Chapter 9: The Call Before the Funeral
Danielle returned to the memorial house shortly after noon.
The white flowers were beginning to wilt at their edges, and the candles beneath Aaliyah's portrait had burned low. Relatives had gone home, leaving the living room quiet except for the distant sound of traffic beyond the windows.
Marcus was sitting alone at the dining table.
His beige shirt was wrinkled. His sunglasses lay beside an untouched glass of water, and his phone rested face down near his hand.
He looked up when Danielle entered.
“Where have you been?””
She set her handbag on a chair.
“Talking to the police.””
Marcus rubbed his face.
“Danielle, we need to talk without them standing over us.””
“We've had twenty years to talk.””
He pushed back his chair.
“I made mistakes.””
She stared at him.
“You made mistakes?””
“I know how this looks.””
“You took money from our account. You let our daughter leave this house without a key. You concealed documents bearing her name. And now there's an insurance policy on her life.””
Marcus closed his eyes.
“I never wanted anything to happen to Aaliyah.””
“Then why did someone call the insurance company two days before she died to ask how quickly the policy would pay out?””
Marcus's eyes opened.
For a fraction of a second, he looked genuinely stunned.
Then he looked away.
Danielle's voice trembled.
“Who made that call?””
“I don't know.””
“Was it you?””
“No.””
“Was it Vanessa?””
“I don't know!””
He struck the table with his palm.
Danielle flinched, and Marcus immediately lowered his hand.
“I'm sorry,” he said.
“I didn't mean to scare you.””
She stepped away from the table.
“You don't get to decide what scares me anymore.””
Marcus's face crumpled.
“I loved her.””
“Then tell me the truth.””
He stared at her for a long time.
Finally, he pulled out the chair opposite him.
“Sit down.””
“No.””
“Please, Danielle.””
She remained standing.
Marcus swallowed.
“The policy was part of a financial arrangement Leonard recommended. It was supposed to protect the investment if something happened to the person whose name was attached to the account.””
Danielle stared at him.
“You insured our nineteen-year-old daughter to protect a business investment?””
“It wasn't like that.””
“Then what was it like?””
He rubbed his forehead.
“I was told the policy was a standard requirement.””
“Did Aaliyah know about it?””
“I thought she did.””
“Did she sign the application?””
Marcus hesitated.
“I don't know.””
Danielle let out a broken laugh.
“You don't know whether our daughter signed a life insurance application on her own life?””
“I didn't handle every document!””
“But you were the beneficiary.””
He lowered his head.
“I didn't choose that.””
“Who did?””
“I don't know.””
Danielle stared at him.
For the first time, she understood why Aaliyah had recorded her warning. Marcus's answers were full of gaps, and every gap opened onto another secret.
“Marcus, if you want me to believe you, you need to tell me what happened after Aaliyah left.””
He looked toward the portrait.
“I called her.””
Danielle froze.
“You just told the police you didn't.””
“I didn't call her that night. I called her the following morning.””
“From what number?””
“My phone.””
“Did she answer?””
“No.””
“Did you leave a message?””
Marcus nodded.
“What did you say?””
He looked at his hands.
“I told her I wanted to talk.””
Danielle waited.
“And?””
“I told her she needed to stop talking to Leonard.””
Danielle felt her stomach tighten.
“Why?””
“Because I thought he was manipulating her.””
“Was he?””
“I don't know.””
“You keep saying that.””
Marcus's eyes filled with tears.
“Because I don't know what he did with the money, Danielle. I thought I was moving it temporarily. I thought I could fix everything before you found out.””
“Before I found out what?””
“That the investment was failing.””
Danielle stared at him.
“Was the investment failing before Aaliyah discovered the documents?””
“Yes.””
“And you used our daughter's name to secure the loan?””
Marcus pressed his lips together.
“I didn't think it would become a problem.””
Danielle stepped closer.
“Did you tell her that?””
“She asked me about the papers. I told her I would explain when I had everything sorted out.””
“And when she refused to wait?””
Marcus's eyes dropped.
“I told her she should stay away until I could fix it.””
Danielle's throat tightened.
“You told our daughter not to come home.””
“I was angry!””
“She was your child!””
“I know!””
His shout echoed through the empty room.
Marcus stood abruptly, knocking his chair backward.
“I know what I did, Danielle! I know I should have handled it differently. But I didn't kill my daughter.””
Danielle stared at him.
“I never said you did.””
He went silent.
For several seconds, the two of them stood on opposite sides of the dining table.
Then Marcus whispered, “You think I did.””
Danielle looked toward Aaliyah's portrait.
“I think our daughter was frightened, and the people who should have protected her kept secrets from her.””
Marcus sat down slowly.
A tear slid down his cheek.
“I thought she would come back.””
Danielle's voice broke.
“So did I.””
For one fragile moment, their grief seemed to occupy the same space. They were two parents who had lost their child, two people who had spent years building a home that suddenly felt unfamiliar.
Then Danielle remembered the insurance policy.
“Who called the company?””
Marcus looked up.
“I don't know.””
“The call was made two days before Aaliyah died. The number was used inside this house.””
His expression changed.
“Inside this house?””
“Yes.””
Marcus reached for his phone.
Danielle watched him.
“What are you doing?””
“Checking something.””
He unlocked the screen and scrolled through his call history.
His breathing grew shallow.
“What is it?”” Danielle asked.
Marcus turned the phone toward her.
There was an outgoing call to the insurance company's customer service line, dated two days before Aaliyah died.
The duration was four minutes and seventeen seconds.
Danielle looked at him.
“You told me you never called them.””
“I forgot.””
“You forgot a four-minute call about an insurance policy on our daughter's life?””
“I didn't know what the call was about!””
She stepped backward.
Marcus stared at the screen.
Then he shook his head violently.
“No. This isn't right.””
“What isn't right?””
“I didn't make this call.””
Danielle looked at the number.
“It's your phone.””
“I know.””
“Then who used it?””
Marcus's face went pale.
“Vanessa.””
Danielle's heart pounded.
“You think Vanessa called the insurance company from your phone?””
“She had access to it. She knew my passcode.””
“Did you give her permission to call about Aaliyah's policy?””
“No!””
His voice cracked.
Before Danielle could respond, a knock sounded at the front door.
Both of them turned.
Officer Carter stood outside with Officer Brooks. Behind them was Vanessa, still wearing the bright pink dress from the previous day, though her makeup had disappeared and her eyes were swollen.
Danielle opened the door.
“Why is she here?””
Officer Carter answered carefully.
“Ms. Cole has agreed to provide additional information about the insurance application and the telephone call.””
Vanessa looked at Marcus.
He stared at her as though she had appeared from a nightmare.
“You told them?”” he whispered.
Vanessa swallowed.
“I told them what I know.””
“What do you know?””
She looked toward Danielle.
“I made the call to the insurance company.””
Marcus staggered backward.
“You did what?””
Vanessa's eyes filled with tears.
“I called to ask about the policy.””
“Why?””
“Because I wanted to know whether it was real.””
“You could have asked me!””
“I did ask you!””
Marcus opened his mouth, then closed it.
Vanessa continued.
“You told me it was just a business document. You told me Aaliyah knew about it. But when she showed me the papers, I realized her signature might have been copied.””
Danielle gripped the doorframe.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because Marcus told me the whole family could be ruined if the documents became public.””
Marcus shook his head.
“I never said that.””
Vanessa looked at him.
“You told me the debt would destroy everything if the bank discovered how it had been secured.””
“That isn't the same thing.””
“You told me to keep quiet.””
Officer Carter stepped into the room.
“Ms. Cole, did you ask the insurance company when the policy would pay out?””
Vanessa nodded.
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because I was trying to understand what would happen if the policy was invalid. The representative told me they couldn't discuss the account without authorization.””
“Did you ask about an accidental death?””
Vanessa's face crumpled.
“Yes.””
Danielle felt the floor shift beneath her.
Marcus stared at Vanessa in disbelief.
“You asked that?””
“I was scared! I wanted to know whether somebody had taken out a policy using Aaliyah's identity!””
Officer Carter's voice remained controlled.
“What exactly did you ask the representative?””
Vanessa wiped her cheeks.
“I asked how the company handled a claim if the insured person died unexpectedly. I wanted to know whether a policy could pay out if the application had been submitted without the person's knowledge.””
“Did you ask about the amount?””
“Yes.””
Marcus turned away, pressing both hands against his head.
Danielle couldn't tell whether he was overwhelmed by guilt, fear, or the possibility that Vanessa's explanation might be true.
Officer Carter asked Vanessa whether she had any documents related to the policy.
She nodded.
“I kept a copy of the application.””
“Where is it?””
Vanessa reached into her handbag and produced a folded sheet of paper.
Carter accepted it and examined the visible heading.
Then he stopped.
“What?”” Danielle asked.
Carter looked at the document again.
“The application lists two witnesses to the insured person's signature.””
Marcus lifted his head.
“Who?””
Carter turned the page toward him.
Marcus stared at the names.
One was Vanessa Cole.
The other was Danielle Reed.
Danielle felt the blood drain from her face.
“I never signed this.””
Marcus stared at the document.
“Neither did I.””
Officer Carter carefully placed the page inside an evidence sleeve.
“We'll need to verify both signatures and establish who submitted this application.””
Vanessa began shaking her head.
“I never witnessed Aaliyah sign anything.””
“Then we need to determine how your name came to appear here,” Carter replied.
Danielle looked at the document.
Her name was written in black ink beneath a declaration confirming that Aaliyah had willingly signed the policy application.
The handwriting resembled her own.
But the signature was wrong.
Someone had copied it from an old document.
Someone had used her daughter's identity.
Someone had listed Vanessa as a witness.
And someone had called the insurance company two days before Aaliyah died.
Officer Carter's phone rang.
He answered, listened, and then looked toward Danielle.
“Mrs. Reed, the investigative team has identified the number used to contact the insurance company.””
Danielle gripped the edge of the table.
“Whose number was it?””
Carter paused.
“It was registered to a prepaid account, but the device connected to your home Wi-Fi shortly before the call was made.””
Marcus stared at him.
“Which device?””
Carter looked at the report.
“A second phone.””
Danielle's breath caught.
“The phone Aaliyah left behind?””
“No. The recovered device is still being examined.””
He glanced at Vanessa.
“This phone was registered under a different account. However, the carrier records show that it contacted Aaliyah's second phone several times during the final forty-eight hours of her life.””
Vanessa covered her mouth.
Marcus went completely still.
Officer Carter continued.
“We're working to establish who used it.””
Danielle looked from her husband to Vanessa.
Neither of them spoke.
Then Carter added one final detail.
“The last call from that device to Aaliyah's phone occurred shortly before she was taken to the hospital.””
Danielle's eyes filled.
“Who called her?””
Carter looked down at his notes.
“We don't have a confirmed user yet.””
Marcus slowly shook his head.
“No.””
Danielle turned toward him.
“What?””
He stared at the report, his face ashen.
“I recognize the number.””
Officer Carter looked up sharply.
“From where?””
Marcus swallowed.
Then he whispered a name that made Vanessa collapse into the nearest chair.
“Renee.””
Danielle stopped breathing.
Her sister.
The woman who had offered Aaliyah a place to stay.
The woman who had begged her to call.
The woman who claimed she had never known why Aaliyah was afraid.
And now Marcus was saying that Renee's number had been connected to the phone that contacted their daughter shortly before she died.
Danielle reached for the table to steady herself.
“No,” she whispered.
“My sister would never hurt Aaliyah.””
Marcus looked at her, tears running down his face.
“I didn't say she hurt her.””
Officer Carter closed the folder.
“No one is making that accusation at this stage. But we need to speak with Ms. Renee immediately.””
Danielle stared at Aaliyah's portrait across the room.
The white flowers glowed beneath the afternoon sunlight.
Her daughter had left clues everywhere, but every answer seemed to lead to another person she loved.
And as Officer Carter reached for his phone to contact Renee, Danielle's own phone began to ring.
The caller ID displayed her sister's name.
Danielle answered with trembling fingers.
“Renee?””
For several seconds, there was only breathing.
Then her sister whispered, “Danielle, you need to listen to me. Whatever Marcus told you, don't let the police look inside Aaliyah's old bedroom.””
Danielle's blood ran cold.
“Why?””
Renee began to cry.
“Because there's something hidden under her floorboards, and if they find it, they'll know what I did.””
May you like
The line went dead.
And Danielle realized that the person who might finally explain her daughter's last days was also the person who had just admitted to hiding something from her.
