Chapter 9 - Deal With the Girl
The recording ended.
Marcus replayed the sentence.
Once.
Twice.
A third time.
Not because he had not heard it.
Because he needed the words to become real.
Then I can finally deal with the girl.
He handed the phone back to Evan.
“What does that mean?”
Simone’s voice cracked. “Nothing.”
“It means something.”
“I was angry.”
“At a ten-year-old?”
“She destroys everything between us.”
“Nia?”
“Yes, Nia!”
The word exploded out of her.
Simone pressed both hands to her face.
When she lowered them, the mask was gone.
“She looks at me like I stole something.”
“You did,” Marcus said.
Her eyes narrowed.
“You stole safety from her.”
“Oh, please.”
“You stole food. You stole trust. You destroyed her mother’s lunchbox.”
“She makes sure Alicia is in every room.”
“Because Alicia was her mother.”
“And what am I?”
Marcus stared.
“Right now?”
He looked at Evan.
“Someone I don’t trust near either child.”
Simone’s face twisted.
“You’re choosing her.”
“I’m choosing the children.”
He called Dana.
This time, he put the phone on speaker.
Dana listened to the situation, then spoke clearly.
“Marcus, I’m not your criminal attorney, but based on what you’ve described, you need to preserve the recording and contact local authorities or child protective services if you believe there is ongoing emotional abuse or deprivation. Evan, you need your own counsel regarding custody.”
Simone laughed bitterly. “Wonderful. Everyone lawyer up.”
Marcus ended the call.
“I’m taking some clothes for Caleb.”
“You cannot.”
“I’m not taking custody from you. He is already at my mother’s because he ran out of this house afraid.”
She stepped in front of the stairs.
“No.”
Evan moved forward.
Marcus raised a hand.
“I’ve got it.”
Then a door opened upstairs.
All three adults froze.
A girl walked out of the guest room.
Not Nia.
Teenager. Maybe sixteen.
Dark hoodie. Braided hair. Terrified eyes.
Marcus had never seen her before.
Simone turned white.
The girl looked at Marcus.
“Are you Nia’s dad?”
He nodded slowly.
She swallowed.
“My name is Tasha.”
Simone whispered, “Go back in the room.”
Tasha didn’t move.
“I used to babysit here.”
Marcus remembered now.
Last summer. A few weeks. Simone had said the girl quit.
Tasha looked at Simone, then back at Marcus.
“She didn’t fire me because I stole money.”
Marcus felt another lie opening.
“She fired me because I took a video.”
Simone lunged toward her.
Marcus stepped between them.
“What video?”
May you like
Tasha’s eyes filled with tears.
“The one where she locked Nia in the pantry.”
