Chapter 6: Rochelle's Secret
Derrick looked through the glass doors.
Rochelle was standing beside Mia in the resort lobby, holding the little girl's hand.
She appeared to be explaining something to her, but the moment she noticed Derrick watching, her expression changed.
She knew.
Whatever was written on that page, Rochelle knew about it.
Derrick folded the document and walked into the lobby.
“Rochelle. I need you outside.””
She looked at Mia.
“Can we talk later?””
“No.””
Mia's fingers tightened around her aunt's hand.
Derrick softened his voice.
“Baby, can you sit with the front desk for a minute? I'll be right there.””
Mia shook her head.
“Please don't go.””
He crouched in front of her.
“I'm not going anywhere without telling you. Rochelle and I just need to talk.””
Mia studied his face before nodding reluctantly.
Derrick asked the receptionist to stay nearby, then led Rochelle to a quiet seating area beside the entrance, still within Mia's view.
He placed the paper on the table.
“Explain this.””
Rochelle looked down.
Her face drained of color.
“Derrick...””
“Did you contact a family-services organization about Mia?””
She swallowed.
“Yes.””
The answer was so quiet that he almost didn't hear it.
Derrick leaned back.
“Why?””
Rochelle sat down slowly, pressing both hands against her knees.
“Because someone contacted me first.””
“Who?””
“Angela's old friend. A woman named Denise Carter.””
Derrick searched his memory.
“Angela knew dozens of people.””
“Denise was more than a friend. They worked together before Mia was born. They stayed in touch after Angela married.””
“What did Denise want?””
Rochelle glanced toward the lobby.
“She said Angela had been worried about something before she died.””
Derrick's expression hardened.
“Worried about what?””
“Her financial arrangements. Some documents she kept in a safe-deposit box. Denise said Angela had left instructions that were supposed to be followed if something happened to her.””
Derrick stared at his sister.
“Angela died in a car accident. We handled her estate. I saw the paperwork.””
“Not all of it.””
The words hung between them.
Derrick stood abruptly, then stopped himself when he noticed Mia watching from across the lobby.
He sat down again.
“Start from the beginning.””
Rochelle took a shaky breath.
“Three weeks ago, Denise called me. She said she'd found a letter Angela had written before she died. She believed it contained instructions about Mia's future and a financial trust that had never been properly settled.””
“What does that have to do with Vanessa?””
“Denise said Vanessa had contacted her first.””
Derrick's eyes narrowed.
“Vanessa knew Denise?””
“Apparently. Denise wouldn't tell me how they knew each other. She only said Vanessa had been asking questions about Angela's paperwork.””
Derrick thought of the travel confirmation, the forged signature, and the mysterious Camille.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because Denise said she was afraid someone would interfere before we understood what was happening.””
“So you contacted an organization about taking Mia away from me?””
Rochelle flinched.
“No. I contacted them to ask what safeguards existed if someone tried to remove a child from a family without permission. I wanted to know what I could do if Mia wasn't safe.””
Derrick looked at the paper.
“And you signed this?””
“No. I wrote a statement explaining my concerns. I never signed a placement form.””
He studied her face.
“Did you tell them I was abusing Mia?””
“No!””
Rochelle's voice cracked.
“I told them you were a good father and a devoted grandfather. I told them I was worried because Vanessa had been asking about arrangements that would let her take Mia away from the family.””
Derrick stared at her.
“Then how did your note end up on this document?””
“I don't know.””
She reached for the paper, then stopped.
“But I know I should have told you. I thought I could find out what was happening before I frightened you. I thought I could protect Mia quietly.””
Derrick looked toward his granddaughter.
Mia was sitting on the edge of a lobby chair, swinging her feet above the polished floor. Every few seconds, she glanced at him to make sure he was still there.
He felt the familiar ache of helplessness.
He had promised Angela that he would take care of her daughter.
He had made that promise beside a hospital bed, holding a newborn Mia while machines beeped behind the curtain.
He had meant every word.
Now two women he trusted had been making decisions about that child's future without telling him the truth.
“Where is Denise now?”” he asked.
Rochelle shook her head.
“She said she'd contact me today.””
“Did she mention a flight?””
“No.””
“Did she mention Camille Brooks?””
Rochelle looked surprised.
“No. Who is Camille?””
Derrick explained what the woman had told him outside.
As he spoke, Rochelle's expression grew increasingly troubled.
When he finished, she whispered, “I think Vanessa may have found Angela's letter.””
Derrick stared at her.
“What makes you think that?””
“Because Denise told me one thing about the trust. If the original instructions were verified, the person responsible for administering it could release funds for Mia's education and long-term care.””
“Who was responsible?””
“Angela named a trustee. Denise wouldn't tell me the name over the phone.””
Derrick rubbed his jaw.
“Why would Vanessa care about Mia's trust?””
“I don't know. But if she was asking about Angela's documents, and someone has created a false statement suggesting you aren't fit to care for Mia, maybe the trust isn't the only thing she's trying to change.””
Derrick looked down at the page.
For the first time, the separate pieces began to form a troubling possibility.
Vanessa's secret flight.
The false signature.
The proposed temporary placement.
The allegations against him.
The person who had contacted Camille on Mia's behalf.
All of it could be connected to something Angela had arranged before her death.
But he still didn't know why.
His phone rang.
Patricia, his attorney, was calling back.
Derrick answered immediately.
“Patricia, I've got a new development. There may be a disputed trust connected to my late daughter, and someone may have submitted paperwork using my name without authorization.””
He listened, his face becoming more serious.
“Yes. I have copies of the documents.””
Another pause.
“No, I won't confront anyone else until you've reviewed them.””
He ended the call and looked at Rochelle.
“Patricia wants us to preserve everything. No accusations, no threats, and no private agreements until she can examine the paperwork.””
Rochelle nodded.
“That's fair.””
Derrick stood.
“I need to get Mia home.””
They walked back into the lobby together.
Mia jumped down from the chair and ran to him.
“Grandpa!””
He lifted her into his arms.
“I'm right here, baby.””
She wrapped both arms around his neck.
“Are we still going home together?””
“Yes.””
“Even if Auntie Vanessa is mad?””
Derrick kissed her forehead.
“Even then.””
Mia rested her head on his shoulder.
Behind them, Rochelle quietly asked the receptionist to call a resort employee to help gather the family's luggage.
Derrick carried Mia toward the van, but his phone vibrated before he reached the doors.
An unknown number had sent a photograph.
He opened it.
The image showed a handwritten letter on cream-colored paper, with Angela's familiar signature at the bottom.
Beneath the photograph was a single message.
*If you want to know why Vanessa chose tomorrow, read your daughter's letter before she gets there.*
Derrick's breathing stopped.
He enlarged the photograph.
The first sentence was visible.
To the person who raises my daughter if I cannot...
His eyes filled with tears.
He had never seen this letter.
And below Angela's signature was a date.
Three days before her fatal accident.
Another message appeared.
*Ask Rochelle what she promised me.*
Derrick slowly turned toward his sister.
Rochelle stood beside the luggage cart, staring at the phone in his hand.
“Derrick,” she whispered, “I can explain.””
He held up the photograph.
“Then tell me what my daughter wrote before she died.””
Rochelle looked toward Mia, then back at him.
Her voice fell to a whisper.
“Angela wasn't afraid of dying.””
May you like
She swallowed hard.
“She was afraid of what would happen to Mia if she wasn't here to stop it.””
