Chapter 7: The Man In The Hallway
For three seconds, I forgot how to breathe.
The man standing in my hallway wasn’t a stranger.
That was what made it worse.
I knew his face.
I had seen him smiling in family photographs.
I had watched him place flowers beside Daniel’s coffin.
I had heard him tell me, “Your husband was like a son to me.””
Daniel’s father.
Richard Carter.
The man everyone said disappeared when Daniel was young.
The man who was supposed to be nothing more than a painful memory.
He stood in my house holding the purple apron from Marcus’s food truck.
My husband’s purple apron.
“Mommy?””
Zola’s voice came from the living room.
I moved instantly.
I stepped between her and Richard.
The same way I had done countless times.
The same way I did when strangers approached her.
The same way I did when I thought the danger was outside.
Richard tilted his head.
“You always did protect him.””
My stomach turned.
“Stay away from my daughter.””
His expression changed.
Not anger.
Something worse.
Disappointment.
“You think I would hurt my own granddaughter?””
“You’re not her family.””
The words came out before I could stop them.
His eyes hardened.
“Daniel told you that?””
I stared.
“What?””
Richard smiled slightly.
“There it is.””
“What are you talking about?””
“The part where he made you hate me.””
I tightened my grip around the phone.
Ethan was still on the line.
“Emily,” Ethan whispered.
“Get out.””
Richard looked toward the phone.
Then smiled.
“Your brother has always been dramatic.””
I stepped back.
“You know Ethan is on the phone?””
Richard shrugged.
“He knows everything.””
A cold wave moved through me.
“What does that mean?””
Richard walked slowly into the room.
I raised my voice.
“Don’t come any closer.””
He stopped.
For a moment, he looked tired.
Old.
Almost human.
Then I remembered Daniel’s voice.
Trust no one who says they loved me.
“I don’t want to fight with you,” Richard said.
“Then leave.””
“I came here because Daniel made a mistake.””
My heart pounded.
“What mistake?””
“He trusted the wrong people.””
I looked at the apron in his hand.
“Like you?””
His jaw tightened.
“Like Marcus.””
I froze.
“No.””
Richard laughed quietly.
“You still believe him?””
“He was Daniel’s friend.””
“He was Daniel’s business partner.””
“Yes.””
“And you know what business partners do?””
I said nothing.
“They lie.””
I hated that part of me listened.
Because everyone had lied.
Daniel.
Marcus.
Ethan.
Everyone except Zola.
Everyone except the little girl drawing pictures of a father she still missed.
Richard placed the apron on the table.
“I don’t want that recording.””
“Why?””
“Because it will destroy your family.””
I stared at him.
“You mean it will expose you.””
His expression went cold.
“Daniel was emotional. He didn’t understand what he was doing.””
“He understood enough to leave proof.””
Richard looked at me.
“Emily.””
The way he said my name made my skin crawl.
“You never knew my son.””
The sentence hurt.
Because it was exactly what I had been afraid of.
Richard continued.
“You knew the version of Daniel he created for you.””
My eyes burned.
“You’re wrong.””
“Am I?””
He stepped closer.
“Did he tell you about the debt?””
Silence.
“Did he tell you about the money he borrowed?””
Silence.
“Did he tell you he almost lost the business before you married him?””
I looked away.
Because I didn’t know.
And Richard saw it.
“That’s what I thought.””
I hated him for being right.
But I hated Daniel a little too.
And that scared me.
Richard lowered his voice.
“I didn’t kill my son.””
I looked up.
“Then who did?””
His eyes moved toward the recording device on the table.
“The person who benefits most from you finding the truth.””
My blood ran cold.
“Who?””
Before he could answer, the front window shattered.
The sound exploded through the house.
Zola screamed.
I grabbed her and pulled her down.
Richard moved quickly.
Not toward us.
Toward the window.
Someone outside ran.
Richard looked back at me.
For the first time, he looked afraid.
“Now you understand.””
I held Zola tightly.
“Understand what?””
“That whoever killed Daniel isn’t finished.””
The police arrived ten minutes later.
Richard was gone.
The only thing left behind was the purple apron.
And inside the pocket…
A folded piece of paper.
Three words were written on it.
*ASK YOUR MOTHER.*
May you like
I stared at the note.
Because my mother had been dead for seven years.
