Chapter 7: The Truth Marcus Never Wanted Us to Find
Tasha read Marcus's message three times before she finally put her phone down.
Bring it home. There are things about Denise you need to hear from me.
For several minutes, neither of us spoke.
The letter from her mother lay on the table beside the preliminary trust summary. The documents showed that the $49,800 withdrawal for my birthday SUV wasn't the only substantial transaction that needed explaining.
Now Marcus knew about the letter, too.
And somehow, he believed whatever it contained gave him a reason to summon Tasha home.
“Do you think he knows what the letter says?”” I asked.
Tasha shook her head.
“I don't know.””
“Maybe he saw it years ago.””
“Maybe.””
She picked up the envelope and examined it again, as if a new clue might appear if she looked hard enough.
“There's something strange about all this, Maya.””
“What?””
“Dad always told me that Mom wanted him to make the decisions about the trust until I was old enough to handle things myself.””
I nodded.
“But now that I'm asking for the records, he keeps talking about her wishes without showing me what those wishes actually were.””
She looked at the letter.
“And when he found out I'd read something she wrote, he immediately wanted it back.””
I couldn't argue with that.
Marcus had spent years presenting himself as the person who understood Denise's intentions best.
Yet he had refused to show Tasha the complete trust agreement.
He had also become increasingly defensive whenever she asked about the money.
We didn't know whether he had broken any rules, but his behavior made one thing clear.
He didn't want Tasha investigating without him controlling the conversation.
“What are you going to do?”” I asked.
Tasha stared at the message.
“I'm going home.””
I sat up straight.
“What? Why?””
“Because I want him to explain what he knows about Mom.””
“You don't have to go alone.””
“I won't.””
She looked at me.
“But I don't want to walk in there and start another argument. I want to hear what he says.””
I thought about his threats.
I thought about how quickly his voice changed whenever Tasha asked a question he didn't like.
Then I nodded.
“We'll go together.””
Before leaving, Tasha contacted Karen at the bank again.
She explained that Marcus had requested the original letter and had suggested there were additional facts about Denise that Tasha needed to hear.
Karen didn't speculate about what that meant.
Instead, she reminded Tasha to keep her documents safe and continue pursuing the records through the appropriate channels.
Tasha thanked her.
Then we took the bus home.
The black Highlander was still parked in the driveway.
The red bow had been removed, leaving two pale strips of tape on the hood.
Seeing it made my stomach twist.
A few days earlier, I would have been thrilled to own that car.
Now I couldn't look at it without remembering Tasha's face when she'd discovered the transaction.
We entered through the front door.
Marcus was waiting in the living room.
Mom sat beside him, her hands folded tightly in her lap.
Neither of them greeted us.
Marcus looked directly at Tasha.
“Do you have the letter?””
She kept her bag on her shoulder.
“Why do you want it?””
“Because it belongs with the rest of your mother's documents.””
“Then why wasn't it already there?””
He looked annoyed.
“Not everything needs to become an interrogation.””
Tasha took a slow breath.
“You said there were things about Mom I needed to hear.””
Marcus glanced at Mom.
She looked down.
“Sit,” he said.
Tasha remained standing.
“Tell me first.””
His jaw tightened.
For a moment, I thought he would order us out.
Instead, he leaned forward and clasped his hands.
“Your mother and I had a difficult relationship toward the end.””
Tasha went still.
“What does that mean?””
“She was worried about money. She was worried about what would happen to you if something happened to her.””
Tasha swallowed.
“She created the trust because she wanted me to be taken care of.””
“Yes.””
“Then why are you talking about your relationship?””
Marcus rubbed his forehead.
“Because you need to understand the circumstances surrounding it.””
Mom finally spoke.
“Denise didn't always agree with your father's decisions.””
Tasha turned toward her.
“You knew my mother?””
“Of course I did.””
“You hardly ever talked about her.””
Mom's expression tightened.
“Because it was a difficult subject.””
“For whom?””
Mom didn't answer.
Marcus rose and walked toward the window.
“Your mother wanted to make sure you had financial security. I understood that. I agreed to manage the trust because she trusted me to do what was best for you.””
“Then why did you use the money for Maya's car?””
He turned around.
“I already told you. I made a decision for the family.””
“Was that what Mom wanted?””
“I believe she would have wanted us to be financially stable.””
Tasha's voice cracked.
“She wanted me to go to college.””
“And you still can.””
“With what money?””
He didn't respond.
Tasha took the preliminary summary from her bag.
“These records show other substantial withdrawals. I want to know what they were for.””
Marcus stared at the page.
“Where did you get that?””
“The bank.””
He looked genuinely unsettled.
“You shouldn't be interpreting those numbers without the full context.””
“Then give me the context.””
He reached for the paper.
Tasha pulled it back.
“Don't take it from me.””
The words came out louder than she intended.
Marcus stopped.
For a moment, the room was completely silent.
Then he sat down again.
“Some of those funds were used for household expenses during difficult periods.””
Tasha stared at him.
“Which expenses?””
“Medical bills. Living costs. Things that had to be paid.””
“Were those expenses allowed under the trust?””
“I believed they were appropriate.””
“That isn't what I asked.””
His face hardened.
“I'm not going to sit here while you accuse me of taking advantage of you.””
Tasha's eyes filled.
“I'm asking what happened to the money my mother left me!””
Mom rose from the sofa.
“Your father was raising you alone before we got married. He worked hard. He made sacrifices.””
Tasha looked at her.
“And I worked, too.””
Mom blinked.
“I worked evenings while applying to college. I bought things I needed with my own money. I asked for eight hundred dollars, and Dad said no.””
She held up the summary.
“But somehow there was money for a car.””
Mom's face turned red.
“Your sister had a birthday.””
The answer was so absurd that I couldn't stop myself.
“And Tasha had one three weeks earlier!””
Marcus pointed at me.
“This is between me and my daughter.””
I stepped forward.
“Then stop using the word family every time you want to justify something that benefits everyone except her.””
He stared at me.
For the first time, he seemed unable to find a quick response.
Tasha took another breath.
“Dad, I found Mom's letter.””
His eyes shifted toward the envelope in her bag.
“What did it say?””
She didn't hand it over.
“She wanted me to have choices. She wanted me to understand that the trust was meant to help me become independent.””
Marcus's face changed.
Only slightly.
But I saw it.
“You don't understand the circumstances under which she wrote that.””
“Then explain them.””
He looked at Mom again.
This time, she didn't look away.
Instead, she stood and walked toward the hallway.
“There's something you should see,” she said.
Marcus immediately rose.
“Nia, don't.””
She stopped.
Tasha stared at her.
“What is it?””
Mom looked at Marcus, then at Tasha.
Her eyes were shining.
“I should have told you a long time ago.””
Marcus's voice dropped.
“Don't do this.””
Mom closed her eyes.
Then she turned toward us.
“Denise didn't just leave a trust. She left instructions about how the money was supposed to be handled.””
Tasha's lips parted.
“Where are they?””
Mom swallowed.
“Your father kept copies of the original documents in his office.””
“Why didn't he show me?””
“Because he believed you would misunderstand them.””
Tasha shook her head.
“I'm asking for the documents so I can understand them.””
Mom's voice broke.
“I know.””
Marcus stepped toward her.
“That's enough.””
But Mom continued.
“There was also a letter from Denise explaining why she wanted the money protected.””
Tasha looked as though the room had tilted beneath her feet.
“Where is it?””
Mom glanced toward the office.
“Your father has it.””
Marcus's expression had become unreadable.
Tasha stared at him.
“You told me you didn't know where all her papers were.””
“I said I wasn't going to dig through old documents every time you became upset.””
“But you knew there was another letter.””
He didn't answer.
Tasha took a step back.
“You've been telling me that I don't understand my mother's wishes while keeping her instructions from me.””
Marcus's voice sharpened.
“I was trying to protect you.””
“From what?””
He looked at her.
And then, for the first time, he said something that sounded less like an excuse and more like a confession.
“From finding out that your mother didn't trust everyone in this family.””
Mom covered her mouth.
I felt a chill move through me.
Tasha stared at her father.
“Who didn't she trust?””
Marcus immediately looked as if he regretted speaking.
“That's not what I meant.””
“Then what did you mean?””
He stood.
“This conversation is over.””
Tasha's face crumpled.
“No. You don't get to do that anymore.””
She turned toward Mom.
“Do you know where the letter is?””
Mom nodded slowly.
“In the locked cabinet in your father's office.””
Marcus moved toward the hallway.
“No one is going into my office.””
Tasha followed him with her eyes.
“Why?””
“Because I said so.””
She looked at me.
Then she looked back at him.
“I want the original trust agreement, every amendment, and the letter Mom left about the money. I'll request them through the bank or a lawyer if I have to.””
Marcus's face went cold.
“You would bring a lawyer into this family?””
“If that's what it takes to understand what happened to my money.””
He stared at her for several seconds.
Then he turned and walked into his office.
The door slammed shut.
Mom sank onto the sofa.
Tasha stood in the middle of the living room, trembling.
I moved beside her.
“You okay?””
She shook her head.
“No.””
I took her hand.
“But I'm not going to stop.””
I squeezed her fingers.
“Good.””
We left the living room and went upstairs.
Neither of us had obtained the documents we needed.
But something had changed.
Mom had admitted that Denise left instructions concerning the trust.
Marcus had acknowledged that he knew more about those instructions than he had revealed.
And he had finally admitted that Denise didn't trust everyone in the family.
As we reached Tasha's bedroom, she opened her bag and took out the letter she had found in the photo album.
She read the final paragraph again.
Then she looked at me.
“I think Mom was trying to warn me about something.””
I glanced toward the hallway.
“Maybe.””
Tasha carefully folded the letter and put it away.
“But I'm going to find out what.””
Downstairs, a drawer slammed.
Then Marcus's footsteps crossed the hall.
We heard the office door lock.
Tasha looked toward the sound.
For six years, she'd believed her father was the one person who would always protect her.
May you like
Now he was locking away the very documents that might explain what happened to her future.
And I was beginning to fear that the truth would hurt her far more than either of us had imagined.
