Chapter 2: The Woman Who Knew Too Much
The officers separated Derek from the others.
One escorted him outside while the second stayed with June and Eli.
Hank remained near the entrance, watching through the diner window as Derek paced beside his black pickup truck.
He kept checking his phone.
Whatever was happening, it had nothing to do with a hungry child.
Inside, June held Eli so tightly that the boy eventually whispered, “Grandma, you're squeezing me.””
She immediately loosened her arms.
“Oh, sweetheart. I'm sorry.””
Hank pulled a chair closer.
“June, I need to ask you something. When did you last see Derek and Eli?””
“Three weeks ago.””
“What happened?””
June stared at the cold coffee in front of her.
“My daughter, Rachel, died fourteen months ago. After the funeral, Derek told everyone he needed time to grieve with Eli. He said the boy was struggling, that he needed privacy.””
She swallowed.
“At first, I called every day. Then Derek started telling me Eli didn't want to speak to me. He said I reminded him of his mother.””
Eli shook his head.
“I wanted to see you.””
June kissed his forehead.
“I know, baby.””
Hank leaned forward.
“Did you ever visit their house?””
“Twice. The first time, Derek said Eli was asleep. The second time, he told me they had moved because the house was being renovated.””
“Did you see the trailer?””
June shook her head.
“No.””
Eli looked up.
“Dad said the trailer was temporary.””
“Where is it?”” Hank asked.
“Behind his shop. There's a red door and a broken window.””
June's face tightened.
“His repair shop is on Route 18.””
Hank nodded.
He knew the place.
A small automotive garage with a faded sign and a fenced-off storage lot.
Boone came over carrying a glass of water.
“Police are talking to Derek. They're checking the boy's condition.””
Hank thanked him.
Then he turned back to June.
“Tell me about Rachel.””
June's expression softened.
For the first time since the confrontation, she smiled.
“My daughter was stubborn. She was the kind of woman who would argue with a parking meter if she thought it was stealing her money.””
Eli gave a tiny laugh.
“She said parking meters were thieves.””
“She did,” June whispered.
Then her smile disappeared.
“She was also careful. Especially after she married Derek.””
Hank noticed the hesitation.
“Did she ever tell you she was afraid of him?””
June looked toward the window.
“Not directly.””
“What does that mean?””
“About six months before she died, Rachel came to my house with a split lip. She said she'd fallen in the bathroom.””
Eli suddenly lowered his head.
June noticed.
“Sweetheart?””
He began twisting the edge of his shirt.
“Mom didn't fall.””
June's hand stopped moving.
“What happened?””
“Dad pushed her.””
The words came out quietly.
But they landed like a gunshot.
June closed her eyes.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Mom said not to. She said Dad would get mad.””
Hank looked away, fighting the urge to walk outside and settle things himself.
Instead, he kept his voice gentle.
“Eli, did your father hurt your mother often?””
The boy nodded.
“Sometimes he broke things. Sometimes he yelled. Mom kept a little notebook.””
June leaned forward.
“What notebook?””
“The one she put in the blue backpack.””
Hank exchanged a glance with Boone.
“So the backpack contains more than a few personal belongings.””
Eli nodded.
“Mom said it had proof.””
June's breathing became shallow.
“Proof of what?””
Eli looked toward the window.
“Dad taking money.””
Hank waited.
The boy continued.
“Mom said Dad was stealing from people. She said he was pretending to fix their cars, but he was changing the numbers on the bills.””
Boone frowned.
“That's fraud.””
Eli nodded.
“He told Mom he had friends who helped him.””
June looked at Hank.
“Rachel worked in accounting. She would have noticed something.””
“She did,” Eli said.
Everyone turned toward him.
“She told Dad she was going to tell someone.””
Hank leaned closer.
“What happened after that?””
Eli's little face crumpled.
“Mom got sick.””
June wrapped her arms around him.
“Rachel had cancer,” she said quietly.
“We all knew that.””
Eli shook his head.
“Not at first.””
June looked confused.
“What do you mean?””
“Mom said the medicine made her sleepy. But she told me Dad was giving her different pills. She said they weren't the ones the doctor gave her.””
The room seemed to tilt.
Hank looked toward the officer.
“Someone needs to hear this.””
The officer approached immediately.
“What's going on?””
Hank explained what Eli had said.
The officer's expression changed from routine concern to serious attention.
“Eli, do you remember the names of those medicines?””
“No.””
“Did you see the bottles?””
Eli nodded.
“Dad kept them in the kitchen cabinet. Mom's medicine had a white label. The other bottle was brown.””
June covered her mouth.
Rachel had died after a rapid decline that no one had expected.
The doctors had attributed her condition to complications from her illness.
Derek had insisted on handling the arrangements.
He had even discouraged June from requesting additional medical records.
Now every detail felt different.
The officer took out a small notebook.
“I'm going to write all of this down. Nobody is going to make you go anywhere you don't feel safe.””
Eli looked at Hank.
“Can I stay with Grandma?””
Hank didn't answer for the officer.
But June immediately reached for his hand.
“Of course you can, sweetheart.””
The officer nodded.
“We'll have to arrange the proper emergency placement and make sure everything is documented. But your grandmother is here, and we'll take this seriously.””
Outside, Derek suddenly began shouting.
Hank turned.
Through the glass, he saw Derek pointing aggressively at the older officer.
Then Derek pulled something from his jacket.
A photograph.
He shoved it toward the officer's face.
Even from inside, Hank could recognize Rachel's smiling face.
Derek was shouting something.
The officer looked at the photograph, then at the diner.
Then he walked back inside.
“June,” he said, “we need to talk about something.””
“What?””
He placed the photograph on the table.
It showed Rachel standing in front of a small blue house.
Beside her was another woman.
A woman June had never seen before.
On the back, written in Rachel's handwriting, were six words:
If anything happens, find Vanessa Cole.
June stared at the name.
“Who is Vanessa Cole?””
Eli's eyes widened.
“I know her.””
Hank turned toward him.
“You do?””
Eli nodded.
“She came to the trailer last week.””
“What did she want?””
Eli's voice dropped.
“She gave Dad an envelope.””
“What was inside?””
“I don't know. But Dad got really angry after he read it.””
The officer studied the photograph.
“Do you know where we can find Vanessa?””
Eli shook his head.
Then he remembered something.
“She told Dad she was going to Grandma's house.””
June froze.
“My house?””
Eli nodded.
“She said she knew where Mom put the backpack.””
The older officer immediately reached for his radio.
“Dispatch, I need a unit sent to June Mitchell's residence.””
Hank stood.
“What's the address?””
June told him.
The officer repeated it into his radio.
A moment later, the dispatcher responded.
The unit was already there.
But there was a problem.
The house was locked.
The front door was open.
And someone had left a blue backpack on the porch.
June nearly dropped her phone.
“That's it,” she whispered.
“That's Rachel's backpack.””
Hank looked at Eli.
“Did your mother tell you what was inside?””
The boy nodded.
“She said it could prove she didn't die the way everyone thought.””
Nobody spoke.
Then the officer's radio crackled again.
“Unit Twelve to dispatch. We have a situation at the Mitchell residence.””
May you like
A pause.
“There's blood on the front steps.””
