Chapter 7: The Thirty-Five-Thousand-Dollar Secret
Jessica appeared at the top of the staircase with one hand gripping the railing.
“Who was that on the phone?””
David looked up at her.
“Your brother.””
Her face drained of color.
“Why is Marcus calling you?””
“Because he knows about the money you moved.””
Jessica descended two steps, then stopped.
“He had no right to involve himself in this.””
David gave a bitter laugh.
“You involved him when you sent him eleven thousand dollars from an account connected to my daughter's inheritance.””
“I was helping my brother.””
“With money that didn't belong to you.””
“I told you I intended to pay it back!””
“And now Marcus is telling me about another thirty-five thousand dollars.””
For a moment, Jessica looked genuinely confused. Then her expression changed so quickly that Jasmine felt a chill.
“You need to stop listening to Marcus,” Jessica said.
“He has a habit of exaggerating when he's scared.””
“Scared of what?””
“His own problems.””
David took a step toward the staircase.
“Did you transfer thirty-five thousand dollars from Renee's insurance proceeds?””
Jessica shook her head.
“Not directly.””
The answer silenced the room.
Jasmine stared at her.
“What does that mean?””
Jessica looked at David, apparently realizing she had said too much.
“I need to explain this properly.””
“Then start explaining,” David replied.
Jessica came down the remaining steps and entered the living room. She didn't sit. Instead, she stood beside the couch, rubbing her hands together.
“When we married, I was already dealing with financial problems. I told you that. I had credit cards, personal loans, and bills I couldn't manage on my salary.””
“You told me you had a few debts,” David said.
“You never told me you were borrowing money from accounts connected to Jasmine.””
“I didn't know it would become this complicated.””
“You made it complicated by hiding it.””
Jessica's eyes flashed.
“Do you think I wanted to live like this? Do you think I enjoyed watching you spend every spare dollar on Jasmine while Tyler and I had to make do?””
Jasmine felt her stomach tighten.
“Dad paid for my college books and helped me with tuition. I work to cover what I can.””
“You've always had a safety net,” Jessica snapped.
“You had your mother's money. You had your father's attention. You had people who wanted to help you.””
“And you had a husband who trusted you,” David replied.
“You had a home, a family, and access to financial accounts. You had every opportunity to tell me the truth.””
Jessica looked away.
David pulled out his phone.
“I'm calling the attorney now.””
“Don't!””
Her shout echoed through the living room.
David paused.
Jessica hurried toward him.
“Please. Just give me until tomorrow morning. I can explain everything. I can get the records together.””
“You've had years.””
“I'm asking for one night.””
“Why?””
She looked at Jasmine.
“Because there are things you don't understand about those transfers.””
“Then tell us,” Jasmine said.
Jessica shook her head.
“Not with her standing here.””
Jasmine felt the familiar sting of being treated as an obstacle in her own family. But this time, she didn't retreat.
“My name is on the money you're talking about. I'm staying.””
Jessica's lips tightened.
David nodded toward his daughter.
“She has every right to hear the truth.””
Jessica stared at them both. Then, slowly, she sat down.
“The thirty-five thousand dollars wasn't one transfer,” she began.
“It was moved in stages.””
David remained standing.
“From where?””
“Several accounts.””
“Whose accounts?””
“Mine, initially. Then another account.””
“Whose?””
Jessica didn't answer.
David looked at her with exhausted disbelief.
“Jessica, this is your last opportunity to explain without me having to piece everything together from bank records.””
She pressed her fingers against her forehead.
“The account belonged to a company.””
“What company?””
“A small investment business.””
Jasmine frowned.
“You own an investment business?””
“No.””
“Then why was money transferred to it?””
Jessica's eyes filled with tears.
“Because someone promised me a return.””
David stared at her.
“You invested Jasmine's money?””
“I was trying to make it grow!””
“Without permission?””
“I thought I could replace everything before you noticed.””
Jasmine felt a wave of nausea.
“Who promised you a return?””
Jessica hesitated.
“A man named Raymond Cole.””
David shook his head.
“I've never heard of him.””
“You weren't supposed to.””
The words came out before Jessica could stop them.
David's expression hardened.
“What does that mean?””
Jessica looked down.
“He was someone I knew through a friend. He said he could help me consolidate my debts and earn enough to pay everything back.””
“Did you verify his business?””
“He showed me documents.””
“Did you speak to an attorney?””
“No.””
“Did you check whether the company was legitimate?””
Jessica began crying.
“No.””
David closed his eyes.
Jasmine stood motionless, trying to process the confession.
“So you gave thirty-five thousand dollars to a stranger?””
“Not all at once!””
“But you gave it to him.””
Jessica covered her face.
“Yes.””
David turned away, walking several steps toward the window. He stood there, staring at the darkened yard.
When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet.
“You took the money my wife left for our daughter, and you gambled it on a stranger because you were too ashamed to admit you had debts.””
Jessica lowered her hands.
“I thought I could fix it.””
“You thought you could fix it without telling me.””
“I was afraid you'd leave me.””
David turned around.
“You were afraid I'd leave you, so you did something that could destroy this family?””
Jessica's shoulders shook.
“I didn't know what else to do.””
Jasmine looked at her stepmother and felt no satisfaction. There was no pleasure in discovering that Jessica's cruelty had been driven partly by fear and desperation.
But understanding why someone did something didn't make the damage disappear.
“You could have asked for help,” Jasmine said.
Jessica looked up.
“You don't understand.””
“Then help me understand. Why did you spend all this time telling me I was a burden? Why did you keep demanding money from me?””
Jessica wiped her cheeks.
“Because I needed cash quickly. The payments on my loans were coming due. Raymond kept telling me the investment would pay out soon, but it never did.””
“So you tried to get the money from me.””
“I thought I could use it temporarily.””
“For your debt payments.””
“Yes.””
“And you said it was for Tyler's phone.””
Jessica looked away.
Jasmine's voice trembled.
“You made me stand at the front door with a bag of clothes because I wouldn't give you money to cover a mistake you were hiding.””
“I never wanted you to leave.””
“You told me to leave!””
“I was angry!””
“You told me Dad wouldn't take my side!””
Jessica fell silent.
David approached the couch.
“Tomorrow, we will give the bank everything we have. We'll provide the name of this company and the man you claim received the money. An attorney will help us determine the appropriate next steps.””
Jessica grabbed his sleeve.
“Please, David. If you report this, they'll investigate me.””
“If the money was taken without authorization, it needs to be investigated.””
“What about Tyler? What will happen to him?””
“He doesn't have to carry your mistakes. But he does need to learn the truth.””
Jessica released his sleeve.
For several seconds, the only sound in the room was her uneven breathing.
Then she reached into the pocket of her robe and pulled out a small folded paper.
“I have something else.””
David looked at it.
“What is that?””
“The account information Raymond gave me.””
He took the paper, unfolded it, and read the details.
At the bottom was a handwritten note with a phone number and a reference code.
Jasmine leaned closer.
“Is that his account?””
“It's the account he told me to use.””
David photographed the paper and placed it in a folder.
“We'll give this to the attorney.””
Jessica watched him, then turned toward Jasmine.
“You think you've won, don't you?””
Jasmine shook her head.
“No. I think I finally know why you wanted me gone.””
Jessica's mouth trembled.
Jasmine continued, “You didn't want me out because I was an adult. You wanted me out because I was asking questions you couldn't answer.””
For the first time, Jessica had no comeback.
She stood, collected her suitcase, and walked upstairs without another word.
David watched her go.
Then he sat beside Jasmine.
“I don't know what happens next,” he admitted.
Jasmine rested her head against his shoulder.
“Neither do I.””
He put an arm around her.
“But whatever happens, you won't face it alone.””
She closed her eyes.
For the first time since the morning's confrontation, she believed him.
Neither of them noticed that Jessica had left the manila envelope open on the desk.
Inside, beneath the loan documents, was a single page neither had examined.
It contained a transfer authorization dated six months earlier.
The recipient wasn't Raymond Cole.
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It was an account registered under David's name.
And the amount was $18,000.
