Chapter 6: The Man at My Front Door
I didn't open the door.
I stepped back from it and looked at Nia.
“Stay behind me.””
She nodded, though I could see the fear spreading across her face.
Jessica stood near the staircase, clutching the strap of her handbag so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.
The man outside knocked again.
“Marcus,” he called.
“I don't have all day.””
I moved close enough to see him clearly through the glass.
He appeared to be in his forties, with close-cropped hair, a dark jacket, and a face that looked tired rather than angry. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes moved constantly, checking the driveway, the street, and the windows beside the door.
Then he lifted his left hand.
The silver ring caught the sunlight.
The same ring from Nia's recording.
I turned toward Jessica.
“Is that him?””
She didn't answer.
“Jessica.””
Her lips parted.
“Yes.””
The word seemed to leave her without permission.
I faced the door again.
“Who are you?””
The man leaned slightly toward the glass.
“My name is Darius. Your wife and I have some unfinished business.””
Jessica took a step forward.
“Don't let him in.””
I looked at her.
“You said he was a business associate.””
“He is.””
“Then why are you afraid of him?””
“Because you don't understand what he's involved in!””
Darius heard her.
He smiled faintly, without humor.
“Still telling half the truth, Jessica?””
She rushed toward the door.
“Go away!””
Darius didn't move.
“You promised me this would be handled by Friday.””
“It wasn't possible.””
“You said the money would be ready.””
“I told you I needed more time.””
“You've had more than enough time.””
I felt Nia's fingers close around my arm.
“Dad,” she whispered, “that's the voice from the video.””
I nodded.
Darius glanced toward the window again.
Then he looked straight at me.
“Marcus, I don't want trouble with you. I came here because I was told you'd be home.””
“By whom?””
He paused.
“Your wife.””
I turned toward Jessica.
She stared at the floor.
“Why did you tell him to come here?”” I asked.
“I didn't!””
Darius laughed softly.
“You gave me the address, Jessica. You gave me the code. You told me when the house would be empty.””
“I never told you to come to the front door!””
“Because you planned to have the safe open before I arrived.””
The foyer seemed to shrink around us.
I stepped closer to the door.
“What exactly do you think is in my safe?””
Darius's expression changed.
For the first time, the casual confidence disappeared.
“You don't know?””
“No.””
He looked toward Jessica.
She shook her head rapidly.
“Don't answer him.””
Darius studied her for a moment.
Then he turned back to me.
“That's interesting.””
I felt anger rising again.
“Stop playing games. You came to my house. You have my safe code.
You were discussing my daughter. You're going to explain yourself.””
Darius slipped his hands into his jacket pockets.
“Your wife borrowed money she couldn't repay. I was supposed to help her settle the matter quietly.””
“By breaking into my safe?””
“By retrieving something she said belonged to her.””
I stared at him.
“Nothing in that safe belongs to her without my knowledge.””
Darius tilted his head.
“That's what she told me, too.””
Jessica stepped forward.
“Marcus, he's lying.””
Darius looked at her.
“Which part?””
She said nothing.
He continued.
“The money was supposed to be settled before today. Jessica told me you would be gone most of the afternoon. She said the safe would be accessible, and no one would interfere.””
I looked at my wife.
“You told him I wouldn't be home?””
“I thought you'd be at work!””
“I came home early because my meeting was canceled.””
She pressed her lips together.
Darius tapped the glass with one knuckle.
“Can we stop pretending? I'm not here to hurt anyone. I want what I was promised.””
“What were you promised?”” I asked.
He looked directly at me.
“Something Jessica said she could get without your permission.””
The silence that followed was heavy.
I glanced at the safe.
Then at Jessica.
She had admitted to using our money. She had admitted that she was desperate. But there was still something she wasn't telling me.
Something that had made her willing to throw Nia out of the house.
Something important enough that she had given a stranger access to a locked safe.
I looked at Darius again.
“Leave my property.””
He exhaled through his nose.
“Marcus, don't make this difficult.””
“I'm not making anything difficult. You're standing outside my house demanding access to my belongings.””
“Your wife made an agreement.””
“An agreement you can take up with a lawyer.””
Darius's face hardened.
“You really want to do this?””
“Yes.””
He leaned closer to the glass.
“Then you should ask your wife why she thought your daughter was the biggest obstacle.””
I felt Nia go still beside me.
Jessica closed her eyes.
Darius continued.
“She told me the girl had seen something she wasn't supposed to see. She said if Nia stayed in the house, the whole arrangement could fall apart.””
I turned toward Jessica.
“Is that true?””
She shook her head.
“Not the way he's making it sound.””
“What does that mean?””
Darius gave a short laugh.
“It means she's been trying to control the story since the beginning.””
Jessica suddenly rushed to the door and pulled it open.
“Enough!””
The movement startled all of us.
Darius straightened.
Jessica stood in the doorway, her burgundy dress catching the bright afternoon light.
“You said you would handle this privately,” she snapped.
“I am handling it privately.””
“You're threatening my family!””
“No,” Darius replied.
“I'm reminding you of what you agreed to.””
Jessica stepped onto the porch.
I moved forward immediately.
“Jessica, get back inside.””
She ignored me.
“You cannot come here and speak to him like this.””
Darius looked at her for a long moment.
Then he lowered his voice.
“Do you want me to tell him why you really needed Nia gone?””
Jessica's face went completely white.
She took a step backward.
“Don't.””
Darius's expression remained cold.
“Then tell him yourself.””
I stood in the doorway, looking from one to the other.
“Tell me what?””
Neither answered.
I looked at Jessica.
“Right now.””
She shook her head.
“Marcus, please.””
“Tell me.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
Then she looked at Nia, who stood just behind me.
“I was trying to protect her,” Jessica whispered.
Nia stared at her.
“Protect me from what?””
Jessica's mouth trembled.
She looked toward Darius.
He gave her a single, impatient nod.
And then Jessica said something that made the room seem to fall silent around us.
“Because the person who wanted that safe opened wasn't supposed to be a stranger.””
I stared at her.
“What are you talking about?””
She covered her mouth with one hand.
Darius stepped away from the porch railing.
“Jessica,” he warned.
But she was already looking at me, her eyes wide with fear.
“The man in the video wasn't the only person who knew about the safe,” she whispered.
“And the person who gave him the code was—”
A sharp sound came from inside the house.
Nia's phone vibrated.
She looked down at the screen.
Then she raised her eyes toward me, her face suddenly drained of color.
“Dad,” she whispered, “someone just sent me a video.””
I held out my hand.
“Show me.””
She turned the screen toward me.
The video thumbnail showed our living room, the safe, and a figure standing beside the open study door.
The timestamp read *Friday, 4:17 p.m.*
May you like
Beneath it was a single message.
*Ask your father what he signed.*
