Chapter 10 - THE MAN OUTSIDE
Everyone dropped.
Officer Martinez drew her weapon.
“Lights off. Now.”
Frank hit the switch.
The house went dark.
My heart hammered so hard I could hear it.
Officer Carter pulled the curtains closed.
“Stay away from windows.”
Daniel still held the phone.
Greg laughed softly.
“Good move.”
Martinez whispered, “Keep him talking.”
Daniel’s voice shook.
“Where are you?”
“Close.”
“What do you want?”
“My money.”
“You don’t have money.”
Greg laughed again.
“Ask your mother.”
Evelyn whispered, “I don’t have it.”
Greg heard her.
“Evelyn.”
She covered her mouth.
His tone changed.
Almost gentle.
“You promised me.”
She started crying.
“I can’t.”
“You can.”
“Greg, please.”
“You made this difficult.”
Frank grabbed the phone.
“You come near my family, I swear to God—”
“Oh, Frank.”
Greg sounded amused.
“Still playing hero?”
Frank’s face turned red.
“You coward.”
“No, Frank. Cowards hide behind cops.”
Martinez pointed at Frank and mouthed, Stop.
Greg continued.
“You should ask your wife what else she gave me.”
Frank froze.
Evelyn’s head snapped up.
“No.”
Greg laughed.
“Oh, she never told you?”
“Greg, shut up.”
“What?” Frank asked.
“Nothing.”
Greg said, “She gave me access.”
Frank stared at Evelyn.
“To what?”
She shook her head.
“Nothing.”
Greg answered for her.
“The business account.”
Frank went white.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“That’s how I took the first forty.”
The room stopped.
Frank looked like the floor had disappeared beneath him.
I felt bile rise in my throat.
This whole family had been living inside a lie for years.
Greg kept talking.
“Evelyn gave me passwords. Statements. Vendor access.”
Frank whispered, “You helped him steal from me.”
Evelyn broke down.
“I didn’t know!”
Greg laughed loudly.
“That’s a lie.”
“SHUT UP!”
“You knew exactly what I was doing.”
“I thought you were borrowing it!”
“Borrowing forty thousand dollars?”
Frank leaned against the wall.
Eric looked ready to punch something.
Then Greg said something worse.
“And Daniel knew too.”
I turned.
Daniel’s face went blank.
“No.”
Greg laughed.
“Oh, come on, Danny.”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
“You were what, nineteen?”
My breath caught.
This went back years.
Daniel whispered, “Don’t.”
“Remember the checks?”
Frank stared at his son.
“What checks?”
Daniel’s face crumpled.
I had never seen him look that afraid.
Greg said, “Your boy helped cash two of them.”
Frank looked at Daniel like he didn’t recognize him.
My husband said nothing.
Greg’s final words came through the speaker.
“I didn’t destroy this family.”
A pause.
“You people did that yourselves.”
Then the line went dead.
Outside, tires screamed.
Officer Carter ran to the window.
“Vehicle heading east!”
Martinez rushed out.
For a second, nobody moved.
Then Frank looked at Daniel.
May you like
Very slowly.
“What checks?”
