Chapter 10 - The Price of a Memory
Darrell set the groceries down carefully.
“Tanya.”
“Where is my ring?”
“I can explain.”
Malik almost laughed.
The same sentence seemed to live permanently in that house.
Tanya stepped closer.
“Where.”
“Is.”
“My.”
“Ring?”
Darrell exhaled.
“I borrowed against some items.”
Renee whispered, “Borrowed.”
Tanya's face twisted.
“You pawned my wedding ring?”
“It isn't your wedding ring anymore.”
The words landed brutally.
Darrell realized it too late.
Tanya stared.
He tried again.
“I mean you haven't been married to Andre for eleven years.”
“I was widowed.”
“I know.”
“No, you don't.”
“Tanya—”
“He died. We didn't divorce.”
Darrell rubbed the back of his neck.
“I needed short-term liquidity.”
“So you stole from me.”
“I was going to replace everything.”
“With what money?”
“The refinance.”
Tanya laughed through tears.
“The refinance against my house?”
“Our future.”
“There is no our anything right now.”
Darrell looked at Malik.
“See what you've done?”
Malik didn't react.
Tanya did.
“No.”
Darrell turned back.
“What?”
“Do not put this on him.”
“He has poisoned everything since—”
“Stop.”
“You were happy before he started digging through—”
“Stop!”
The force of Tanya's voice silenced the room.
She was shaking.
“You packed his room.”
“You agreed.”
“Yes.”
Tanya's face collapsed for one second.
“Yes. I did.”
Malik held his breath.
She continued.
“And I will live with what that cost me.”
Darrell stared.
“But you don't get to use my shame to cover your theft.”
“I didn't steal.”
“You pawned things without asking.”
“I planned to repay—”
“That's theft with a schedule.”
Renee almost smiled despite herself.
Darrell's jaw tightened.
“You think because Renee showed up you're suddenly tough?”
Tanya flinched.
Malik stepped forward.
Not aggressively.
Just enough to make clear she was not alone.
Darrell saw it.
He laughed.
“This is pathetic.”
Tanya pointed toward the front door.
“Leave.”
“My belongings are here.”
“Then take what you need for tonight.”
“I live here.”
“So did Malik.”
Darrell's face hardened.
“That isn't the same.”
Tanya whispered, “You're right.”
Everyone waited.
“He had more right to feel safe here than you ever did.”
Darrell stared.
Then something ugly flickered across his expression.
“After everything I invested in this place?”
“What did you invest?”
“The deck.”
“You paid fifteen hundred.”
“I managed the project.”
“My money paid the rest.”
“The basement renovation.”
“My credit card.”
“The landscaping.”
“Malik and I did half of it.”
Darrell looked around as if searching for leverage.
Then he smiled faintly.
“You think you can just throw me out?”
Tanya's confidence faltered.
Renee noticed.
Darrell continued.
“I get mail here.”
“I know.”
“I've lived here six months.”
“I know.”
“You can't just change the locks.”
Tanya glanced at Malik.
He understood immediately.
Darrell had told Malik the locks would be changed overnight.
Yet now Darrell invoked legal protections for himself.
Malik spoke.
“Funny.”
Darrell turned.
“What?”
“Yesterday I was grown enough to be locked out.”
“Stay out of this.”
“Today you're suddenly interested in proper process.”
Darrell's eyes narrowed.
Renee said, “We'll follow proper process.”
Darrell looked at her.
“We?”
“Yes.”
“You don't own this house.”
“Neither do you.”
Tanya straightened.
“No one is changing locks tonight.”
Malik looked at her.
She met his eyes.
“The attorney said not to do self-help eviction.”
Darrell froze.
“You called a lawyer?”
“I did.”
“When?”
“This morning.”
His expression changed.
That frightened Tanya more than his anger.
Not rage.
Calculation.
He picked up his overnight bag from the coat closet.
“I'll stay somewhere else tonight.”
“Leave the keys.”
Darrell smiled.
“You already have them.”
“Every key.”
Another pause.
Darrell reached into his wallet.
Pulled out a small brass key.
Then another from his car ring.
Placed them down.
Tanya waited.
He removed a garage remote.
Set it beside them.
“Happy?”
“No.”
His smile disappeared.
He walked to the door.
Then stopped near Malik.
“You think you won something.”
Malik said nothing.
“You'll see.”
Renee stepped forward.
“Keep walking.”
Darrell left.
They watched his car disappear.
Tanya locked the door.
Then leaned against it and began crying.
Malik stood several feet away.
He wanted to hug her.
He hated that he wanted to.
He hated more that he didn't.
Instead he asked, “What did he mean?”
Tanya wiped her face.
“I don't know.”
Renee looked toward the stack of financial documents.
“I think we should find out before he tells us.”
That night they photographed everything.
Bank statements.
Pawn tickets.
Loan drafts.
Text messages.
The proposed business agreement.
At 11:43 p.m., Tanya received an email from the mortgage broker she'd spoken with twice.
Ms. Turner, we received Mr. Cole's message requesting that the application be withdrawn. He stated you no longer wish to proceed. Please confirm.
Tanya stared.
Malik read over her shoulder.
Renee frowned.
“Why would Darrell cancel something he wanted?”
Tanya typed:
I did not authorize him to withdraw anything. Please communicate only with me.
The broker replied fourteen minutes later.
Understood. We should also discuss the documents uploaded yesterday regarding proposed ownership changes.
Tanya's face drained.
“Yesterday?”
She had not uploaded anything yesterday.
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Darrell had.
And whatever he submitted had been important enough that he no longer wanted the mortgage broker looking at it.
