Chapter 6: The Truth My Mother Buried
Curtis didn’t come inside.
That was the first thing that scared me.
If he wanted to confront me, he would have.
If he wanted to intimidate me, he would have.
Instead, he stood outside the coffee shop window, staring.
Waiting.
Like he wanted me to know he was there.
Renee grabbed the letter from my hand.
“Put that away.””
I quickly folded it and slid it into my bag.
“How did he find me?””
Renee shook her head.
“He probably followed you.””
My stomach dropped.
“He followed me?””
“Jada, listen to me.””
Her voice became serious.
“You need to understand something.””
“What?””
“Curtis isn’t dangerous because he gets angry.””
She looked toward the window.
“He’s dangerous because he stays calm.””
I watched him.
She was right.
Even now, he wasn’t yelling.
He wasn’t threatening.
He was just watching.
And somehow that was worse.
My phone rang.
Mom.
I answered immediately.
“Hello?””
“Jada?””
Her voice was shaking.
“Where are you?””
I looked at Curtis through the glass.
“Why?””
“Because Curtis came home looking for you.””
My fingers tightened.
“What did he say?””
A pause.
Then:
“He said you stole something.””
I froze.
“What?””
“He said you took documents.””
I looked at Renee.
“He’s lying.””
“I know.””
The way she said it surprised me.
My mother knew.
Finally.
She knew.
“Mom…”
“Jada, I need you to listen.””
Her voice broke.
“I should have told you years ago.””
I closed my eyes.
“Tell me now.””
Silence.
Then:
“Your father didn’t leave debt.””
I swallowed.
“Okay.””
“He left money.””
My heart stopped.
“How much?””
“Enough.””
“How much?””
My mother breathed in.
“Almost two hundred thousand dollars.””
I sat there frozen.
Renee looked at me.
She knew.
“Where is it?””
Another pause.
“Gone.””
My chest tightened.
“Gone?””
“Yes.””
“Because of Curtis?””
My mother started crying.
“I thought I was fixing something.””
“What did you fix?””
“I thought your father owed him.””
“Mom.””
“I was wrong.””
The pain in her voice almost broke me.
Almost.
“How?””
She whispered:
“Because Curtis showed me fake paperwork.””
I stared ahead.
“And you believed him?””
“I was grieving.””
Her voice cracked.
“I had just lost your father. I was alone. He told me he was helping me manage everything.””
I looked at Renee.
Then back at the window.
Curtis was still there.
“He stole from us.””
My mother didn’t answer.
She didn’t have to.
The silence said everything.
I stood up.
“Mom.””
“Yes?””
“I need you to do something.””
“What?””
“Stop protecting him.””
A long pause.
Then:
“I don’t know how.””
That sentence hurt.
Because my mother had spent years being strong.
And Curtis had convinced her she was helpless.
I ended the call.
Renee looked at me.
“You believe her?””
I nodded.
“Yes.””
“Then you need to understand the next part.””
“What?””
She reached into her purse again.
This time, she pulled out a small flash drive.
“What is that?””
“Proof.””
My heart started racing.
“Proof of what?””
“Proof that Curtis didn’t just manipulate your mother.””
She placed it on the table.
“He planned everything.””
I picked it up.
“What’s on it?””
“Videos.””
I looked at her.
“Videos of what?””
She hesitated.
“Curtis talking about your father.””
The room suddenly felt colder.
“What did he say?””
Renee looked toward the window.
Curtis was gone.
But that didn’t make me feel safer.
“He admitted something.””
“What?””
She lowered her voice.
“Something he thought nobody would ever hear.””
I held the flash drive tightly.
“What?””
Renee looked at me.
“He said your father’s death came at the perfect time.””
My blood ran cold.
I couldn’t speak.
Because suddenly, this wasn’t about money anymore.
It wasn’t about rent.
It wasn’t even about Curtis living for free.
It was about whether the man I loved and lost had been betrayed before he died.
And when I got home that evening, I found my mother sitting in the dark.
Waiting for me.
On the table in front of her was a photograph of my father.
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And beside it…
Was a police report with Curtis Walker’s name written across the top.