Chapter 5 - The 98th Call
By 6:00 PM,
the storm outside had settled into a steady,
mournful drizzle.
The house was dark,
and I hadn't turned on the lights.
I sat in the kitchen,
the only illumination coming from the small red light on the coffee maker.
I picked up my phone.
98 missed calls.
The 98th call was coming through at that very moment.
The screen glowed with Daniel’s name,
pulsing like a heartbeat.
This time,
I answered.
I didn't say hello.
I just listened.
On the other end,
I heard a sound that chilled my blood.
It was Daniel,
but he wasn't talking.
He was sobbing,
a deep,
broken sound that I hadn't heard since he was a child.
"Mom?"
he choked out,
his voice trembling.
"I'm here,
Daniel."
"She's gone,"
he whispered.
"Who's gone?"
"Marissa."
"She took the car,
she took the last of the cash,
and she left."
"She left a note,
Mom."
My grip tightened on the phone.
"What did the note say?"
"It said...
it said she couldn't stay with a man who couldn't provide for her."
"It said she had found someone who actually understood what she was worth."
I felt a surge of cold fury,
but also a strange sense of relief.
The cancer had removed itself.
"Daniel,
listen to me very carefully,"
I said,
my voice steady.
"Where are you?"
"I'm at the house,"
he said.
"There are men outside,
Mom."
"They’ve been here all day."
"They say I owe them for the 'interest' on the investment."
"They say Victor sent them."
I stood up,
grabbing my car keys from the counter.
"Lock every door and window,"
I commanded.
"Call the police right now and tell them there are intruders on your property."
"I'm coming to you."
"No,
Mom,
don't!
It's dangerous!"
"I'm an accountant,
Daniel,"
I said,
walking toward the front door.
"I know how to deal with people who think they can cook the books."
"And I'm bringing the file."
I hung up before he could argue.
I walked out into the rain,
the 98 calls finally leading me to the truth I had suspected all along.
Marissa hadn't just been in on the scam.
She had been the bait.
And now that the fish wouldn't bite,
she had moved on to the next lure.
But she had forgotten one thing.
May you like
She had messed with a mother's son.
And that was a debt she would never be able to repay.
