Chapter 5: The Man Who Wanted Nothing
Nathan read the message three more times standing in the middle of the room.
"Who is this?" he said, not to me, not to his mother.
Just out loud.
"It has to be him," I said.
"The cousin."
"He has my number.
How does he have my number?"
Diane stood up from her chair.
"Nathan—"
"How does a man I've never met have my personal number and know my brother's name?"
"Because Marcus found him," I said.
"You said Marcus hired someone to find him.
If Marcus found him, he knows who the family is.
He knows who you are."
Nathan looked at the message again.
His thumb hovered over the reply button.
"Don't," Diane said quickly.
"Not until you know more."
"He said he doesn't want the money.
He said he wants Marcus to stop." Nathan looked at his mother.
"Stop what, exactly?"
Diane sat back down.
Her voice came out carefully, like she was choosing each word before she released it.
"Two months ago, Marcus told me he'd made contact.
He said the man — his name is Daniel, Daniel Holt — was cooperative.
That they'd had a conversation and Daniel had agreed to sign a document relinquishing any claim to the trust."
"And you believed that?" I said.
Diane looked at me.
"I wanted to believe it."
"That's not the same thing."
She didn't argue.
Nathan typed a reply.
Short.
*Who gave you this number?
Are you safe?*
The three dots appeared almost immediately.
*Your brother gave it to me six weeks ago.
He said if I ever had a problem I should contact you.
He said you were the reasonable one.*
Nathan made a sound that wasn't quite a laugh.
*What kind of problem are you having?* he typed.
The dots again.
Longer this time.
*He sent someone to my apartment.
Last week.
They said they were from a law firm.
They had papers they wanted me to sign.
I told them I'd already signed what Marcus asked me to sign six weeks ago.
They said those papers were void.
That I needed to sign new ones.
I asked to see the documents.
They wouldn't leave copies.
They just kept saying sign.*
Nathan looked up at me.
"He's being pressured," I said.
"He's being pressured by my brother."
Diane had her hand pressed to her mouth again.
*Did you sign the new papers?* Nathan typed.
*No.
I told them to leave.
They left but one of them said — he said I should think carefully about what I was protecting.
He said a man in my position couldn't afford to be difficult.*
The room was very quiet.
*What position?* Nathan typed.
*I work two jobs.
I live alone.
I have a daughter.
She's four.*
Nathan set the phone down on the tray table.
He didn't say anything for a moment.
"Marcus threatened him," Nathan said.
"We don't know—"
"Mom." His voice was quiet but there was nothing soft in it.
"A man with a four-year-old daughter was told he couldn't afford to be difficult.
That is a threat."
Diane pressed her lips together and said nothing.
I shifted our daughter in my arms.
The pain from the surgery pulled across my middle but I barely felt it.
"Nathan," I said.
"If Daniel never signed the new papers, his original claim is still intact."
"Yes."
"Which means Marcus hasn't secured the trust yet."
"Yes."
"Which means he still has reason to keep pressing Daniel."
Nathan picked the phone back up.
*My name is Nathan.
I'm Marcus's brother.
I want you to know I had no knowledge of any of this until tonight.* He paused, then kept typing.
*Don't sign anything else.
Not without a lawyer present.
Can you do that?*
The dots came and went twice before the reply appeared.
*I don't have money for a lawyer.*
Nathan looked at me.
I looked back at him.
"Tell him we'll find him one," I said.
Nathan typed it without hesitating.
The reply came fast this time.
*Why would you help me?*
Nathan thought for a moment.
Then he typed:
*Because you have a daughter.
And tonight I held mine for the first time.
And I would want someone to do the same.*
The dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
Then nothing for almost two minutes.
Then: *Thank you.*
Nathan set the phone down.
He looked at his mother.
"When Marcus calls back," he said, "don't tell him we've spoken to Daniel."
Diane nodded once.
"And Mom?" His voice dropped.
"I need you to think very carefully about whether there is anything else you haven't told me.
Because I am done finding things out from strangers."
She nodded again.
Her eyes were wet.
From the bassinet, one of the babies made a small sound.
Then another joined in.
Nathan went to them without being asked.
He picked up one in each arm, clumsy and careful at the same time, and stood there holding them while they settled.
May you like
He looked like a man trying to hold two worlds together at once.
I watched him and thought: Marcus has no idea what he has started.
