Chapter 5: The Suitcase Wasn't for Nia
I drove straight to my sister's house.
My sister, Claire, opened the door before I even knocked.
“Daniel? What's wrong?””
I showed her the message.
She read it twice.
“Who sent this?””
“I don't know.””
“Where are the girls?””
“Upstairs.””
Claire looked at me carefully.
“Are they safe?””
“For now.””
I went upstairs.
Nia was sitting on the floor, helping Ava with a puzzle. Their laughter stopped when they saw my expression.
“Everything okay, Dad?”” Nia asked.
I forced a smile.
“Everything's fine. I just need to make a few calls.””
Ava watched me closely.
“Did Grandma call?””
“No.””
“Did Mark?””
I froze.
“How do you know about Mark?””
She lowered her eyes.
“Because Grandma said his name in another video.””
I sat beside her.
“Can you show me?””
Ava pulled the old phone from her backpack.
She opened a folder labeled with the date.
The video began with Brenda standing in her bedroom, folding clothes.
I recognized the blue suitcase beside the bed.
But this time, the camera angle showed something I hadn't noticed before.
There were two separate piles of clothing.
One pile contained Nia's clothes.
The other contained Brenda's.
Ava's small voice came through the recording.
“Grandma, why are you packing?””
Brenda turned.
“Because I have a little trip coming up.””
“Where are you going?””
“Somewhere important.””
“Is Nia coming?””
Brenda laughed.
“Not if everything goes according to plan.””
The recording continued.
Brenda opened a drawer and removed a brown envelope.
She placed it inside the suitcase.
Then she took out a small black notebook.
“Mark said the transfer should clear before Monday,” she whispered to herself.
I paused the video.
“Did you see what was inside that envelope?””
Ava shook her head.
“No. But I saw Grandma hide something under the mattress afterward.””
I looked at Claire.
“We need to get into that room.””
Claire immediately shook her head.
“Absolutely not. You're not going back there alone.””
“I need those documents.””
“Then let Melissa handle it.””
I knew she was right.
But there was something else bothering me.
The suitcase.
Brenda had packed her own clothes alongside Nia's.
Why?
Unless the suitcase wasn't simply meant to transport Nia.
Unless Brenda intended to leave town after the money was transferred.
I called Melissa.
She listened carefully and told me not to enter Brenda's room without a lawful basis or proper authorization.
“We can document what we already have,” she said.
“And we can contact the appropriate authorities about the suspected financial fraud and the threats involving the children.””
“What about Friday?””
“I'm preparing an emergency application. We need to make sure no one can use those documents to remove Nia from your care.””
I hung up.
Then I called my bank.
The representative transferred me to its fraud department.
After verifying my identity, I explained that I suspected someone had used my signature to obtain a loan.
The representative became noticeably more serious.
“Mr. Carter, I can see an application associated with your name. It has not been fully disbursed.””
“Can you tell me who submitted it?””
“I'm not authorized to provide all the details over the phone, but I can flag the account for investigation.””
“Has any money already moved?””
There was a pause.
“An initial transfer request was submitted yesterday.””
My heart began racing.
“To whom?””
“I can see a linked business account. The name is Ellison Development Holdings.””
Mark's company.
I thanked the representative and ended the call.
Then I contacted Melissa again.
Within an hour, she had arranged for the bank's fraud team to preserve the relevant records.
But the most disturbing discovery came later that evening.
Claire brought me a cup of coffee and sat across from me.
“Daniel, there's something I haven't told you.””
I looked up.
“What?””
“Last month, Brenda called me.””
“Why?””
“She asked whether you'd ever discussed putting Nia in therapy.””
I frowned.
“Why would she ask you that?””
“She said Nia was becoming aggressive and that Ava was afraid of her.””
I felt anger rising.
“That's a lie.””
“I know. But she also asked whether you had ever talked about taking a break from parenting.””
I stared at her.
“What did you say?””
“I told her you loved your girls and would never abandon them.””
Claire paused.
“Then she asked whether I would consider taking Ava if you ever became unable to care for both children.””
The room seemed to shrink.
“You're saying she tried to arrange something with you?””
“She didn't call it guardianship. She said she was worried Ava would suffer if Nia's behavior continued.””
I stood and walked toward the window.
Brenda had been approaching people around me, one by one.
Mark.
Aunt Evelyn.
Claire.
She was building a network of people who believed her version of the story.
And she was using my daughters to do it.
My phone rang.
Melissa.
“Daniel, I've reviewed the guardianship attachment more closely. There's a serious issue.””
“What now?””
“The document doesn't simply name Brenda as a temporary caregiver. It contains a proposed separation arrangement.””
I closed my eyes.
“What does that mean?””
“It proposes that Nia live with Evelyn while Ava remains with a family member closer to you. The document presents this as a temporary protective measure.””
“Can Brenda do that?””
“Not by herself. But she appears to have prepared a packet intended to persuade others that you consented.””
I rubbed my forehead.
“Why separate the girls?””
Melissa hesitated.
“That's what I don't understand yet.””
Ava, who had been listening from the hallway, stepped into the room.
“Daddy, I know why.””
I turned.
She held the phone in both hands.
“What do you mean?””
She opened another recording.
The video showed Brenda speaking to Mark on speakerphone.
Mark's voice was clear.
“Once Nia is gone, Daniel will stop asking questions. Ava will be easier to convince.””
Brenda replied, “That's the point. Ava doesn't know anything about the accounts. She's young. She'll believe whatever I tell her.””
Mark laughed.
“And if Daniel refuses?””
Brenda's voice became cold.
“Then we'll use the report.””
“What report?””
“The one saying he can't control Nia. If he fights the arrangement, we make him look unstable.””
I felt my stomach twist.
The recording continued.
Mark asked, “And the insurance?””
Brenda answered, “That's separate. The beneficiary change is already submitted.””
I stared at Melissa.
“What insurance?””
She didn't respond immediately.
Then she asked me something I hadn't expected.
“Daniel, do you have a life insurance policy connected to your business?””
“Yes. About one million dollars. It was established when Mark and I formed the company.””
“Who is the beneficiary?””
“My daughters' trust.””
Melissa's face tightened.
“Then we need to investigate whether that beneficiary designation has been changed.””
I looked at Ava.
She was trembling.
I took the phone gently.
“Sweetheart, you did something very brave. But from now on, you don't need to investigate Grandma. That's my job.””
Ava nodded.
Then she whispered, “Daddy?””
“Yes?””
“There's something else in the suitcase video.””
I waited.
“Before Grandma put the envelope inside, she took out a photograph.””
“What photograph?””
Ava zoomed in on the screen.
It showed Brenda holding a little girl.
The photograph was old, slightly faded, and taken outside a hospital.
I recognized Brenda.
But I didn't recognize the child.
Ava pointed to the back of the photograph, visible for only a second.
There was handwriting.
A name.
And a date.
Melissa leaned closer.
“Daniel, can you enlarge that?””
I did.
The name was clear.
*Rachel Carter.*
My dead wife's name.
But the date on the photograph was seven months before Rachel married me.
I stared at it.
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Why did Brenda have a photograph of Rachel as a little girl?
And why had she hidden it inside a suitcase that was supposed to take my daughter away?
