Chapter 14 - The Lawyer Denise Visited AloneMarcus denied knowing anything about his mother’s second visit.
Nia believed him.
That frightened her.
Believing him did not feel safe anymore.
It felt like choosing which uncertainty hurt less.
The next morning, Marcus called the attorney he had consulted.
The lawyer could not disclose communications with Denise if she had separately sought advice.
That answer confirmed only one thing.
She had been there.
Marcus arrived at Tasha’s apartment furious.
“She was planning around me.”
Nia looked up from feeding Noah.
“That sounds familiar.”
He stopped.
“You’re right.”
Nia sighed.
“I’m tired of being right.”
Marcus sat.
“The anonymous message. Who sent it?”
“No idea.”
“Could be Mom trying to confuse us.”
“By exposing herself?”
“Could be Raymond.”
“Why?”
“To protect himself.”
Tasha entered with coffee.
“Or somebody at the law office recognized Denise and sent it.”
Marcus frowned.
“That would be a serious confidentiality problem.”
“Then probably not.”
Nia shifted Noah gently.
“What did your attorney say during your consultation?”
Marcus hesitated.
“Nia.”
“Everything.”
He nodded.
“I asked what would happen if Noah wasn’t mine.”
Her jaw tightened.
“He explained that marital-parentage rules vary and that I shouldn’t make assumptions from a private DNA test.”
Good.
At least the lawyer had been responsible.
“I asked about the house.”
Nia stared.
“What about it?”
“Our townhouse.”
“Go on.”
“It was purchased during the marriage, but part of the down payment came from money Dad left me.”
Nia’s chest tightened.
“You asked if you could keep the house.”
“I asked what would happen.”
“You asked eight months pregnant.”
“Yes.”
Tasha muttered something under her breath.
Marcus continued.
“I asked whether money inherited from Dad was separate.”
Nia stared at him.
“You were building an exit.”
“I was trying to understand what could happen.”
“You were preparing for a war I didn’t know existed.”
“Yes.”
No excuse.
Just yes.
Nia hated how much more powerful honesty was than defensiveness.
Marcus placed a folder on the table.
“I requested all financial documents from that period.”
“Why?”
“Because if Mom went back to the lawyer, I need to know whether she was trying to move something.”
Tasha looked interested.
“What would she have access to?”
“Company records. My old estate paperwork. Some copies of our house documents.”
Nia frowned.
“Why would Denise have our house documents?”
Marcus looked embarrassed.
“She helped with the closing.”
“Of course she did.”
“Nia.”
“No. Keep going.”
Marcus explained that Leonard’s estate had provided part of his down payment through an inheritance account.
Denise had copies because she had served as estate administrator for certain assets after Leonard died.
Tasha’s expression changed.
“Was she executor?”
“No. Dad used an independent attorney. But Mom managed personal paperwork.”
“So she could have old statements.”
“Yes.”
Nia looked toward the window.
“What was she trying to prove to the divorce lawyer?”
Marcus had no answer.
Adrian called an hour later.
He had one.
Not proof.
A possibility.
“Remember Marcus’s custodial investment account?” Adrian asked over speakerphone.
“Yes,” Nia said.
“Some of the contributions were coded as distributions from Leonard Walker’s estate.”
Marcus frowned.
“But they weren’t?”
“Not according to the estate accounting I reviewed.”
“Then where did they come from?”
“Walker Restoration.”
Tasha leaned forward.
“So Denise disguised company money as inheritance.”
“That’s what it appears.”
Marcus’s face went pale.
Nia understood.
If Marcus believed the money was inherited, he might believe it should remain separate from marital property.
Denise had not merely moved money.
She had created a paper history that could advantage Marcus during a divorce.
“Did she know I was going to ask for a paternity test?” Marcus whispered.
Nobody answered.
Nia looked at him.
“Maybe the question isn’t whether she knew.”
“What is it?”
“Maybe she was preparing for what she wanted you to do after.”
Silence.
Marcus stood.
“No.”
Tasha raised an eyebrow.
“No what?”
“My mother did not spend years moving money because someday I might accuse my pregnant wife of cheating.”
Nia nodded.
“That part is probably true.”
Marcus looked at her.
“But when she realized I was suspicious, she may have seen an opportunity.”
He sat slowly.
The idea was worse because it was logical.
Denise had already created accounts.
Already blurred company money and family money.
Already hidden transactions behind inheritance language.
Then Nia began investigating.
Then Marcus became suspicious of Nia.
A personal crisis could become camouflage for financial irregularities.
If the marriage broke down, Denise could say Nia was retaliating.
If Nia was accused of an affair, her credibility would suffer inside the family.
If Marcus protected assets, Denise’s unusual transfers could be mistaken for divorce preparation.
Tasha said quietly, “Your mother didn’t have to invent the fire.”
Marcus stared at her.
“She just had to realize it could burn evidence.”
Nia closed her eyes.
Noah made a tiny sound.
She looked down at him.
All of this around a child who had existed for less than a week.
Marcus whispered, “I almost helped her.”
Nia looked up.
“You did help her.”
He flinched.
“You doubted me exactly when she needed you to.”
“I know.”
“Don’t soften it.”
“I’m not.”
He stared at the floor.
“I helped her.”
For the first time, Nia felt his remorse deepen into something useful.
Not self-hatred.
Responsibility.
Her phone buzzed.
Another unknown message.
This time only text.
If you want to know why Denise went back to the lawyer, check the beneficiary change request dated eight days before Noah was born.
Marcus frowned.
“Beneficiary of what?”
Nia’s phone buzzed again.
A photograph arrived.
Walker Restoration Group Life Insurance.
Policy amount:
$750,000.
Proposed beneficiary change:
From Nia Walker to Denise Walker.
Marcus went completely still.
At the bottom of the form was a signature.
His name.
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Marcus stared.
“I never signed that.”
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