Chapter 7: The Document They Tried to Bury
Nobody spoke.
The original authorization lay open on the coffee table.
Tasha read the final sentence again.
The child must be released only after both parents have been notified and their identities independently verified.
She looked at Derek.
"Did you sign this?""
Derek nodded slowly.
"Yes.""
"Then why did the school receive a different version?""
"I don't know.""
Kiara let out a frustrated breath.
"This is ridiculous. The school made a mistake. That's all.""
Officer Reynolds turned toward her.
"Mrs. Kiara, you said you submitted the authorization.""
"I submitted the paperwork Derek gave me.""
"Both versions?""
Kiara hesitated.
"I don't remember.""
"You don't remember submitting a document that authorized you to collect a child?""
"You're twisting my words.""
Tasha stood.
"Then let's make this simple. Did you know the original required both parents to be notified?""
Kiara looked at her.
"I knew Derek had authorized me.""
"That's not what I asked.""
"You're not the one questioning me.""
Tasha stepped closer.
"You're right. I'm the mother of the little girl you took from school. And I'm asking you a very simple question.""
Kiara folded her arms.
"I don't have to explain myself to you.""
Derek finally intervened.
"Kiara, just tell them what happened.""
She turned toward him.
"Really? Now you want the truth?""
Derek frowned.
"What does that mean?""
"It means you were perfectly happy when I was doing everything you asked. You wanted me to handle the school. You wanted me to arrange the apartment. You wanted me to make Maya comfortable.""
"I never asked you to change the authorization.""
"You signed it!""
"Not the altered version.""
Officer Reynolds raised his hand.
"One at a time.""
He examined the two documents.
"Mr. Derek, did you personally deliver the original authorization to the school?""
"No. I sent it to Kiara.""
"How?""
"Email.""
"Do you still have that email?""
Derek took out his phone.
"Yes.""
He searched his inbox.
A few seconds later, he found the message.
The attachment was dated three days earlier.
He opened it.
The original document appeared on the screen.
Then Officer Reynolds asked him to open the message's attachment history.
Derek frowned.
"What?""
"Does the email show any subsequent changes?""
Derek scrolled.
His face slowly changed.
"There was another attachment.""
Tasha stepped closer.
"What attachment?""
Derek opened it.
A file titled:
*MAYA_PICKUP_FINAL.pdf*
The file had been sent from Kiara's email address the following morning.
Derek stared at the screen.
"She sent me this.""
Kiara immediately shook her head.
"You asked me to organize the paperwork.""
"I asked you to print it.""
"And I did.""
"You sent me a different document.""
Kiara looked toward the officer.
"I didn't change anything.""
Derek opened the file.
The altered paragraph was visible.
But there was something else.
At the bottom of the email, Derek had written a reply.
*Looks good. Send it to the school.*
Tasha stared at him.
The room seemed to shrink.
"You approved it.""
Derek swallowed.
"I didn't read every line.""
"You approved it.""
"I thought it was the same document.""
Tasha's voice was almost a whisper.
"You were so busy trusting her that you didn't even read the paper giving her permission to take our daughter.""
Derek looked down.
For the first time that evening, he had nothing to say.
An hour later, Tasha sat in the hallway outside the apartment.
Maya was asleep beside her, her head resting against Tasha's shoulder.
Officer Reynolds had taken copies of the documents and was coordinating the next steps with the relevant authorities.
Kiara was inside.
Derek stood near the elevator.
He approached Tasha carefully.
"Can we talk?""
She didn't look up.
"What about?""
"Us.""
Tasha gave a tired laugh.
"There is no us to talk about right now.""
"Please.""
She finally faced him.
"Do you know what Maya asked me when I found her?""
Derek shook his head.
"She asked why I hadn't come sooner.""
His face tightened.
"She was confused.""
"She was frightened, Derek.""
"I know.""
"No. You don't.""
Tasha adjusted Maya's blanket.
"She kept asking whether she could call me. She kept asking whether she could go home. And while she was doing that, you were arguing with me about whether Kiara had permission.""
Derek rubbed his forehead.
"I thought I was making things easier.""
"For whom?""
He looked away.
Tasha continued.
"You rented an apartment. You furnished a bedroom. You let another woman tell our daughter that she could become part of a new family. And you never once thought to ask what Maya wanted.""
Derek lowered his voice.
"Kiara got carried away.""
Tasha stared at him.
"Stop blaming everything on Kiara.""
"She changed the document.""
"And you approved it without reading it. You gave her the card. You told the school she could collect Maya. You knew I wasn't informed.""
Derek had no answer.
Tasha leaned back.
"Your girlfriend didn't do this alone.""
Inside the apartment, Kiara sat on the edge of the pink bedroom.
Her phone was in her hand.
She opened the conversation with the unknown contact from earlier.
There were several unanswered messages.
*KIARA: I need to know where the original is.*
*KIARA: Call me.*
*KIARA: You said you had taken care of everything.*
Finally, a reply appeared.
*UNKNOWN: You should have left the child out of it.*
Kiara's fingers went cold.
She typed quickly.
*KIARA: You helped prepare the documents. Don't pretend you had nothing to do with this.*
The reply came almost immediately.
*UNKNOWN: I helped with the paperwork. I never agreed to what you did today.*
Kiara stared at the screen.
Then another message appeared.
*UNKNOWN: And Derek doesn't know about the first form, does he?*
Kiara's eyes moved toward the living room.
Derek was standing near the elevator.
Tasha was outside.
Maya was asleep.
Nobody was watching her.
She quickly deleted the conversation.
But she had forgotten one thing.
The phone was still connected to the apartment's shared tablet.
A notification appeared on the screen.
A preview of the last message.
Derek noticed it as he stepped back inside.
He picked up the tablet.
Read the message.
Then looked toward Kiara.
"What first form?""
Kiara froze.
"Nothing.""
Derek held up the screen.
"Who is this person?""
"Give me that.""
"Who helped you prepare the documents?""
Kiara stood.
"You're making this worse.""
Derek's voice dropped.
"Kiara, what did you do?""
She stared at him.
Then, for the first time, she stopped pretending.
"I did what you were too weak to do.""
Derek looked stunned.
"What?""
"I gave Maya a home where she wouldn't have to keep watching her parents fight.""
Tasha had returned to collect Maya's medicine bag.
She stood in the doorway.
"What did you just say?""
Kiara turned.
Tasha looked at Derek.
Then at the tablet.
"Who helped her prepare the first document?""
Nobody answered.
And then the phone in Kiara's hand rang again.
May you like
The caller's name appeared on the screen.
*MRS. CARTER.*
