Chapter 7: The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
"Marcus Holloway was Evelyn's son.""
Richard's words seemed to stay in the room after he said them.
I looked at Dad.
Then Denise.
Then the loan application on the dining room table.
The name was still there.
MARCUS HOLLOWAY.
Business partner.
Co-applicant.
Alive enough, apparently, to help someone borrow $320,000 against property connected to my inheritance.
But Richard had just told us he'd been dead for nineteen years.
"Start over," Dad said.
Richard remained standing beside the table.
"Evelyn had two children.""
"My mother and Marcus.""
"Yes.""
"Why have I never heard of him?""
Richard looked uncomfortable.
"Because Monica didn't speak about him.""
"Why?""
"He caused the family a great deal of pain.""
Denise suddenly reached for her coat.
Dad noticed.
"Where are you going?""
"I'm not doing this.""
Richard spoke calmly.
"You're free to leave.""
Denise glared at him.
"Thank you.""
"But you should understand that if you leave now, I will still contact the lender and request that the application be frozen.""
Her hand stopped.
"I already told you, I was going to repay everything.""
"Then freezing the loan shouldn't concern you.""
Denise stared at him.
Richard's expression didn't change.
Finally, she dropped her coat back onto the chair.
Brianna watched her.
"Mom, who is Marcus?""
"No one.""
Richard looked at her.
"That's not true.""
Denise snapped, "You don't know what you're talking about.""
"I represented Evelyn Holloway for twenty-seven years.""
"And that makes you an expert on my life?""
"No. Your loan application is doing a remarkable job of that.""
Dad pulled out a chair.
"Sit down, Denise.""
She didn't.
Dad didn't repeat himself.
Instead, he turned to Richard.
"Tell us about Marcus.""
Richard hesitated.
Then he sat.
"Evelyn's first husband was named Thomas Holloway. They had Marcus first, then Monica three years later.""
My mother.
I tried to picture her with a brother.
Nothing came.
Not one photograph.
Not one story.
"Marcus was troubled from a young age," Richard continued.
"He was intelligent, charming, impulsive. Evelyn spent years cleaning up after him.""
"What kind of trouble?""
"Debts. Bad business deals. Fraud allegations.""
Denise laughed bitterly.
"Interesting how everyone who disagreed with Evelyn became a criminal.""
Richard ignored her.
"Marcus eventually began working with one of Evelyn's property companies. He had access to leases, bank records, tenant deposits.""
Dad already knew where this was going.
"He stole from her.""
"Substantial amounts.""
"How much?""
"At least four hundred thousand dollars that we could prove.""
My stomach turned.
Richard continued.
"Evelyn fired him. Monica supported her.""
"Mom turned against her own brother?""
Richard looked at me.
"Your mother begged him to return the money first. He refused. Then he accused Evelyn of cheating him out of his inheritance.""
"What happened?""
"He disappeared.""
I frowned.
"You said he died.""
"Officially, he did.""
Richard reached for his phone.
"About a year after he disappeared, authorities were notified that Marcus had died in a boating accident in the Caribbean.""
"Was there a body?""
Richard looked at me.
"No.""
That one word made everything worse.
Dad leaned back.
"So he could still be alive.""
"I always thought it was possible.""
"You never investigated?""
"Evelyn did.""
"And?""
"She found nothing conclusive.""
Brianna had gone pale.
She looked at Denise.
"You know him.""
Denise didn't answer.
"Mom.""
"Brianna, stop.""
"You know him.""
"I knew lots of people when I was younger.""
Richard picked up the old photograph.
"Was Marcus the reason you were introduced to Evelyn?""
Denise's face changed.
Tiny.
But enough.
Richard saw it.
So did Dad.
"Answer him," Dad said.
"I don't remember.""
Brianna laughed.
"How do you not remember meeting the family you worked for?""
Denise turned on her.
"Because it was almost twenty years ago!""
"Then why are you freaking out?""
"I'm not.""
"You are.""
"Brianna.""
"What?""
Her voice broke.
"You've lied to me all day.""
Denise softened.
"Sweetheart—"
"Don't.""
That sounded exactly like me earlier.
Maybe Brianna noticed too.
She looked at me.
For the first time, neither of us looked away.
Dad turned the loan application toward Richard.
"If Marcus is alive, why use his real name?""
Richard studied the paperwork.
"Perhaps because he has documents supporting the identity.""
"After nineteen years?""
"Or someone else is using it.""
I thought about the address.
"Can we find out who lives there?""
Dad grabbed his phone.
Richard stopped him.
"Don't go there.""
"I wasn't planning to.""
"You were thinking about it.""
Dad looked annoyed.
"How would you know?""
"Because you're angry.""
"I'm furious.""
"Exactly.""
Richard wrote down the address.
"I'll have an investigator check public records.""
Denise scoffed.
"An investigator?""
"Yes.""
"This is insane.""
Richard looked at her.
"You allegedly attempted to obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars using assets belonging to a sixteen-year-old girl, supported by documents her father says he did not sign. 'Insane' is not the word I'd choose.""
Denise sat down.
For the first time, she looked tired.
Not calculating.
Not angry.
Just tired.
Then Dad asked the question that changed everything.
"Is Marcus Brianna's father?""
Brianna stopped breathing.
So did I.
Denise's head snapped up.
"What?""
Dad didn't move.
"You knew the Holloways before Monica died. Brianna is seventeen. Marcus supposedly died nineteen years ago, but now his name appears beside yours on a loan application.""
"That doesn't mean—"
"Is he Brianna's father?""
"No.""
The answer came too quickly.
Brianna stared at her.
"My father's name is Eric.""
Denise looked at her.
"Yes.""
"Eric Thompson.""
"Yes.""
"He left when I was two.""
"Yes.""
Richard suddenly frowned.
"What?""
Dad noticed.
"You recognize the name?""
Richard looked at Denise.
"Eric Thompson was one of Marcus Holloway's aliases.""
Nobody moved.
Brianna whispered, "No.""
Denise stood.
"That's enough.""
Brianna stood too.
"Mom.""
"Not now.""
"Is my dad Marcus?""
"No.""
"Then why did you tell me his name was Eric Thompson?""
"Because that was his name!""
Richard said, "Not legally.""
Denise glared at him.
"You don't know that.""
"I prepared legal filings involving Marcus. He used the name Eric Thompson in two shell companies.""
Brianna started shaking.
I knew that feeling.
It was the same feeling I'd had when I discovered my college letters in Denise's drawer.
The ground was still there.
But nothing felt solid anymore.
"Mom," Brianna whispered, "tell me the truth.""
Denise looked at her daughter.
Something inside her finally cracked.
"He told me that was his name.""
Richard leaned forward.
"When did you meet him?""
Denise closed her eyes.
"I was twenty-two.""
"Before Evelyn hired you?""
"Yes.""
Richard's expression darkened.
"He sent you to her.""
Denise didn't answer.
Brianna backed away.
"Oh my God.""
"It wasn't like that.""
"What wasn't like that?""
Denise started crying.
"He said his family had stolen from him.""
Dad laughed without humor.
"So you took a job with Evelyn.""
"I thought I was helping him prove something.""
"By accessing her financial records?""
"I didn't know what he was planning!""
Richard's voice sharpened.
"You copied property files.""
"Because Marcus said they belonged to him!""
"And the transfers?""
"I didn't make them.""
"Did Marcus?""
Silence.
That was enough.
Brianna walked toward the stairs.
Denise grabbed her arm.
"Brianna.""
She pulled away.
"Don't touch me.""
"Brianna, please.""
"You built my entire life on a lie.""
"No.""
"You told me my father abandoned us.""
"He did!""
"Was he Marcus?""
Denise started crying harder.
"Yes.""
Brianna froze.
One word.
That was all it took.
I watched her face collapse.
For years, Brianna had been the confident one.
The girl who walked into my room and acted like she owned it.
Now she looked like she wanted to disappear.
"My dad is Maya's uncle?""
Denise didn't answer.
Richard did.
"If Marcus is your biological father, then yes.""
Brianna looked at me.
That meant we weren't just stepsisters.
We were cousins.
Dad stood beside me.
"When did you last see Marcus?""
Denise wiped her face.
"Years ago.""
"How many?""
"Maybe ten.""
Richard asked, "Is he alive?""
"I don't know.""
"Did you submit the loan application with him?""
"No.""
Dad slammed his palm onto the table.
"Stop lying!""
Denise jumped.
"You expect us to believe a dead man's name magically appeared beside yours?""
"I didn't put it there!""
"Who did?""
"I don't know!""
Her panic looked real.
That scared me more than another lie.
Richard studied her.
"Did you apply for the $320,000 line?""
Denise hesitated.
"Yes.""
"Did you list a partner?""
"No.""
"Who prepared the application?""
"A financial consultant.""
"What consultant?""
Denise swallowed.
"Daniel Cross.""
Richard's expression changed.
Dad noticed.
"You know him too?""
"No.""
But Richard looked troubled.
He typed the name into his phone.
A few seconds later, he turned the screen toward Dad.
"I know why it sounds familiar.""
There was an obituary.
Daniel Cross.
Age fifty-one.
Former financial adviser.
Dead six months.
I stared at Denise.
She looked genuinely horrified.
"I met him last week.""
Richard slowly lowered the phone.
"No, you didn't.""
"I sat across from him.""
"The man in this obituary died in April.""
"I'm telling you, I met him!""
"Where?""
"A coffee shop downtown.""
"What did he look like?""
Denise described him.
Tall.
Gray at the temples.
Scar near his chin.
Richard's face grew tighter with every detail.
Dad asked, "What?""
Richard reached into his briefcase and removed an old photograph from one of Evelyn's files.
He placed it on the table.
A younger man stood beside Grandma Evelyn.
Tall.
Dark hair.
A faint scar near his chin.
Denise went white.
"That's him.""
Richard looked at me.
Then Dad.
"No.""
May you like
His finger touched the photograph.
"That's Marcus Holloway.""
