Chapter 6: The Name on the Transfer
David read the recipient's name twice before speaking.
“Marcus Bell.””
Jasmine frowned.
“Who is Marcus Bell?””
David didn't answer.
He stared at the screen, his face caught between confusion and disbelief. Jasmine had never seen that expression on him before. Even after her mother's death, when grief had made the simplest decisions seem impossible, her father had always found a way to explain what was happening.
Now he looked like a man trying to recognize a life that had quietly changed around him.
“Dad?””
He lowered the phone.
“Marcus is Jessica's younger brother.””
Jasmine's stomach tightened.
“Her brother?””
“Yes. He lives in Charlotte.””
“How much did she send him?””
David looked back at the record.
“Eleven thousand dollars.””
The number settled heavily between them.
Jasmine sat down.
“So, twenty-two thousand went into her account, and eleven thousand went to her brother?””
“According to these preliminary records.””
“What did he need eleven thousand dollars for?””
“I don't know.””
“Does Jessica know we're looking at this?””
David glanced toward the stairs.
“She knows we've found another account.””
Jasmine thought about the manila envelope, the loan documents, and Jessica's frantic insistence that she had only been trying to help the family.
Perhaps Marcus had needed money. Perhaps Jessica had believed she could repay it. There could be an explanation.
But explanations weren't the same as permission.
“Can we contact him?”” she asked.
“Not until I've spoken with the bank and an attorney. I want to know exactly what these records establish before I make accusations.””
David closed the message and set the phone down.
“I also need to know whether that account is still active.””
Jasmine nodded.
She appreciated that he wasn't rushing to conclusions. The missing money was real, but the meaning behind every transfer remained uncertain. She didn't want anger to become another excuse for someone to distort the truth.
Still, the thought of eleven thousand dollars leaving her mother's account for a person she barely knew made her feel sick.
“Dad, did Mom know Jessica before she died?””
David looked surprised.
“No. Why?””
“Because Jessica acts like Mom's money was something she had a right to.””
He lowered his eyes.
“I don't think she ever understood what that money meant to you.””
“Or she understood exactly what it meant.””
David had no answer.
Upstairs, a door opened and closed.
Then footsteps moved across the landing.
Jasmine looked toward the ceiling.
“Is Jessica leaving?””
“I don't know.””
“Do you want her to?””
David leaned against the desk.
“I want to know who I've been married to.””
The honesty of the answer frightened Jasmine more than another argument would have.
She stood and returned the envelope to the desk.
“I'm going to make something to eat.””
“Jasmine, you don't have to do that.””
“I know.””
She walked toward the kitchen anyway.
She needed to do something ordinary. Something that didn't involve bank statements, missing money, or the possibility that the person who had shared her father's bed for years had deliberately undermined her future.
She opened the refrigerator.
The shelves were crowded with food Jessica had bought for Tyler: prepared meals, bottled drinks, and containers of fruit. Jasmine's own groceries sat in a small plastic bin on the bottom shelf.
She stared at the bin for several seconds.
Then she closed the refrigerator without taking anything.
She wasn't hungry anymore.
Her phone buzzed.
A message from her college roommate, Nia, appeared on the screen.
Hey, you still coming to study tomorrow? You sounded upset earlier. Everything okay?
Jasmine began typing that everything was fine.
She stopped.
For months, she had hidden the problems at home because she was embarrassed. She didn't want anyone to know that her stepmother treated her like an unwanted guest. She didn't want people to pity her or assume she was struggling because she couldn't manage her life.
But keeping the secret had only made it easier for Jessica to continue.
Jasmine deleted the message and typed something else.
Things at home are bad. Can I call you later?
Nia replied almost immediately.
Of course. Call me whenever. You don't have to handle everything alone.
Jasmine stared at those words.
You don't have to handle everything alone.
She wished she had understood that sooner.
Behind her, footsteps approached.
Jessica stood in the kitchen doorway. Her eyes were red, but her posture had returned to its usual rigid confidence.
“Your father is going to ruin everything,” she said.
Jasmine slipped her phone into her pocket.
“He's trying to find out where Mom's money went.””
“He's going to make this a legal issue.””
“Maybe he needs to.””
Jessica's expression tightened.
“You don't understand what that would do to this family.””
“Then explain it to me.””
Jessica looked away.
Jasmine took a breath.
“Why did you send eleven thousand dollars to your brother?””
Jessica's head snapped around.
“Who told you that?””
“The bank records.””
“You had no right to look at those.””
“Dad is the account holder.””
“Your father doesn't understand the circumstances.””
“Then tell us the circumstances.””
Jessica shook her head.
“You think everything is simple because you're young. You see a number on a screen and assume you know the whole story.””
“I'm not assuming anything. I'm asking.””
“You've been waiting for this, haven't you? Waiting for me to make a mistake so you could take me out of your father's life.””
Jasmine stared at her.
“You demanded two thousand dollars from me this morning.””
“Because you need to contribute.””
“You admitted you wanted the money for a loan payment.””
“Which helped support this household!””
“Then why did you say it was for Tyler's phone?””
Jessica's mouth tightened.
For a moment, she looked as though she might strike back with another accusation. Instead, she walked to the counter and picked up a glass of water.
“You have no idea what I was dealing with when I moved that money.””
“Then tell us.””
“Your father was working constantly. Tyler was having problems at school. My brother was in trouble, and I didn't have anybody to turn to.””
“So you took money from Mom's account?””
“I borrowed it!””
“Without asking.””
Jessica put the glass down hard enough to make the water jump.
“I was going to repay it!””
Jasmine felt her eyes sting.
“You keep saying that. How much have you paid back?””
Jessica looked at her.
She said nothing.
Jasmine nodded slowly.
“That's what I thought.””
“You're enjoying this.””
“No, I'm not.”” Jasmine's voice broke.
“I wish none of this were happening. I wish Mom were here. I wish Dad didn't look like he was about to fall apart. I wish I could go to class tomorrow without wondering whether I'm going to come home to find my things on the porch.””
Jessica's expression flickered.
For a brief moment, Jasmine saw something almost human in her stepmother's face.
Then it disappeared.
“You have always had your father wrapped around your finger.””
Jasmine stepped back.
There it was again. The old accusation. The familiar attempt to turn every injury into proof that Jasmine was the one causing trouble.
But something had changed.
Jasmine no longer felt compelled to defend herself.
“My father loves me,” she said.
“That isn't something I did to you.””
Jessica stared at her.
Jasmine continued, more quietly, “You don't have to love me. But you don't get to take what my mother left me and then tell me I'm lucky to be here.””
Jessica's lips trembled.
Before she could answer, David appeared in the doorway.
“Jessica, I need you to come into the office.””
She turned sharply.
“What now?””
“I spoke with the bank. They've confirmed the second account received twenty-two thousand dollars in transfers. They're sending the available documentation to me.””
Jessica's face went pale.
“And?””
“And the account records show repeated transfers to Marcus.””
She looked down.
David watched her carefully.
“Did Marcus know where the money came from?””
“I don't know what he knew.””
“Did you tell him?””
“I told him I could help.””
“With money that wasn't yours?””
Jessica's shoulders slumped.
“He was going to lose his apartment.””
David closed his eyes briefly.
“How much did you give him?””
“Eleven thousand.””
“Did he repay any of it?””
“No.””
“Did you ask him to?””
“I told him I needed it back when he could manage it.””
“When was that?””
“Last year.””
“And you still haven't received it?””
Jessica shook her head.
David looked at her for a long moment.
“Did you tell him the money belonged to Jasmine?””
Jessica's silence answered before she did.
“No.””
Jasmine gripped the counter.
David's voice became very quiet.
“Why?””
Jessica wiped her cheek.
“Because I knew you wouldn't let me send it.””
“Then you knew I wouldn't approve.””
“I thought I could make it right before you ever found out.””
David turned away, pressing both hands against the desk.
Jasmine watched him struggle to control his breathing. He wasn't simply angry about the money. He was confronting the possibility that someone he trusted had repeatedly made decisions behind his back, using his daughter's future as a private source of credit.
After a moment, David faced Jessica again.
“I'm not going to decide your guilt or your punishment in this room. The bank records need to be reviewed properly, and I'll get legal advice. But you will not ask Jasmine for another dollar, and you will not interfere with the records.””
Jessica stared at him.
“Are you telling me I'm not allowed to manage my own household?””
“I'm telling you that my daughter will not be threatened into paying debts she didn't create.””
Jessica's face hardened.
“You're making a mistake.””
“Maybe. But I'm done making decisions based on what you tell me without checking the facts.””
She looked at Jasmine with open resentment.
Then she turned and left the kitchen.
David waited until her footsteps faded upstairs.
“I'm sorry you had to hear all of that.””
Jasmine shook her head.
“I needed to know.””
He nodded.
“Tomorrow, I'll speak with the attorney. We'll find out what happened to the money and what options you have.””
“What if it's all gone?””
David's eyes filled with pain.
“Then we'll deal with that truth, too.””
Jasmine looked down at her hands.
She had spent the day learning that the money her mother left her might never have been protected. She couldn't change the past, and she couldn't force Jessica to become someone different.
But she could stop pretending that everything was fine.
“I want to stay here,” she said.
“At least while we figure this out.””
David stepped closer.
“You can stay as long as you want. You don't have to earn your place here.””
Jasmine leaned into him, and he held her.
For a few seconds, the house felt quiet.
Then David's phone rang.
The caller ID displayed an unfamiliar North Carolina number.
He answered cautiously.
“Hello?””
A man's voice came through, strained and hurried.
“David? My name is Marcus Bell. I'm Jessica's brother.””
David straightened.
“Why are you calling me?””
“Because Jessica told me you were looking into the transfers.””
David glanced at Jasmine.
“What do you know about them?””
Marcus exhaled shakily.
“More than I should.””
Jasmine felt her father's hand tighten around the phone.
“Did you know the money belonged to my daughter?””
“I knew Jessica said it came from an insurance policy. I didn't know it was money specifically set aside for Jasmine.””
“Did you receive eleven thousand dollars?””
“Yes.””
“Where is it now?””
Marcus hesitated.
“Most of it went toward my rent and other debts. I can provide records.””
David's jaw tightened.
“Can you repay it?””
“I can't repay all of it right away.””
“Then why are you calling?””
Marcus went quiet.
When he spoke again, his voice had changed.
“Because the eleven thousand dollars isn't the part you need to worry about most.””
Jasmine's heart began to pound.
“What does that mean?”” David asked.
Marcus swallowed audibly.
“Jessica told me she was borrowing money from Jasmine's account. But about six months ago, she asked me to help her move some documents and transfer information. She said you were starting to ask questions.””
David went completely still.
“What documents?””
“I don't know exactly what they all were. But I remember one account number that wasn't mine. It was attached to a much larger transfer.””
“How much larger?””
Marcus hesitated.
Then he said, “Thirty-five thousand dollars.””
Jasmine felt the room spin.
David gripped the counter.
“Where did that money go?””
“I don't know the final destination,” Marcus replied.
“But I still have a copy of the paperwork Jessica gave me.””
Jasmine looked at her father.
Thirty-five thousand dollars.
The amount was larger than every questionable transfer they had identified so far.
And if Marcus was telling the truth, the missing money might not have been used for Tyler's phone, Jessica's debts, or even her brother's rent.
It might have been moved somewhere neither of them had thought to look.
David took a slow breath.
“Marcus, don't destroy anything. Don't move any more money. We'll have an attorney contact you.””
“I understand.””
The call ended.
Jasmine stood in the kitchen, unable to speak.
Upstairs, a floorboard creaked.
Then Jessica's bedroom door opened.
May you like
She had heard enough to know that Marcus had talked.
And judging by the sudden silence that followed, she understood that the secret she had spent years protecting was no longer hers to control.
