Chapter 11 - The Mother Who Finally Said NoDaniel was already reaching for his coat when Nathan laughed through the telephone.
“Relax. Mom's fine.”
“Put her on.”
“We're having a private conversation.”
“Put. Her. On.”
Nathan sighed.
“Always the protective older brother.”
Daniel heard movement in the background.
A chair scraping.
Then his mother's voice.
“Daniel?”
“Mom, are you okay?”
“Yes, sweetheart.”
“Why aren't you answering your phone?”
“I turned it off. Nathan wanted to talk.”
Daniel closed his eyes briefly.
“Do you want him there?”
A pause.
“No.”
Daniel straightened.
“Tell him to leave.”
Nathan's voice returned.
“You're unbelievable. She's our mother, too.”
“She just said she wants you to go.”
“You've turned everyone against me.”
“No, Nathan. You've done that yourself.”
The line went silent.
Daniel called Nora back on her mobile ten minutes later.
This time, she answered.
“He's gone,” she said.
“I'll come over.”
“No. Stay with the children. Rebecca and I have spoken. I'll spend tonight at my sister's.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
For the first time in days, her voice sounded firm.
Then she added, “He wanted me to sign something.”
Daniel became still.
“What?”
“A statement saying your father always intended Nathan to have equal control of the company.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
“Mom—”
“I told him I wouldn't lie for him again.”
Daniel sat down slowly.
“What did he say?”
“That I was choosing you.”
Nora's voice trembled.
“And I told him I was choosing the truth.”
After the call, Daniel remained at Rebecca's kitchen table.
Rebecca set a cup of tea beside him.
“She's changing,” Rebecca said.
Daniel nodded.
“Too late?”
“Maybe for some things. Not for everything.”
He looked toward the living room.
Ethan was building a tower of wooden blocks while Lily arranged stuffed animals around it.
“What if they never trust me again?”
Rebecca sat across from him.
“Then you earn it back.”
He lowered his eyes.
“I'm trying.”
“I know.”
“You warned me about Marissa.”
“Yes.”
“And I dismissed you.”
“Yes.”
He looked up, surprised by her honesty.
Rebecca's expression softened.
“Daniel, I don't need another apology that disappears when life gets busy. I need the kids to have a father who notices what's happening.”
He nodded.
“You're right.”
“Then keep noticing.”
The next morning, Daniel met Detective Elena Walsh, who was reviewing the report involving the children after receiving further information from the family.
Walsh was in her mid-forties, with dark hair and a measured manner.
She explained that the children's safety investigation and the suspected financial offenses were separate matters requiring different evidence and procedures.
“Your son reported seeing Marissa pull Lily's hair,” she said.
“Yes.”
“And you personally witnessed her holding his shirt when you entered?”
“Yes.”
“Did you see her strike either child?”
“No.”
“Did she threaten you?”
“She said I'd regret making her leave.”
Walsh wrote carefully.
“It's important that we separate what you directly observed from what others told you.”
“I understand.”
She looked up.
“Children may disclose more when speaking with a trained forensic interviewer in an appropriate setting. We don't want them repeatedly questioned by adults.”
Daniel nodded.
“I don't want to make them relive it.”
“Good.”
He provided his notes, the original photographs Rebecca had taken, and contact information for the medical examination arranged after the incident.
Then he told Walsh about Nathan's telephone remarks.
She listened.
“Document the date and exact words as well as you can. If there are additional threats, report them.”
Daniel hesitated.
“Detective, do you think my brother knew Marissa was hurting them?”
“I can't answer that yet.”
“But he knew they found documents.”
“That may be relevant to the other investigation.”
Daniel leaned forward.
“I need to know whether someone put my children in danger to hide a crime.”
Walsh's expression remained calm.
“Then help us establish the facts. Don't confront people to force answers.”
He understood.
His instinct was to storm into Nathan's office, demand confessions, and end everything.
But he was learning that anger, even justified anger, could destroy evidence or create new risks.
When he left the station, Martin called.
“Walter Haines is willing to meet us.”
Daniel stopped beside his car.
“When?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Does he remember the old repayment agreement?”
“Very clearly.”
Daniel felt a surge of hope.
“Good.”
Martin hesitated.
“He also asked me to tell you something.”
“What?”
“He says Benjamin left specific instructions about a document Nathan tried to alter after your father's death.”
Daniel gripped the phone.
“What document?”
“The family company's ownership records.”
Daniel looked up at the gray sky.
May you like
Nathan had not begun rewriting the truth when Marissa joined the family.
He had been practicing for years.
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