
“Don't talk about my father.””
Denise leaned closer.
“Your father left this family with nothing but trouble.””
Nia went still.
“What did you say?””
Darius moved between them.
“Mama, stop talking.””
Nia looked at him.
“Why? What does she know?””
“Nothing you need to worry about.””
“Then you won't mind if I ask her.””
Darius grabbed the strap of Nia's bag.
“Enough.””
She pulled back.
“Take your hand off my bag.””
He leaned down, speaking through clenched teeth.
“You walk out that door, and don't expect to come back.””
Nia looked directly into his eyes.
“That's the first thing you've said tonight that sounds like a gift.””
She yanked the bag away and walked toward the front door.
Malik stepped aside without meeting her gaze.
At the threshold, Darius called after her.
“You think your sister is going to save you? You think she hasn't been lying to you, too?””
Nia stopped.
Behind her, Denise said nothing.
That silence was worse than any accusation.
Nia turned around.
“What do you mean?””
Darius's mouth tightened.
“Ask her where she was the night your father died.””
Nia's fingers went numb around the door handle.
Tasha had been seventeen when their father died. Nia had been twenty-four, already living with Darius in a small apartment across town.
She remembered the phone call that had woken her before dawn. Her mother crying. Tasha sitting on the kitchen floor at the funeral home, clutching their father's jacket.
Tasha had said she hadn't seen him that evening.
She had said she'd been at a friend's house.
Nia had never questioned it.
“Darius,” she whispered, “what are you talking about?””
He smiled without warmth.
“Ask your sister.””
Nia walked out.
The night air hit her face, cold and damp. Tasha hurried toward her, took one look at the swelling on Nia's cheek, and wrapped her arms around her.
“Oh, my God,” Tasha whispered.
“What did he do to you?””
Nia held her tightly for three seconds.
Then she pulled away.
“Did you know about Dad's money?””
Tasha looked toward the house.
“Not here.””
“Did you?””
“Please, Nia. Get in the car.””
“Did you know?””
Tasha's eyes filled with tears.
“I knew Denise had contacted me about some paperwork. That's all.””
“What paperwork?””
“She said there was an old investment account that needed a beneficiary confirmation. She told me Dad had left debts and that she was helping Mom sort everything out.””
“And you signed something?””
Tasha looked down.
“Years ago.””
Nia felt as though the ground had shifted beneath her.
“What did you sign?””
“I don't remember the exact wording.””
“Then tell me what you do remember.””
Tasha wiped her cheeks.
“I was eighteen. Mom said we were in trouble with the bank. Denise offered to help. She told me it was just a form confirming that I knew about the account.””
“Did you know it belonged to Dad's trust?””
“No.””
“Did you know Denise was using your name on a company?””
“No!””
Tasha's voice cracked.
“I swear to you, Nia. I didn't know.””
Nia wanted to believe her.
She wanted to take her sister's hand, climb into the car, and leave the nightmare behind.
But the legal notice sat in her bag, and the unknown caller's warning echoed in her mind.
Ask Denise what happened to your father.
She opened the passenger door.
“Get in.””
Tasha nodded.
As Nia settled into the seat, the front door of the Carter house opened again.
Denise stood beneath the porch light.
She wasn't shouting anymore.
She was holding a telephone.
Nia watched her lift it to her ear.
Then Denise looked directly at the car and smiled.
A second later, Nia's phone rang.
The caller ID displayed a name she hadn't seen in six years.
*Mom.*
Nia answered.
“Hello?””
Her mother's voice sounded strained.
“Where are you?””
“Leaving Darius.””
“Good. Don't go to Tasha's apartment.””
Nia frowned.
“Why?””
“Because I need you to come home.””
“Home? Mom, what are you talking about?””
“I should have told you years ago.””
Nia stared through the windshield.
“Tell me what?””
Her mother began to cry.
“Your father wasn't alone in that car the night he died.””
Nia's hand tightened around the phone.
“Who was with him?””
A long pause followed.
Then her mother whispered, “Tasha.””
Nia turned toward her sister.
Tasha had gone completely still.
Her eyes were fixed on the dashboard.
And when Nia said her name, Tasha began to cry.
“I'm sorry,” her sister whispered.
“I was going to tell you.””
Nia's mouth went dry.
“Tell me what?””
Tasha looked at her, tears running down her face.
“Dad wasn't supposed to die that night.””
The words hung between them.
Then Tasha reached into her purse and pulled out a small, folded photograph.
She placed it in Nia's hand.
It showed their father standing beside a black sedan, his arm around a woman whose face had been scratched away.
On the back, in their father's handwriting, were seven words.
*If anything happens to me, find Evelyn Carter.*
Nia looked up sharply.
“Who is Evelyn Carter?””
Tasha shook her head.
“I don't know.””
Then Nia noticed the date printed in the corner of the photograph.
It was taken two days before their father's death.
May you like
And beneath the date was a handwritten note that made her blood run cold.
*She is Darius's real mother.*
