Chapter 6 - THE COP ON HIS PAYROLL
Celina wouldn't say the name in the coffee shop.
We waited until we were inside Evelyn's office.
Then she finally spoke.
“Detective Aaron Bell.”
Evelyn's expression changed.
“You're certain?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Gideon called him.”
“When?”
“Several times.”
“About what?”
“I don't know.”
Evelyn leaned forward.
“Did you personally hear him threaten or bribe the detective?”
“No.”
“Then we don't accuse anyone yet.”
Celina nodded.
I sat silently.
My life had become a puzzle where every piece made the picture worse.
Evelyn called a private investigator she trusted.
His name was Daniel Cross.
He agreed to investigate Gideon's financial activity, Marcus Vale, and Detective Bell.
But there was one thing we could do immediately.
Preserve evidence.
That afternoon, Evelyn made copies of the camera recordings.
Multiple copies.
Different locations.
Cloud storage.
Physical drives.
Everything.
Then she looked at me.
“Now we wait.”
Waiting was unbearable.
Gideon continued calling.
I stopped answering.
Then his messages became emotional.
I made a terrible mistake.
Please let me see Roger.
I know you're hurt.
Celina means nothing.
Then came anger.
You can't keep my son from me.
Then threats disguised as legal language.
My attorney will contact you.
I saved every message.
Evelyn told me to.
Three days later, Gideon's attorney called.
He accused me of parental interference.
I nearly laughed.
My son had been sleeping barefoot on a kitchen floor.
And his father was accusing me of keeping him away.
Evelyn answered everything calmly.
Then the call ended.
She looked at me.
“Something is wrong.”
“What?”
“They expected you to panic.”
“Why?”
“Because they need you to make a mistake.”
Daniel Cross arrived that afternoon.
He placed a folder on Evelyn's desk.
“Gideon has been moving money.”
“How much?”
“More than three million dollars.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
“Several businesses. Several accounts.”
Marcus Vale was involved.
So was a third person.
A woman.
Daniel slid a photograph across the table.
I recognized her immediately.
Dr. Elaine Mercer.
She had treated Roger once when he was sick.
But that wasn't the worst part.
Daniel said:
“She owns the company that received the largest transfer.”
“What company?”
“Mercer Family Services.”
My stomach tightened.
“That sounds medical.”
“It is.”
“What does that have to do with Gideon?”
Daniel opened another file.
“Six months ago, Gideon began paying her.”
“For what?”
“Medical records.”
My heart stopped.
“Whose?”
“Yours.”
I couldn't speak.
Then Daniel said:
“There's more.”
He placed another document on the table.
A psychological evaluation.
My name was at the top.
It claimed I had suffered severe emotional instability.
It recommended that I not have unsupervised access to my child.
I had never met the doctor who supposedly evaluated me.
The signature was forged.
The date was two months earlier.
I looked at Evelyn.
“They were building a case.”
“Yes.”
“For custody.”
“Yes.”
“But why?”
Daniel looked at me.
“Because if you're declared mentally unfit, your husband gets control.”
“Control of what?”
“Roger.”
I swallowed.
“And my money?”
“Potentially.”
“And the house?”
“Absolutely.”
I felt dizzy.
Then Daniel said:
“There is one more thing.”
“What?”
“Your husband has been meeting with someone named Samuel Mercer.”
“Who is he?”
Daniel hesitated.
“The woman's husband.”
Dr. Mercer.
The same doctor who had falsified my evaluation.
Her husband.
“Why?”
“We're still investigating.”
I stood.
“I want to know everything.”
Daniel nodded.
“We'll find out.”
That evening, Roger drew a picture.
He brought it to me proudly.
It showed a house.
A little boy.
A woman.
And a black car.
I knelt beside him.
“Who's this?”
“The car.”
“Who owns it?”
He shook his head.
“I don't know.”
“What does the person look like?”
Roger frowned.
“He wears a hat.”
“What kind?”
“A black one.”
“Have you seen him before?”
Roger nodded.
“Where?”
“At home.”
My heart stopped.
“When?”
“Sometimes.”
“Does he talk to Daddy?”
Roger nodded.
“What does he say?”
Roger looked toward my mother.
Then he whispered:
“He asks Daddy if Mommy is gone.”
I felt the room disappear around me.
He hadn't just been watching the house.
May you like
Someone had been watching me.
And Roger had seen him.
