Chapter 2 - The Shadows in the Yard
Maya sat inside her parked car across from her house.
The evening rain tapped against the windshield.
Noah was asleep in the backseat.
David was inside the house, moving between the living room windows.
Maya watched his silhouette through the blinds.
He was pacing back and forth continuously.
He kept holding his phone to his ear.
Maya pulled out her cell phone.
She checked their joint bank account application on her screen.
Three monthly withdrawals of four thousand dollars appeared in the history.
The money was transferred to an untraceable regional account.
The transfers had been happening every single month for six years.
Maya had never noticed them before.
David always handled the family finances.
Maya reached under her passenger seat.
She pulled out her father’s old tin toolbox.
She took out a small brass key.
She opened the glove compartment and took out Julian’s cracked silver watch.
She opened the back casing with the small brass key.
Inside the watch casing sat a micro SD memory card.
Maya’s fingers trembled as she pressed the card into her phone reader.
A single audio file appeared on her screen.
She plugged in her headphones.
She pressed play.
A man’s weak voice filled her ears.
It was Julian’s voice.
“Maya, if you are listening to this, I am already trapped.”
Maya gasped softly.
“David did not just ruin my business,” Julian’s voice continued.
“He framed me for the warehouse fire seven years ago.”
“He threatened to put me in prison forever if I didn’t run away.”
“He forced me to hide under a false name in another state.”
“He took my share of our father’s estate.”
“He took the money that was supposed to treat my son’s illness.”
“And now he is trying to take my boy away completely.”
The recording cut off with a sudden loud static burst.
Maya covered her mouth with both hands.
Tears spilled over her eyelashes.
Her whole life with David had been built on a foundation of lies.
The man she slept beside every night was a monster.
Suddenly, a hard knock sounded against her driver-side window.
Maya jumped in shock.
David was standing outside in the heavy rain.
His face was dark and unreadable.
Maya quickly hid the phone in her coat pocket.
She rolled down the window two inches.
“Why are you sitting out here in the dark?” David asked.
His voice was calm, but his eyes were sharp.
“Noah fell asleep,” Maya said, keeping her voice steady.
“Bring him inside,” David said.
“It’s getting cold.”
Maya unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out into the rain.
David carried Noah inside and laid him on the sofa.
Maya walked directly to the fireplace in the living room.
David watched her from the hallway.
Maya knelt down on the red rug.
She pushed the rug aside.
She pressed her thumb against the loose floorboard.
The wooden plank popped open with a small click.
The metal box inside was gone.
The empty space contained only gray dust.
Maya stood up and turned around slowly.
David was standing right behind her in the doorway.
He held a small black key in his right hand.
“Looking for this?” David asked softly.
“Where are father’s original land deeds, David?” Maya asked.
“Where is the money from his life insurance?”
David took two slow steps into the room.
“I protected this family, Maya,” David said quietly.
“Julian was unstable.”
“He was going to ruin everything our father built.”
“You are lying,” Maya said, her voice shaking with rage.
“Julian’s son was at the art gallery today.”
“He gave me the watch you claimed was lost.”
David’s face twitched.
“Julian sent that kid to target you,” David sneered.
“He is trying to take our home.”
“He is trying to turn you against me.”
“You drove your own brother into hiding!” Maya shouted.
David took another quick step forward.
He grabbed Maya’s wrist tightly.
“Listen to me very carefully,” David whispered near her ear.
“If you go to the police, you lose everything.”
“I put this house in my company’s name five years ago.”
“You signed those papers yourself.”
“If you leave me, you leave with nothing.”
“And I will prove in court that you are mentally unstable.”
“You will never see Noah again.”
Maya stared into her husband’s eyes.
She did not recognize the man standing in front of her.
“You wouldn’t do that,” Maya whispered.
“Try me,” David said coldly.
He dropped her wrist and walked toward the front entrance.
He picked up his coat from the wooden rack.
“I am going to meet my lawyer,” David said.
“Do not do anything stupid while I am gone.”
The front door slammed shut.
Maya sank to her knees beside the open floorboard.
Her life was falling apart around her.
She had no money in her name.
She had no legal control over her house.
Her husband was threatening to steal her son away forever.
She looked at the empty space beneath the floorboards.
A small piece of blue paper was stuck in the back corner.
Maya reached her fingers deep inside the gap.
She pulled out a crumpled receipt from a local storage facility.
The receipt was dated two days ago.
Unit forty-two.
May you like
The name on the receipt was not David.
It was signed by Julian Vance.
