Chapter 4: The Papers
Maya's scream cut through the room.
“Then who was supposed to be blamed?””
Vanessa stared at her.
Nobody answered.
I stepped closer.
“Vanessa, don't give me half-truths anymore.””
She wiped her cheeks with both hands.
“I wasn't trying to blame Maya.””
“But you let me think she lost the money.””
“I know.””
“You let her cry herself sick over it.””
“I know.””
“You moved the camera.””
“Yes.””
“You took the envelope.””
“Yes.””
“And you handed it to Nathan.””
Vanessa's voice broke.
“Yes.””
I looked at Eric.
“You said you knew part of this. What exactly did you know?””
Eric shifted uncomfortably.
“I knew Vanessa was being pressured.””
“By Nathan?””
“Yes.””
“About what?””
He glanced at Vanessa.
She shook her head.
“Tell him.””
Eric took a breath.
“About a debt.””
I frowned.
“What debt?””
Vanessa sat down.
“Mine.””
I stared at her.
“You owe Nathan money?””
“No.””
“Then what?””
She looked toward the laptop.
“The papers he brought weren't about money.””
Maya stood very still.
“What were they about?””
Vanessa looked at her.
“Your scholarship.””
Maya's expression changed.
“My scholarship?””
“Yes.””
I felt the room become colder.
Maya had received a merit scholarship the previous year. It covered a large part of her tuition and required her to maintain certain academic standards.
“What does Nathan have to do with it?”” I asked.
Vanessa hesitated.
“He found a way to make it disappear.””
Maya shook her head.
“That doesn't make sense.””
“It will.””
Vanessa reached for the laptop.
I almost stopped her.
Instead, I let her open the folder containing the scanned documents.
She clicked one.
A letter appeared.
The university's logo was at the top.
Maya stepped forward.
“What is that?””
Vanessa whispered, “A notice saying your scholarship was under review.””
Maya read the page.
Her eyes moved quickly.
Then stopped.
“But this says academic misconduct.””
“I know.””
“I didn't cheat.””
“I know.””
“Dad?””
I took the laptop.
The letter claimed that Maya had violated university policy by submitting work purchased from another student.
There was supposedly evidence.
A payment receipt.
A copy of the assignment.
A statement from another student.
And a disciplinary report.
My hands tightened around the laptop.
“This is fake.””
Vanessa nodded.
“I believe it is.””
“You believe?””
“I couldn't prove it.””
I looked at Maya.
“Did you ever buy an assignment?””
“No!””
Her answer came instantly.
She looked insulted that I had even asked.
“I would never do that.””
“I know.””
Vanessa closed her eyes.
“Nathan knew that too.””
I turned back.
“Why would he fabricate this?””
“Because he needed something from me.””
“What?””
She didn't answer.
I slammed my palm against the table.
“Vanessa.””
She jumped.
“What did Nathan want?””
Her voice became barely audible.
“Your signature.””
“For what?””
“A loan.””
I stared at her.
“What loan?””
“A business loan.””
The pieces didn't fit.
“Why would he need my signature?””
“Because he used your identity.””
I stopped.
“What?””
Vanessa's eyes filled again.
“Months ago, Nathan started a company. He told me it was doing well. He said he needed a guarantor for a large loan.””
“And you gave him my information?””
“No.””
“Then how?””
“He already had access to your documents.””
I thought of the filing cabinet in my office.
The one I kept locked.
The one only three people knew the combination to.
Me.
Vanessa.
Nathan.
My stomach turned.
“You gave him the combination.””
“I didn't.””
“Then how did he get it?””
She looked at me.
“I don't know.””
I knew she was lying.
Maybe not about everything.
But about that.
“Why did you take Maya's tuition money?””
Vanessa looked down.
“Because Nathan told me the bank would freeze the account if the loan went into default.””
“What loan?””
“The one he took using your name.””
Maya whispered, “Dad…”
I ignored her.
“How much?””
Vanessa's silence was answer enough.
“How much?””
“Forty-two thousand dollars.””
I stepped back.
Forty-two thousand.
My brother had borrowed forty-two thousand dollars under my name.
“And the tuition money?””
“He said he needed a small payment immediately.””
“You believed him?””
“I was terrified.””
“You stole from your daughter because my brother threatened you?””
“I thought I was buying us time.””
“For what?””
“To fix everything before you found out.””
I laughed bitterly.
“You were going to fix forty-two thousand dollars with three thousand eight hundred?””
“No.””
“Then what?””
Vanessa looked toward the laptop.
“The papers were his leverage.””
“What papers?””
She opened another file.
It was a scanned contract.
My name appeared at the bottom.
My signature was underneath it.
I stared.
“That isn't my signature.””
“I know.””
“Where did you get this?””
“Nathan sent it to me.””
“Why?””
“He said if I didn't help him, he would submit it.””
I looked at Eric.
“Could this be a forgery?””
Eric nodded.
“Probably.””
“Probably?””
“I’m not a handwriting expert.””
“Then why are you involved?””
He hesitated.
Vanessa answered for him.
“Because Eric used to work with Nathan.””
I turned.
“What?””
Eric looked away.
“I handled security systems for his office.””
“And?””
“I installed some of his equipment.””
“You knew he was forging documents?””
“No.””
“Then why help Vanessa?””
“Because I found out.””
“How?””
Eric pulled another phone from his pocket.
“I saw files on Nathan's computer.””
“What files?””
“Your name. Your driver's license. Your bank statements. Tax documents.””
My jaw clenched.
“And you didn't tell me?””
“I tried.””
“When?””
“Three weeks ago.””
“Why didn't I hear from you?””
“Nathan found out.””
Eric looked toward the door.
“He threatened me.””
Maya whispered, “This is insane.””
I looked at her.
“No. It's deliberate.””
The realization was settling into place.
Nathan hadn't simply stolen money.
He had created a trap.
He used my identity.
Then threatened Vanessa with fabricated evidence.
Then took Maya's tuition money as part of some larger scheme.
But there was still one question.
“Why Maya?””
Vanessa looked at me.
“Because Nathan knew you would protect her.””
“That makes no sense.””
“It does if he wanted you distracted.””
“From what?””
She looked at the laptop.
“Your bank account.””
My blood ran cold.
“What did he do?””
Vanessa didn't answer.
I grabbed my phone.
I opened my banking app.
The balance appeared.
For a moment, I couldn't understand what I was seeing.
I refreshed.
The number remained.
My savings account was nearly empty.
“No.””
Maya moved closer.
“Dad?””
I checked the transaction history.
Several transfers.
Different dates.
Different amounts.
All routed through accounts I didn't recognize.
The first was four months ago.
The last was yesterday.
I looked at Vanessa.
“How long?””
She whispered, “Four months.””
“You knew?””
“I suspected.””
“You watched him drain my account for four months?””
“I was trying to stop him.””
“By stealing Maya's tuition?””
“I was trying to get enough time to—”
“Enough time for what?””
She broke down.
“I thought I could get it back.””
I stared at her.
“You knew he was stealing from me.””
“I knew something was wrong.””
“And you said nothing.””
“I was afraid.””
“Of him?””
“Yes.””
I pointed toward the door.
“Then why didn't you call the police?””
Her face went pale.
“Because Nathan told me if I did, the first thing he'd submit was the scholarship evidence.””
I looked at Maya.
She was crying silently.
“He knew I'd protect her,” I said.
Vanessa nodded.
“And he knew I'd destroy myself trying to.””
The room fell quiet.
Then my phone buzzed.
A new message.
Unknown number.
*You're finally looking in the right place.*
Another message followed.
*But you still don't know what the $3,800 was really for.*
I stared at the screen.
Then a final message appeared.
*Ask Vanessa who was supposed to receive the money after Nathan took it.*
I slowly lifted my eyes.
“Vanessa.””
She looked at me.
“Who was supposed to receive the three thousand eight hundred dollars?””
Her face drained of color.
“I don't know.””
The phone buzzed again.
This time, there was a photograph.
I opened it.
It showed Maya.
Standing outside her university.
Talking to a man I'd never seen before.
May you like
And beneath the photograph was one sentence:
*He was waiting for her.*
