“Lucas, do you live here with your mom?”
the officer asked. Lucas nodded.
“And do you like living here?”
Lucas nodded again.
“Is anyone hurting you or your mom?”
Lucas shook his head.
“No.”
The officers looked at each other, having a silent conversation with their eyes. Finally, the older officer sighed.
“Look, Mr. Cole. This situation seems unusual. But if you’re saying this woman and her child have your permission to be here, and there’s no evidence of any crime being committed, then there’s nothing we can do.”
Relief flooded through Nathan.
“So we’re good? You’re not going to arrest anyone?”
“Not today,”
the officer said.
“But I have to tell you, if we get called back here again, we’re going to investigate more thoroughly. And if we find out someone lied to us today, there will be consequences. Understand?”
“Understood,”
Nathan said. The officers turned to leave. But the younger one stopped at the door and looked back at Nathan.
“Sir, can I give you some advice?”
he asked.
“Sure,”
Nathan said.
“Whatever family drama is going on here, whatever issues you have with your mother, work them out. Because using the police to settle family arguments is a waste of everyone’s time.”
“You’re right,”
Nathan said.
“I’m sorry you were brought into this.”
The officers left. Nathan closed the door behind them and leaned against it, his legs suddenly feeling weak.
“They’re gone,”
he called up to Evelyn. Evelyn let out a sob of relief. She sank down on the stairs, still holding Lucas.
“It’s okay, baby,”
she whispered to Lucas, even though she was crying.
“Everything’s okay now.”
But Lucas pulled away from her. He looked at Nathan with those green eyes, eyes that were suddenly hard and angry.
“You lied,”
Lucas said. Nathan’s heart sank.
“What?”
“You lied to the police,”
Lucas said, his voice shaking.
“My mom didn’t call you 7 years ago. I was there. We didn’t know you. We broke into this house because we had nowhere else to go.”
“Lucas.”
Evelyn started.
“No!”
Lucas said, tears streaming down his face now.
“You always tell me lying is wrong! You always say we should tell the truth! But you just lied! Both of you lied!”
Nathan knelt down.
“You’re right, Lucas. We did lie. And I’m sorry you had to see that.”
“Then why did you do it?”
Lucas demanded.
“Because sometimes,”
Nathan said carefully,
“grown-ups have to make hard choices. The police would have arrested your mom if we told them the truth. They would have taken you away from her, and I couldn’t let that happen.”
“Why not?”
Lucas asked.
“Why do you care? We don’t even know you.”
The question hit Nathan like a punch to the gut. Because you’re my son, Nathan wanted to say. Because I love you even though I just met you. Because I’ve missed 8 years of your life and I’m not going to miss anymore. But he couldn’t say any of that. Not yet.
“Because your mom is important to me,”
Nathan said instead.
“And that makes you important to me too.”
Lucas wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
“Are the police going to come back?”
“I don’t know,”
Nathan said honestly.
“Maybe.”
“What happens if they do?”
Lucas asked, fear in his voice.
“What happens if they find out we lied?”
“Then I’ll handle it,”
Nathan said.
“I promise you, Lucas, I won’t let anyone take you away from your mom, no matter what.”
Lucas studied him for a long moment. Then he said.
“My mom says promises are easy to make but hard to keep.”
“Your mom is very smart,”
Nathan said.
“But I’m going to keep this promise, even if it’s hard.”
Lucas didn’t say anything else. He just turned and went back upstairs to his room. Nathan stood up and looked at Evelyn. She was still sitting on the stairs looking exhausted and scared.
“He’s right to be angry,”
Evelyn said quietly.
“I teach him to tell the truth, and then I lie right in front of him.”
“You did what you had to do,”
Nathan said.
“To protect him.”
“Did I?”
Evelyn asked.
“Or did I just make things worse? Your mother is going to find out the police didn’t arrest me. She’s going to call them again. Or she’ll come here herself.”
“Then we fight back,”
Nathan said firmly.
“With what?”
Evelyn asked hopelessly.
“We have nothing, Nathan. No proof. No evidence. Just our word against hers. And who are people going to believe? A rich, powerful woman or a poor single mom who’s been squatting in an abandoned house?”
Before Nathan could answer, his phone rang. He looked at the screen. It was his father, Richard.
“Dad,”
Nathan answered.
“Did you get the documents?”
“I did,”
Richard said. His voice sounded strange. Excited, but also worried.
“Nathan, I found something. Something big.”
“What?”
Nathan asked.
“I need you to come to my house,”
Richard said.
“Right now. Both of you. Bring Evelyn. You need to see this in person.”
“What did you find?”
Nathan asked again.
“Evidence,”
Richard said.
“Real solid evidence that your mother faked Evelyn’s death. And not just evidence. I found the name of one of the men she hired. He’s willing to talk.”
Nathan’s heart started racing.
“What? How did you.”
“Just come to my house,”
Richard interrupted.
“I’ll explain everything when you get here. But Nathan, we can prove it. We can prove what she did.”
Nathan looked at Evelyn.
“Dad says he found evidence. Real evidence.”
Evelyn’s eyes went wide.
“Are you serious?”
“Come now,”
Richard said.
“Before your mother figures out what we’re doing.”
Nathan hung up and grabbed Evelyn’s hand.
“Come on,”
he said.
“This might be our chance. Our only chance.”
“But Lucas.”
Evelyn started.
“Bring him,”
Nathan said.
“We’ll go together. I’m not leaving either of you alone right now. Not with my mother out there.”
Evelyn nodded and ran upstairs to get Lucas. As Nathan waited by the door, his phone buzzed with a text message. It was from his mother.
“The police called me. They said you’re protecting squatters. I don’t know what game you’re playing, Nathan, but it ends now. Come see me tomorrow. Alone. Or I’ll make sure that woman and her child regret the day they stepped foot in my family.”
Nathan deleted the message. His mother wanted a war. She was going to get one.
Nathan drove fast through the city streets. Evelyn sat in the passenger seat, nervous and quiet. Lucas was in the back, looking out the window with worried eyes.
“Where are we going?”
Lucas asked for the third time.
“To see my father,”
Nathan said.
“He has something important to show us.”
“Is he nice?”
Lucas asked. Nathan smiled a little.
“Yes. He’s very nice. You’ll like him.”
They pulled up to a small house in a quiet neighborhood. It wasn’t fancy like Patricia’s mansion. It was just a normal house with a small yard and a tree in front. Richard was waiting on the porch. When he saw the car pull up, he stood and waved. They all got out. Lucas held his mother’s hand tightly.
“Thank you for coming so quickly,”
Richard said. Then he looked down at Lucas.
“And you must be Lucas.”
Lucas hid a little behind his mother.
“It’s okay,”
Evelyn whispered.
“He’s a friend.”
Richard knelt down so he was at Lucas’s level.
“Hi, Lucas. I’m Richard. I’m Nathan’s dad. That makes me Well, that makes me very happy to meet you.”
Lucas studied him carefully.
“You have the same eyes as him,”
he said, pointing at Nathan. Richard laughed.
“I guess I do. Green eyes run in our family.”
“I have green eyes, too,”
Lucas said quietly. Richard’s smile got softer.
“Yes, you do. Very nice green eyes. Come inside,”
Richard said standing up.
“What I need to show you is in my office.”
They all went into the house. It was cozy and warm inside, with pictures on the walls and books on shelves. It felt like a home where people actually lived, not like Patricia’s cold, perfect mansion. Richard led them to a small office. The desk was covered with papers, folders, and old photographs.
“Lucas, there’s a TV in the living room,”
Richard said gently.
“Would you like to watch cartoons while the grown-ups talk about boring stuff?”
Lucas looked at his mother. Evelyn nodded.
“It’s okay, baby. We’ll be right here if you need us.”
Lucas left the room. They heard the TV turn on a moment later. Richard closed the office door and turned to Nathan and Evelyn. His face was serious now.
“I spent the last 2 hours going through every document I saved from my marriage to Patricia,”
he said.
“Bank statements, credit card bills, property records, everything.”
He picked up a folder.
“And I found something. Something Patricia probably thought I’d never see.”
“What is it?”
Nathan asked. Richard opened the folder and pulled out several papers.
“These are bank statements from 8 years ago, right around the time Evelyn disappeared.”
He pointed to one line on the statement.
“Look here. A payment of $50,000 to a company called Valley Security Services. 3 days after Evelyn’s supposed death.”
“Valley Security Services,”
Evelyn repeated.
“What is that?”
“That’s what I wondered,”
Richard said.
“So I did some research. Valley Security Services is a private security company. They provide bodyguards, security systems, things like that. But they also do other things. Less legal things.”
“Like what?”
Nathan asked, though he thought he already knew.
“Like making problems disappear,”
Richard said quietly.
“For the right price.”
Nathan felt cold.
“She paid them to get rid of Evelyn.”
“That’s what I thought too,”
Richard said.
“So I kept digging and I found this.”
He pulled out another document.
“2 weeks after that first payment, there was another payment. $20,000 to the same company.”
“Why two payments?”
Evelyn asked.
“The first payment was probably upfront,”
Nathan said.
“The second was after the job was done.”
Richard nodded.
“That’s my guess, too. But here’s the really important part.”
He pulled out a third document. This one was a printed email.
“I had access to Patricia’s email during our marriage,”
Richard explained.
“We shared an account for household stuff. When we got divorced, I downloaded all the emails just in case. I never looked through them until today.”
He handed the email to Nathan.
“Read this.”
Nathan read out loud.
“Mrs. Cole, the matter we discussed has been handled as requested. The vehicle was disposed of at the location you specified. All identifying materials were included. The agreed-upon story has been provided to the necessary authorities. Please send the final payment to the account number below. M Torres, Valley Security Services.”
Nathan’s hands shook as he held the paper.
“This is it. This is proof.”
“But there’s more,”
Richard said. He picked up his phone.
“After I found that email, I did more research on Valley Security Services. The company went out of business 5 years ago, but I managed to track down the man who sent that email: Adam Torres.”
“You found him?”
Evelyn asked, her voice full of hope and fear.
“I did,”
Richard said.
“And I called him. I told him I had evidence connecting him to a crime from 8 years ago. I said he had two choices: talk to me or talk to the police.”
“What did he say?”
Nathan asked.
“He agreed to talk,”
Richard said.
“He’s scared, Nathan. He knows what he did was wrong. He’s willing to testify about what Patricia hired him to do.”
Evelyn put her hand over her mouth.
“Oh my god. We can prove it. We can actually prove what she did.”
“But will a court believe him?”
Nathan asked.
“He’s a criminal. His word against my mother’s.”
“His word plus the bank records plus the email equals a pretty strong case,”
Richard said.
“At the very least, it would be enough to launch an investigation. And once investigators start digging into Patricia’s life, who knows what else they’ll find.”
Nathan started pacing, his mind racing.
“We need to be smart about this. If we go to the police now, my mother will hire expensive lawyers. She’ll tie this up in court for years. And in the meantime, she might do something to hurt Evelyn and Lucas.”
“So what do we do?”
Evelyn asked. Nathan stopped pacing. An idea was forming in his mind.
“We confront her. But not alone. We bring Adam Torres. We bring the evidence. We make her face what she did.”
“And then what?”
Richard asked.
“Then we give her a choice,”
Nathan said.
“She can confess to what she did and leave Evelyn and Lucas alone forever. Or we take all of this evidence to the police and let them handle it.”
“You think she’ll confess?”
Evelyn asked doubtfully.
“If she’s backed into a corner with no way out,”
Nathan said.
“Maybe. She’s proud, but she’s also practical. If she knows she’s going to lose either way, she might choose the option that gives her some control.”
Richard looked uncertain.
“Nathan, your mother is dangerous. If you corner her like this, there’s no telling what she might do.”
“I know,”
Nathan said.
“But what choice do we have? We can’t just let her keep threatening Evelyn and Lucas. We have to end this.”
Evelyn was quiet for a long moment. Then she said.
“When do we do this?”
“Tomorrow,”
Nathan said.
“I’ll call Adam Torres tonight and ask him to meet us at my mother’s house tomorrow afternoon. We’ll bring all the evidence and we’ll finish this.”
“I’m coming with you,”
Richard said firmly.
“Dad, you don’t have to.”
“Nathan started.”
“Yes, I do,”
Richard interrupted.
“Patricia was my wife for 30 years. I should have seen what she was capable of. I should have protected you and Evelyn better. Let me help now.”
Nathan nodded.
“Okay. All of us together.”
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