Chapter 3: The Secret in Jordan's Room
Dad didn't move for several seconds.
He stood beside my bed, staring at the anonymous message as if the words might rearrange themselves into something less terrible.
I read them over his shoulder.
Ask Jordan what he bought last night.
My throat went dry.
“Dad,” I whispered.
“What does that mean?””
He locked his phone.
“I don't know.””
“But someone does.””
He looked toward the door.
“Stay here.””
I caught his wrist.
“Please don't make me stay here alone while everyone fights.””
His expression softened, and he sat beside me again.
“You're right. I'm sorry.””
He took a slow breath.
“Listen to me, Maya. We're going to find out what happened. But until we do, I don't want you confronting Jordan or Vanessa on your own.””
“Do you think Jordan took the money?””
“I think someone knows more than they're saying.””
It wasn't an answer.
But it was the first time Dad had admitted that the problem might be bigger than Vanessa's decision to cancel my ticket.
He called the bank again and asked for the transaction details to be documented. He also requested the airline's cancellation record through the secure account process.
Then he sent a message to the number that had contacted him.
*Who is this?*
No reply came.
Downstairs, Vanessa's voice rose.
“David, you cannot interrogate my son because some stranger sent you a text!””
Dad stood.
“Then tell me what you know.””
“I've told you everything!””
“Have you?””
Silence.
Then Jordan said, “Mom, just stop.””
Those three words made me look at Dad.
He looked at me, too.
We went downstairs together.
Vanessa stood beside the kitchen island, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. Jordan was near the back door, tapping his fingers against his phone. Caleb sat at the dining table, looking between them with a confused frown.
Dad stopped in the middle of the room.
“Jordan, I need you to answer a few questions.””
Jordan rolled his eyes.
“Seriously? About Maya's ticket?””
“About the money.””
“I don't know anything about the money.””
“Then this should be easy.””
Dad held up his phone.
“Someone sent me a message saying I should ask what you bought last night.””
Jordan stopped tapping his fingers.
It was a small movement.
But the silence that followed was enormous.
Vanessa immediately stepped forward.
“That's enough, David.””
He didn't look at her.
“Jordan?””
Jordan shoved his phone into his pocket.
“I bought something online. So what?””
“What did you buy?””
“Why do you care?””
“Because the airline refund was sent to an account that doesn't belong to me, and someone believes you know why.””
Jordan let out a harsh laugh.
“This is insane.””
“Then explain it.””
“I don't have to explain every purchase I make to you.””
Dad's jaw tightened.
“If the purchase has something to do with my daughter's canceled ticket, you absolutely do.””
Jordan looked toward his mother.
Vanessa shook her head almost imperceptibly.
I saw it.
So did Dad.
“Vanessa,” he said, “stop answering questions for him.””
“I'm not answering anything!””
“Then stop signaling him.””
Her face flushed.
“You're accusing my son of stealing?””
“I'm asking him what happened.””
“You've already decided he's guilty.””
“No. But you seem determined to prevent him from speaking.””
Jordan suddenly slammed his palm against the counter.
“Fine! I bought a gaming computer. Happy now?””
Caleb's head snapped up.
“You bought the one with the triple monitors?””
Jordan glared at him.
“Shut up.””
Dad's eyes narrowed.
“With what money?””
“My savings.””
“Your savings?””
“Yeah.””
Dad folded his arms.
“How much did it cost?””
Jordan hesitated.
“Why does that matter?””
“How much?””
“Three thousand dollars.””
Caleb stared at him.
“Three thousand? You told me it was only fifteen hundred!””
Jordan turned on him.
“I said shut up!””
Caleb recoiled.
Vanessa moved between her sons.
“David, teenagers make expensive purchases. That doesn't prove anything.””
“No, it doesn't,” Dad replied.
“But the timing is interesting.””
Jordan's face turned red.
“I didn't steal Maya's ticket money!””
Nobody had used the word steal.
Not yet.
Dad noticed that, too.
He took a breath.
“Jordan, I'm going to ask you one more time. Did you have access to the booking account yesterday?””
“No.””
“Did you use Vanessa's phone or computer?””
“No.””
“Did you receive a refund from the airline?””
“No!””
The last answer came out so loudly that Caleb dropped his fork.
Dad didn't raise his voice.
“Then you won't mind helping us establish what happened.””
Jordan shook his head.
“I'm not handing over my phone so you can snoop through everything.””
“I haven't asked for your phone.””
“Then what do you want?””
“The truth.””
Jordan laughed, but the sound was brittle.
“You know what? This is exactly why I hate living here. Everything is always about Maya. She cries, and suddenly everyone has to stop what they're doing.””
I felt the familiar sting in my chest.
Dad stepped forward.
“This is not about who cries. This is about a transaction that was made without my permission.””
“And somehow I'm the bad guy?””
“I haven't called you anything.””
“You don't have to!””
Jordan grabbed his glass and hurled the remaining orange juice into the sink. It splashed against the metal basin.
Vanessa flinched, then immediately turned to Dad.
“Look what you're doing to him!””
Dad stared at her.
“What I'm doing to him?””
“You're treating him like a criminal!””
“Then tell him to stop acting as if every question is an attack.””
Jordan shoved his chair back.
“I'm done.””
He stormed upstairs.
Vanessa followed him, calling his name.
Caleb remained at the table, his eyes fixed on the wet counter.
Dad pulled out a chair and sat across from him.
“Caleb, can I ask you something?””
Caleb swallowed.
“Am I in trouble?””
“No, son. Not unless you've done something you need to tell me about.””
The boy picked at a loose thread on his sleeve.
Dad kept his voice gentle.
“Did you know Jordan was buying a computer?””
Caleb nodded.
“Yeah.””
“Did he have the money before yesterday?””
“I don't know.””
“Did he say where it came from?””
Caleb glanced toward the stairs.
“Can I go to my room?””
Dad didn't force him to stay.
“Of course.””
Caleb hurried away.
I watched him disappear around the corner.
“He knows something,” I whispered.
Dad rubbed his forehead.
“Maybe. Or maybe he's frightened because the adults are arguing.””
“Jordan looked scared.””
Dad gave me a tired smile.
“You noticed that?””
“He always makes fun of me when he thinks he's winning. He wasn't doing that anymore.””
Dad looked toward the staircase.
“No. He wasn't.””
For the next hour, Dad worked at the kitchen table. He reviewed the original booking confirmation, checked the bank's transaction alerts, and wrote down every detail he could verify.
He didn't accuse anyone else.
He didn't pretend to know what had happened.
But I could see that his trust in Vanessa had begun to crack.
At six o'clock, she came downstairs carrying a folder.
“Here,” she said, dropping it in front of him.
“The hotel confirmation, the airline details, and the itinerary. You can inspect every piece of paper if that makes you feel better.””
Dad opened the folder.
He found the hotel reservation first. Five guests were still listed.
Then he found the original flight confirmation.
My name was there, beside his.
Finally, he found a printed email confirming that my ticket had been canceled at 8:47 the previous evening.
Dad looked up.
“You canceled her ticket before you told me.””
Vanessa's chin lifted.
“Yes.””
“And you knew I had no intention of leaving her behind.””
“I knew you'd be upset.””
“That's not an explanation.””
She leaned against the counter.
“Fine. You want the truth? I thought it would be better for the boys if Maya stayed home.””
“Why?””
“Because everything becomes a competition with her. You take her to Miami, you talk about her mother, you spend the entire trip trying to recreate memories from a life I wasn't part of. Jordan and Caleb get whatever time is left.””
Dad's expression softened for a moment, but his voice remained firm.
“You knew what Miami meant to Maya when you agreed to this trip.””
“I thought she'd grown out of it.””
“She lost her mother three years ago. Grief doesn't work on your schedule.””
Vanessa looked away.
“You always take her side.””
“I'm taking the side of a child who was promised a trip by her father.””
“And what about my children?””
“Your children are welcome on the trip. Nothing has changed for them.””
“Except now you're making everyone miserable.””
Dad closed the folder.
“No. The person who canceled Maya's ticket and concealed the refund made everyone miserable.””
Vanessa's mouth tightened.
“You're never going to let this go, are you?””
“Not until I know where the money went.””
For the first time, she had no immediate answer.
Dad stood and carried the folder to his study.
I followed him.
Inside, he opened the laptop and logged into the family booking account. He changed the password, enabled additional security, and checked the account activity available to him.
Then he paused.
“That's strange.””
I moved closer.
“What?””
He pointed to a notification.
“The account was accessed from a device I don't recognize at 8:31 last night. Sixteen minutes before the cancellation.””
“Could it have been Vanessa's phone?””
“Possibly. But the device information doesn't match the phone I know she uses.””
He opened another page.
A new recovery email address had been added to the account the same evening.
Dad read it aloud.
“jordan.bennett...””
He stopped.
I stared at the screen.
“That's Jordan's email.””
Dad didn't respond.
He clicked the account activity details and took a screenshot. Then he checked the recovery settings on the family account.
The new email had been added shortly before the ticket was canceled.
Someone had used Jordan's email address to gain access to the booking account.
But that still didn't prove Jordan had done it himself.
Dad leaned back in his chair.
“I'm going to speak to him again.””
I caught his hand.
“Dad, what if Vanessa made him do it?””
“Then we'll find that out, too.””
He squeezed my fingers.
“I won't let this become your burden. You understand?””
I nodded.
He went upstairs.
I remained in the study, staring at the laptop.
The cursor blinked beside the unfamiliar device information.
A minute later, I heard Dad knock on Jordan's bedroom door.
“Jordan, open up.””
“Go away!””
“We need to talk.””
“There's nothing to talk about!””
Dad's voice remained steady.
“Your email address was added to the booking account before Maya's ticket was canceled.””
Silence.
Then a muffled thud came from inside the room.
“Jordan?””
The door opened a few inches.
I couldn't see Jordan's face, but I heard his voice.
“I didn't do it.””
“Then help me understand how your email ended up there.””
“I don't know!””
“Who had access to your account?””
Another silence.
Dad asked, “Jordan, did someone ask you to do this?””
I heard a sharp intake of breath.
Then Jordan whispered something I couldn't make out.
“What was that?”” Dad asked.
Jordan's voice rose.
“I said Mom told me not to tell you!””
My heart lurched.
Dad went quiet.
“Tell me what she told you.””
Jordan started crying.
Not the loud, angry kind of crying I had heard from him when he was punished.
These were quiet, frightened sobs.
Then he said five words that made the entire house seem to stop breathing.
“Mom said it was her money.””
Dad's voice was barely audible.
“Whose money, Jordan?””
May you like
And from behind the half-open door, Jordan finally answered.
“The money from Maya's ticket.””
