Chapter 6: What Danny Knew
I called Danny back that night.
He answered on the first ring, which told me he'd been waiting.
"Where are you?" he said.
"Home.
Talk."
A pause.
"Can I come over?"
"No.
Talk to me now, Danny.
Whatever you're going to say, say it."
I heard him exhale.
"Tyler didn't tell you everything today."
"I'm aware."
"The part about Noah — that's true.
All of it.
But there's something else.
Something Tyler doesn't know that I know." Another pause.
"Amanda, Diane has been asking Tyler for money.
Not child support through the courts.
Cash.
Directly to her.
For three years."
I sat down on the edge of the bed.
"How much?"
"A lot.
I don't know the exact number but — enough that Tyler took out a second loan on the truck last year.
He told me it was for equipment.
It wasn't."
I thought about the truck.
The loan Tyler had mentioned casually one evening, something about interest rates, something I hadn't questioned because I trusted him.
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.
"Because she's not going to stop," Danny said.
"And Tyler won't say no to her.
He's terrified of what she'll do if he does."
"What does she have on him?"
Silence.
"Danny."
"She has texts," he said.
"From the beginning.
From when it started.
She's told him that if he ever tries to go through the courts, or if you ever find out and he tries to get legal custody arrangements, she'll send everything to the department.
To his captain.
She'll file a complaint."
I stood back up.
"She's been blackmailing him."
"For three years."
I walked to the window.
Outside, the street was quiet.
A neighbor's porch light was on.
Everything looked exactly the same as it always did.
"Why didn't he tell me?" I said.
"He was ashamed.
And he was scared.
And I think—" Danny stopped.
"I think he convinced himself he was protecting you.
That if you never knew, you'd never have to deal with any of it."
"He was protecting himself."
"Yes," Danny said quietly.
"That too."
I thought about Diane's face when she opened the door.
The relief I'd seen there.
I understood it differently now.
She had opened that door knowing exactly what leverage she held.
"Danny, does she know that you know?"
"No."
"Does Tyler know you're calling me?"
"No."
I pressed my hand against the cold glass of the window.
"I need you to send me whatever you have.
Any proof of the payments.
Anything."
"Amanda, if this goes somewhere legal—"
"Send me what you have, Danny."
A long pause.
"Okay," he said.
"I'll send it tonight."
He hung up.
I stood at the window for another minute.
Then I went to my laptop, opened a browser, and searched for family law attorneys in our county.
May you like
The first name that came up had a review that said: *She is calm, thorough, and she does not let people get away with things.*
I wrote the name down.
