Chapter 15 - The Call
Police moved Lily and my neighbor to an undisclosed location.
I was not allowed to know exactly where until officers confirmed Daniel was contained.
I hated that.
I understood it.
For the next four hours, everything became waiting.
Waiting for license-plate cameras.
Waiting for phone pings.
Waiting for someone to spot Daniel Pierce before he decided to become more dangerous.
Dad sat beside me at the station.
Vanessa sat across from us.
Mom was not there.
Her lawyer had taken her home after detectives warned she could face charges related to financial fraud and custodial funds.
At 7:12 p.m., my phone rang.
Unknown number.
The detective lifted one finger.
“Answer. Speaker.”
I did.
“Hello?”
Daniel’s voice came through calm and low.
“You happy now?”
My throat tightened.
“Where are you?”
“You destroyed everything.”
“No. You did.”
The detective shook his head slightly, telling me not to provoke him.
I changed course.
“Daniel, nobody wants anyone else hurt.”
He laughed.
“You always thought you were better than us.”
“I don’t care about that right now.”
“You canceled the cruise to make a point.”
My eyes met Vanessa’s.
He knew about the cruise.
She looked ashamed.
“I canceled something I paid for.”
“And then you went digging.”
“You threatened my daughter.”
“I never touched Lily.”
The words came too quickly.
“That backpack wasn’t funny.”
“I needed you scared enough to stop.”
The detective scribbled on a pad: KEEP HIM TALKING.
“Stop what?” I asked.
“Ruining people.”
“By finding my stolen deed?”
He breathed hard.
“You have no idea what it takes to keep a business alive.”
“So you steal from children?”
Vanessa covered her face.
Daniel’s voice sharpened.
“Carol offered money.”
“Not mine.”
“She said it was family money.”
“Lily’s account was not family money.”
Silence.
Then he said, “Ask Carol what she promised me.”
I frowned.
“What did she promise?”
“She promised control.”
The line crackled.
“Control of what?”
“Everything.”
The call ended.
The detective immediately requested a trace.
Dad looked at me.
“What does that mean?”
I did not know.
Vanessa did.
Her face had gone white.
“There was a meeting,” she whispered.
“What meeting?”
“Mom and Daniel. Last summer. I heard them arguing in the garage.”
“About what?”
“She said if Dad ever found out, she would still control the estate because most of the accounts were in both names.”
Dad stood.
“Estate?”
Vanessa nodded.
“I thought they were talking about taxes.”
The detective’s phone rang.
He listened for ten seconds.
“We got the location.”
“Where?” I asked.
He looked at Dad.
May you like
“Your house.”
Dad was already moving before the detective finished speaking.
