Chapter 4: The House She Was Forbidden to Enter
Marcus stared at Officer Carter as though the question had been asked in another language.
“Where was your daughter living, Mr. Reed?””
The memorial room seemed to shrink around him. White roses stood beneath Aaliyah’s portrait, their petals bright in the afternoon sunlight. Danielle clutched the edge of the table, waiting for her husband to answer.
“She was staying with her aunt,” Marcus finally said.
Danielle turned toward him.
“What aunt?””
Marcus looked at her.
“Your sister, Renee.””
“My sister lives in Atlanta. Aaliyah was supposed to be staying with her for spring break, not living with her.””
“That’s what I meant.””
“No, Marcus. You said she was staying with her aunt. The police asked where she was living.””
Officer Carter watched the exchange without interrupting.
Marcus loosened the collar of his beige shirt.
“Aaliyah and I had an argument. She needed some space.””
Danielle's expression hardened.
“What argument?””
“It was personal.””
“She was my daughter too.””
“I know that.””
“Then stop talking about her like she was some stranger you barely knew.””
Marcus glanced at the officers, visibly uncomfortable.
Officer Carter opened his folder.
“Mr. Reed, we have information indicating that Aaliyah spent the final several weeks at a different address. We need to understand why.””
Marcus's eyes narrowed.
“What address?””
The officer read it aloud.
It was a small apartment on the other side of town, in a neighborhood where Danielle had never known her daughter to spend time.
Danielle shook her head.
“I've never heard of that place.””
Marcus remained silent.
Officer Carter noticed.
“Do you recognize the address?””
Marcus rubbed his palms against his trousers.
“Yes.””
Danielle stepped away from the table.
“You knew where she was?””
“I knew she was staying somewhere.””
“Somewhere?”” Danielle repeated.
“You knew the address, and you let me believe she was staying with my sister?””
“I didn't want you worrying.””
Danielle stared at him.
“Our daughter died, and you decided what I was allowed to know about her life?””
Marcus lowered his voice.
“She was angry with me. She told me she didn't want you involved.””
“That doesn't sound like Aaliyah.””
“You weren't there when we argued.””
“Then tell me what happened!””
He looked toward the portrait again.
For a moment, the confidence he had carried through the front door disappeared completely.
“She found out something about me,” he said.
Danielle's fingers tightened around her pearls.
“What?””
Marcus glanced at Vanessa.
Vanessa immediately shook her head.
“Don't look at me.””
“I didn't say anything,” Marcus replied.
“You didn't have to.””
Officer Carter stepped forward.
“Mr. Reed, if you have information relevant to your daughter's death, now would be the appropriate time to share it.””
Marcus took a deep breath.
“Aaliyah discovered that I had been paying rent on an apartment without telling Danielle.””
Danielle's face went rigid.
“An apartment for whom?””
He said nothing.
Vanessa's eyes filled with tears.
“Marcus, please.””
Danielle turned slowly toward her.
“No. Don't you dare start crying before you answer me.””
Vanessa pressed her lips together.
Marcus looked between them.
“The apartment wasn't for Vanessa.””
“Then who was it for?”” Danielle demanded.
He swallowed.
“It was for Aaliyah.””
The room fell silent.
Danielle blinked.
“What?””
“She needed somewhere to stay after we argued. I helped her find a place. I paid the deposit and the rent.””
“Why wouldn't you tell me?””
“Because you would have insisted she come home.””
“She was my child! Of course I would have wanted her home!””
Marcus's jaw tightened.
“She didn't want to come home.””
Danielle shook her head.
“You don't get to use her name to defend every terrible decision you made.””
Officer Carter raised his hand.
“Let's keep this focused. Mr. Reed, what was the argument about?””
Marcus stared at the floor.
“Aaliyah found financial documents in my office. She confronted me about money I had moved out of our joint account.””
Danielle went completely still.
“How much money?””
Marcus hesitated.
“How much, Marcus?””
“Eighty thousand dollars.””
Danielle's hand flew to her mouth.
For years, she had trusted him to manage their investments. She worked part-time at a community arts center, while Marcus handled the household finances through his consulting business.
They had saved for college, retirement, and the future they imagined sharing with Aaliyah.
Eighty thousand dollars was not a forgotten bill.
It was a decision.
“You took eighty thousand dollars from our account?”” Danielle whispered.
“I moved it. I didn't steal it.””
“Where did it go?””
Marcus looked away.
Vanessa's face crumpled.
Danielle noticed immediately.
“Vanessa?””
The younger woman shook her head.
“Please don't.””
“Where did the money go?””
“I don't know all the details.””
Marcus snapped, “Vanessa, stop talking.””
Officer Carter turned toward him.
“Sir, you do not need to direct what other witnesses say.””
Marcus closed his mouth.
Danielle moved closer to Vanessa.
“Did he give you that money?””
“No.””
“Did he pay for your shopping trip?””
Vanessa looked down at the designer bags beside her feet.
“Yes.””
“Using the money he took from our account?””
“I don't know where the money came from!””
Danielle's face twisted with grief.
“You came into my house wearing a dress he bought you while my daughter was lying in a hospital bed.””
“I didn't know she was dying!””
“You knew he had a wife.””
Vanessa recoiled as if the words had struck her.
Officer Carter quietly instructed Officer Brooks to record the financial allegation and the names of the relevant accounts for follow-up.
Marcus paced toward the windows.
“This is getting out of control.””
Danielle laughed once, a hollow sound.
“Out of control? My child is dead. My marriage is falling apart.
The police are standing in my living room. Tell me which part of this you think I should be controlling.””
Marcus turned around.
“I was trying to protect my family.””
“From what?””
He opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Officer Carter looked at him steadily.
“Did Aaliyah threaten to tell her mother about the money?””
“No.””
“Did she threaten to report anything?””
Marcus's face changed.
It was slight, but Danielle saw it.
Officer Carter saw it too.
“Mr. Reed?””
Marcus rubbed his forehead.
“She said she was going to show Danielle everything she found.””
“What exactly did she find?”” Carter asked.
“I don't know.””
Danielle stepped forward.
“You just said she found financial documents.””
“I don't know everything she found!””
His voice cracked.
For several seconds, the only sound was the quiet breathing of the people gathered around the memorial.
Then Vanessa spoke.
“She didn't just find financial documents.””
Every face turned toward her.
Marcus stared at her with open alarm.
“Vanessa, don't.””
She looked at Danielle.
“Aaliyah came to see me three weeks ago.””
Danielle's eyes widened.
“You met my daughter?””
Vanessa nodded.
“Once. She came to my apartment.””
Marcus moved toward her.
“You told me you never met her.””
“I was afraid you'd get angry.””
“What did she want?”” Officer Carter asked.
Vanessa swallowed hard.
“She wanted to know why Marcus had been paying me.””
Danielle's heart seemed to stop.
“Paying you for what?””
Vanessa's tears spilled over.
“I didn't know what the money was for at first. He told me it was business expenses. Then Aaliyah showed me copies of the transfers.””
Marcus shook his head furiously.
“That's enough.””
“No,” Vanessa whispered.
“It isn't.””
She reached into her handbag, carefully avoiding the evidence already on the floor.
From an inside pocket, she pulled out a small white envelope.
“I kept this because I didn't know what else to do.””
Officer Carter asked her to place it on the table.
Vanessa obeyed.
On the front, in Aaliyah's unmistakable handwriting, were three words.
*FOR MY MOTHER.*
Danielle reached for it, but Carter asked her to wait until he had documented the envelope.
When he finally allowed her to open it, her hands trembled so badly she could barely unfold the paper inside.
There was a single handwritten sentence.
Mom, if anything happens to me, ask Dad why he needed me to stay away from home.
Danielle's knees weakened.
Marcus took one step backward.
May you like
And Officer Carter, reading the sentence over Danielle's shoulder, slowly lifted his eyes toward him.
“Mr. Reed,” he said, “I think we need to talk about what happened the night you ordered your daughter out of this house.””
