Chapter 8: The Photograph Nobody Was Supposed to Find
Monica couldn't stop staring at the photograph.
Malik was four years old in it.
He was sitting in the back seat of his daycare teacher's car, holding a red toy truck.
The photograph had been taken from outside the passenger window.
There was no timestamp.
No explanation.
Just the image and Curtis's message.
"Where did he get this?"" Monica whispered.
Darius took the phone carefully.
"I've never seen it.""
Malik stood behind his mother.
"Why would he have pictures of me?""
Nobody answered.
Renee came out of the kitchen.
"What's going on?""
Monica handed her the phone.
Renee looked at the photograph and immediately reached for the back of a chair.
"Oh, my God.""
Darius looked at Monica.
"Did Curtis ever mention knowing your daycare teacher?""
Monica shook her head.
"Why?""
"Because I remember that car.""
He pointed to the screen.
"That's Ms. Evelyn's old sedan.""
Monica's eyes widened.
"How do you know?""
"She used to let me pick Malik up when you were working late. I remember the car.""
Malik looked between them.
"You're saying Curtis was following me?""
Darius swallowed.
"I don't know, son.""
Monica felt her legs weaken.
She remembered the daycare.
The afternoon pickup.
The occasional phone calls from Evelyn saying someone had asked about Malik.
At the time, she'd assumed it was a relative.
She had never asked who.
"Mom?"" Malik said.
She turned.
"Yes?""
"Did you know about this?""
"No, baby.""
"Then why does he have it?""
Monica had no answer.
The next morning, Monica took the photograph to Officer Daniels.
The detective examined the image.
"Do you recognize where it was taken?""
Monica nodded.
"It's outside the daycare Malik attended when he was little.""
"Do you know when?""
"Somewhere around twelve years ago.""
Officer Daniels placed the phone on her desk.
"Has Mr. Curtis contacted you directly since the incident?""
Monica shook her head.
"Only through these messages.""
"Don't respond to him. Save everything.""
"Can you trace the number?""
"We'll have investigators examine the available information. But don't assume the displayed number tells us who physically sent it.""
Monica nodded.
Officer Daniels leaned forward.
"There's another development.""
Monica's stomach tightened.
"What?""
"We've located a former employee from the repair shop where Darius worked.""
"Darius's old workplace?""
"Yes. The employee remembers an incident involving Curtis.""
Monica looked at her.
"What incident?""
"Apparently, Curtis visited the shop several times after Darius stopped seeing you.""
Monica stared.
"Why?""
"According to the former employee, he was asking questions about Darius's schedule.""
Monica closed her eyes.
It was becoming harder to believe that Curtis's behavior had been limited to one argument twelve years ago.
"Did the employee see anything else?""
Officer Daniels nodded.
"He says Darius once arrived at work with a damaged windshield and a broken side mirror.""
Darius had never mentioned that.
Monica felt sick.
"Was Curtis responsible?""
"We don't know. The employee couldn't confirm who caused the damage.""
That afternoon, Darius went to meet the former employee with Detective Harris.
Monica stayed at Renee's house with Malik.
They were sitting at the kitchen table when Malik finally spoke.
"Mom, can I ask you something without you getting upset?""
She put down her coffee.
"Always.""
"Did you ever think Curtis might hurt me?""
Monica looked at him.
"Yes.""
Malik nodded slowly.
"Then why did we stay?""
She took a breath.
"Because I thought leaving would make things worse. I didn't have enough money saved. I didn't know where we'd go. I kept hoping he would change.""
Malik looked toward the window.
"Did he ever make you think you were the problem?""
Monica's eyes filled.
"All the time.""
"That's what he did to me.""
She frowned.
"What do you mean?""
Malik rubbed his hands together.
"He used to tell me I was ungrateful. That I should be thankful he let me live in his house.""
Monica stared at him.
"When?""
"Mostly when you weren't home.""
Her heart sank.
"Why didn't you tell me?""
"Because I didn't want you to have to choose.""
Monica reached across the table.
"Baby, you were never supposed to carry that.""
Malik looked at her.
"I know that now.""
She squeezed his hand.
"I'm sorry I didn't see it.""
He nodded.
Then he said something that made her cry.
"I didn't need you to be perfect, Mom. I just needed you to believe me.""
Monica stood and wrapped her arms around him.
"I believe you.""
He held her tightly.
And this time, she didn't let go quickly.
At 4:50 p.m., Darius returned.
He looked angry.
But underneath the anger was something else.
Fear.
Monica stood immediately.
"What happened?""
"The former employee remembered Curtis.""
"What did he say?""
Darius placed a photograph on the table.
It showed a younger Curtis standing outside the repair shop.
Beside him was a police officer.
Monica frowned.
"Why was a police officer there?""
"That's what we don't know yet.""
Detective Harris had given Darius permission to share the photograph with Monica and Malik.
The former employee had kept it because he thought it was strange that Curtis repeatedly visited the shop.
According to him, one afternoon Curtis arrived with an officer and asked to speak to Darius.
Darius refused.
The officer reportedly told him to cooperate.
"Did you report that?"" Monica asked.
"Yes. But nobody followed up.""
Malik picked up the photograph.
"Is that the same officer who handled your report?""
Darius examined it.
"I can't tell.""
Monica stared at Curtis's face in the photograph.
He looked younger.
Clean-shaven.
Smiling.
One hand rested on the officer's shoulder.
She felt something twist inside her.
"Why would he be friends with a police officer?""
Darius looked at her.
"I don't know.""
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
"Hello?""
A voice came through loudly enough for Monica to hear.
"Mr. Johnson, this is Detective Harris. We need you to come back to the station.""
Darius frowned.
"Why?""
There was a pause.
Then the detective said:
"We've identified the officer in the photograph.""
Darius went completely still.
"Who is he?""
Detective Harris answered.
"He's a former Cleveland police officer who was involved in the original investigation into the threat you reported twelve years ago.""
Monica covered her mouth.
Darius gripped the phone.
"You're telling me the same officer who took my report was standing beside Curtis?""
"That's correct.""
"Did he know Curtis?""
"We're looking into that.""
Darius looked at Monica.
For twelve years, they'd believed Curtis had simply threatened Darius and driven him away.
But what if someone had helped him?
What if the person Darius had trusted to protect him had been standing beside the man threatening him?
At the station, Detective Harris placed another document on the table.
It was a copy of the original incident report.
Darius read it.
His face changed.
"That's not what I told them.""
Harris leaned forward.
"What do you mean?""
"I told the officer Curtis showed me a gun and threatened me. I told him Curtis followed me from the house.""
The detective pointed to the report.
"According to this document, you told the officer the firearm was never displayed and that the disagreement was verbal.""
Darius shook his head.
"No.""
"Is this your signature?""
Darius stared at the bottom of the page.
It was his.
But the statement above it was not his.
"I never signed this.""
Detective Harris looked at the paperwork again.
"Then we have a serious problem.""
Monica felt a chill move down her back.
"Can somebody change a police report?""
Harris answered carefully.
"Records can be amended, but any alteration needs to be documented. We're checking the original file and the audit history.""
Darius pointed at the officer's name.
"That's Officer Raymond.""
Harris nodded.
"We've located him. He retired several years ago.""
"Where is he now?""
"We're working on that.""
Monica looked at the detective.
"Could he have helped Curtis?""
Harris didn't answer immediately.
"We're investigating that possibility.""
Then he turned another page.
A second document was attached to the report.
It was a statement allegedly written by Darius.
It claimed that Darius had threatened Curtis first.
Darius stared at it.
"I never wrote this.""
Detective Harris looked at him.
"There's one more thing.""
He placed a final photograph on the table.
It showed Curtis standing outside a small office building.
Beside him was Officer Raymond.
But this photograph had been taken only three weeks earlier.
Monica's breath caught.
Curtis had been telling everyone he had no connection to Darius's disappearance.
Yet he was still meeting the officer who had handled the original complaint.
May you like
And now Detective Harris asked the question nobody in the room wanted to answer.
"Do you know what Curtis and Officer Raymond have been discussing recently?""
