Chapter 6 - ELENA’S PHONE
The phone had been hidden behind a loose board inside Theo’s closet.
Clara stared at it.
“Does your dad know?”
Theo shook his head.
“Why did you hide it?”
“Mom did.”
Clara looked at him.
“You saw her?”
“The night before she died.”
His voice became small.
“She put it there.”
Clara’s pulse picked up.
“What did she say?”
Theo looked toward the bedroom door.
“She told me it was our secret.”
He swallowed.
“She said if she didn’t come home, I should give it to Dad.”
Clara sat down.
“Why didn’t you?”
Theo’s eyes filled with tears.
“Because Uncle Grant said Dad would go away too.”
Rage moved through Clara so fast she nearly stood up.
“What exactly did he say?”
“That Mom got hurt because she made people angry.”
“Theo…”
“And if Dad kept asking questions, maybe he’d get hurt.”
Clara felt sick.
This was not misbehavior.
This was fear planted inside a four-year-old and allowed to grow for two years.
“Listen to me.”
Theo looked at her.
“What Grant said was wrong.”
“What if it wasn’t?”
“Then your father needs to know anyway.”
Theo shook his head violently.
“No!”
“Theo.”
“No!”
He grabbed the phone back.
“Promise you won’t tell!”
“I can’t promise that.”
His face crumpled.
“You said adults don’t take our stuff!”
“I’m not taking it.”
“You’re gonna ruin everything!”
He ran.
Clara found Victor in his study.
She shut the door.
“We have a problem.”
“I gathered that from your face.”
“Theo found Elena’s old phone.”
Victor stopped breathing.
“What?”
“He says she hid it the night before she died.”
Victor went white.
“Where is it?”
“With Theo.”
“Why didn’t he give it to me?”
Clara hesitated.
“Because Grant scared him.”
Victor’s expression changed.
“Explain.”
She did.
Every word.
By the end, Victor looked like he wanted to break something.
He headed for the door.
Clara blocked him.
“Don’t.”
“Move.”
“If you storm in there angry, Theo will think Grant was right.”
“My brother threatened my son.”
“Then be his father before you become Grant’s enemy.”
Victor stared at her.
His breathing was hard.
Slowly, he stepped back.
Clara opened the door.
Theo stood outside.
He had heard everything.
Victor crouched immediately.
“Theo.”
The boy looked ready to run.
Victor did not touch him.
“I’m sorry.”
Theo blinked.
“I should’ve talked to you about Mom. I should’ve noticed you were scared.”
“You work.”
“I know.”
“You’re always working.”
“I know.”
“You don’t like us.”
Victor looked like someone had stabbed him.
“Who told you that?”
Theo said nothing.
Victor’s voice broke.
“I work because after your mom died, I didn’t know how to be in this house without her.”
Theo stared at him.
“I wasn’t avoiding you.”
Victor swallowed.
“I was avoiding my own pain.”
Theo’s lower lip trembled.
Victor opened his arms.
The boy ran into them.
Clara looked away.
Some moments belonged to families.
Later, they charged the phone.
It took nearly an hour to turn on.
There were hundreds of photos.
Videos.
Messages.
Most were ordinary.
The boys as babies.
Family vacations.
Elena laughing at Victor asleep on a couch with two infants on his chest.
Then Clara found a locked folder.
Victor entered Elena’s old password.
It opened.
Inside were eleven videos.
The final one was dated the day before Elena died.
Victor pressed play.
Elena appeared on screen.
She looked tired.
Scared.
“If you’re watching this, Victor, it means I didn’t get the chance to tell you myself.”
Victor gripped the desk.
Elena continued.
“Grant knows I found the accounts.”
May you like
Then she said something that drained all color from Victor’s face.
“And I think he knows I’m going to the FBI.”
