She had raised him alone after his father walked out when Marcus was nine. She worked double shifts at a hospital, sometimes sleeping only four hours before getting up to prepare breakfast. She never missed his basketball games, never forgot his birthday, and never allowed him to believe that their modest apartment made him less important than the other children at school.
When Marcus graduated from college, she cried so hard that she couldn't finish her speech.
When he bought his first house, he carried her through the front door as a joke, and she laughed until she couldn't breathe.
And when she became ill, he promised her that she would never have to worry about anything again.
He had kept that promise as best he could.
Or at least, he thought he had.
“Open it,” Danielle whispered.
Marcus looked at her.
“Why?”
“Because you deserve to know.”
He hesitated.
Then he picked up the envelope.
Inside was a handwritten letter and a small black USB drive.
The letter began with a sentence that made his stomach tighten.
My beautiful son, if you are reading this, it means I wasn't able to tell you the truth while I was alive.
Marcus read it twice.
Then he looked up.
“What truth?”
Neither Danielle nor Andre answered.
He unfolded the paper completely.
Marcus, I know you love me. I know you would do anything to protect me. But there is something I discovered about you that I have been afraid to discuss. Not because I stopped loving you, but because I was afraid of what you might do when you learned that I knew.
Marcus lowered the letter.
His breathing became uneven.
“What is this?”
Andre remained silent.
Marcus continued reading.
I discovered the accounts. I discovered the signatures. And I discovered that the woman you brought into my home was not the first person you had lied to.
His eyes moved to Danielle.
She covered her mouth.
Marcus looked back at the letter.
I wanted to believe there was an explanation. I wanted to believe that my son was simply making mistakes. But I can no longer pretend that what I found was accidental.
Marcus stopped reading.
He looked at Andre.
“What accounts?”
Andre nodded toward the USB drive.
“Everything is on there.”
Marcus laughed, but there was no humor in it.
“So that's what this is? You two have been sitting in my bedroom putting together some kind of accusation against me?”
“No,” Danielle said.
“Then what?”
She wiped her cheeks.
“We were trying to decide how to tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
“That your mother knew.”
Marcus looked at the letter again.
The words seemed to move on the page.
His mother knew something about him.
Something she had been afraid to tell him.
And somehow, his ex-girlfriend had become part of it.
“Start talking,” he said.
Andre nodded slowly.
“Three years ago, shortly before your mother died, she contacted me.”
Marcus's eyes narrowed.
“Why you?”
“Because she knew I worked in financial investigations. She had questions about some documents, and she needed someone who could look at them without alerting you.”
Marcus shook his head.
“You're a financial investigator?”
“I am.”
“Since when?”
“Since before you and Danielle broke up.”
Marcus looked at Danielle.
“You knew?”
“I knew what Andre did for a living. I didn't know why your mother contacted him until recently.”
Marcus turned back.
“Keep going.”
Andre pulled a chair away from the wall and sat down.
He didn't seem interested in winning an argument. He seemed interested in making sure every word was understood.
“Your mother had been receiving statements from a financial institution she didn't recognize. At first, she thought they were advertisements. Then she discovered that an account had been opened using her personal information.”
Marcus frowned.
“She had dementia toward the end. She could barely remember what day it was.”
“She wasn't diagnosed with dementia,” Andre replied.
Marcus stiffened.
“What?”
“Your mother was treated for a neurological condition, but her memory was largely intact until the final weeks. She was perfectly capable of understanding what she had found.”
“Don't talk about my mother's health.”
“I'm telling you because it matters.”
Andre opened a small leather folder and removed several photocopies.
“Your mother discovered that someone had used her identity to guarantee a series of business loans.”
Marcus stared at the documents.
The signatures looked familiar.
Too familiar.
They were his mother's signatures.
“Those loans were paid off,” Marcus said quickly.
Andre looked at him.
“Were they?”
“Yes.”
“By whom?”
Marcus didn't answer.
“That's what I thought.”
Danielle stepped closer.
“Marcus, the money didn't come from the business.”
He turned toward her.
“What are you talking about?”
“Your mother had a savings account. The money was transferred out in several installments.”
“That account was closed.”
“No,” Danielle whispered. “It wasn't.”
Marcus looked as though someone had struck him.
He turned back to Andre.
“Where did you get this?”
“Your mother.”
“You're lying.”
“I'm not.”
“Then show me the proof.”
Andre pointed toward the USB drive.
“That's why we're here.”
Marcus looked at the small device.
He suddenly understood why Andre had been sitting on the bed rather than waiting outside. He understood why Danielle had been so frightened when he entered the room.
This wasn't an awkward meeting between two former lovers.
This was something much bigger.
But he still couldn't accept it.
“Why tonight?” he asked.
Danielle swallowed.
“Because I received a phone call this afternoon.”
“From who?”
“Your mother's attorney.”
Marcus went still.
“My mother had an attorney?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't I know about that?”
“Because she specifically asked him not to contact you until he had verified everything.”