Chapter 3: The Money Missing From My Home
Marcus stared at Caleb.
"What do you mean, son?""
Caleb glanced toward the guest room before lowering his voice.
"Mom takes things from your kitchen and puts them in her car. Sometimes she comes back with bags from the grocery store, but she says she bought everything herself.""
Marcus frowned.
"Why would she take food from our kitchen if she has groceries of her own?""
"I don't know. But she says you're too busy to notice.""
Marcus sat back slowly.
The house suddenly felt unfamiliar.
He had known Vanessa could be demanding. He had known she had a talent for turning small disagreements into dramatic arguments. But stealing food from his daughter, then using fear to silence her, was something else entirely.
"What else have you seen?"" he asked.
Caleb hesitated.
"She takes things from the pantry. Cereal, coffee, meat. Sometimes cleaning supplies.""
"How often?""
"Almost every week.""
Marcus rubbed his forehead.
"Why didn't you tell Sarah?""
"Mom said Aunt Sarah would blame me because I'm her stepson's kid, not her real family.""
Marcus felt a sharp ache in his chest.
Sarah had welcomed those children without hesitation. She had bought Caleb a new backpack when his old one tore. She had taken Ava shopping for school clothes. She had rearranged her own work shifts so Vanessa could attend job interviews.
And Vanessa had apparently been teaching her children to believe they were unwanted.
"Caleb, listen to me."" Marcus leaned forward.
"Sarah loves you and Ava. She has never treated either of you like you don't belong here.""
"I know," Caleb whispered.
"That's why I feel bad.""
"Feel bad about what?""
"Because Mom says we're going to lose everything if I tell you.""
Marcus put a hand on his shoulder.
"You haven't done anything wrong by telling the truth.""
Caleb nodded, but his expression remained troubled.
Marcus stood.
"I need to check something.""
He walked into the kitchen and opened the pantry.
Rows of canned vegetables, pasta boxes, cereal, and baking supplies filled the shelves. At first glance, everything appeared normal.
Then he noticed the gaps.
The large container of coffee Sarah had purchased two weeks earlier was missing. So was a family-size box of cereal and several cans of soup.
He checked the refrigerator.
The drawer where Sarah kept packaged cheese was nearly empty. Two sealed packs of ground beef were gone, along with a carton of eggs.
He opened the freezer.
There should have been enough chicken for several meals.
Instead, there were only two small bags of frozen vegetables and a box of waffles.
Marcus remembered unloading the groceries with Sarah the previous weekend.
They had spent nearly four hundred dollars on food.
He pulled out his phone and opened their grocery delivery account.
The order history showed everything they had purchased. He walked back to the pantry, checking the shelves against the digital receipts.
Several items were missing.
Not one or two.
Enough to fill multiple shopping bags.
He returned to the living room.
"Caleb, does your mother take these things somewhere specific?""
Caleb nodded.
"Her car.""
"Does she give them to someone?""
"I think so.""
"Who?""
Caleb looked terrified.
"I don't know his name. A man came by last week. Mom took two bags from the kitchen and put them in his trunk.""
Marcus's stomach tightened.
"Did she tell you who he was?""
"She said he was helping her with money.""
Marcus immediately thought of Vanessa's latest boyfriend.
He had never liked the man. Vanessa had introduced him once during a brief visit, then announced a month later that they had separated. Marcus had assumed the relationship was over.
Apparently, it wasn't.
"Did you see the man today?""
"No.""
Marcus went into his home office and called Sarah again.
She answered immediately.
"Did you find anything else?""
"Yes. Food is missing from the pantry and freezer. More than I can explain with normal meals. Caleb says Vanessa has been carrying bags to her car and meeting a man who gives her money.""
Sarah was silent.
Then she said, "Marcus, are you sure?""
"I checked the grocery receipts.""
"Maybe she's giving food to someone who needs help.""
"Then why hide it? And why is our daughter afraid to ask for dinner?""
Sarah exhaled shakily.
"I don't know.""
Marcus lowered his voice.
"There's something else. Caleb says Vanessa threatens to make them homeless if they tell us anything.""
"Oh, my God.""
"Sarah, I think we need to look at our finances.""
"What does that have to do with the food?""
"I don't know yet. But I want to be certain nothing else is missing.""
Sarah paused.
"Check the desk drawer in our bedroom.""
"Why?""
"I left an envelope there with cash for the property tax bill. I was going to deposit it tomorrow.""
Marcus's pulse quickened.
"How much?""
"Two thousand dollars.""
He went upstairs and entered their bedroom.
The envelope was still inside the drawer.
But it was empty.
Marcus stood perfectly still.
He checked the drawer again, then pulled out the folders beneath it. He searched the desk, the bedside tables, and the small safe in their closet.
The cash was gone.
He called Sarah.
"The envelope is empty.""
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then Sarah whispered, "I put it there on Sunday.""
"I know.""
"Only you, me, and Vanessa knew about it.""
Marcus closed his eyes.
Vanessa had been in their bedroom on Sunday. She had claimed she needed a spare blanket for the guest room. Sarah had pointed her toward the linen closet, but the cash envelope had been sitting in the open drawer.
Marcus could picture Vanessa standing beside the desk.
Smiling.
Asking whether Sarah had any extra towels.
"Marcus," Sarah said, "please tell me you're not thinking what I'm thinking.""
"I'm thinking we need to find out exactly how much is missing before we confront her again.""
"That money was for our taxes.""
"I know, sweetheart.""
"We can't just ignore this.""
"We won't.""
He ended the call and returned downstairs.
Vanessa emerged from the guest room wearing a fresh blouse, her handbag hanging from one shoulder.
"I'm leaving for a little while," she announced.
Marcus stepped into her path.
"Where are you going?""
"Out.""
"With what money?""
Vanessa's eyes narrowed.
"Excuse me?""
"Sarah left two thousand dollars in our bedroom. It's gone.""
For the first time, Vanessa's expression faltered.
Only for a second.
Then she laughed.
"Are you accusing me of stealing?""
"I'm asking where the money went.""
"Maybe you spent it and forgot.""
"Maybe you should answer the question.""
Vanessa's cheeks reddened.
"You have some nerve speaking to me like that after everything I've done for this family.""
"What exactly have you done, Vanessa?""
"I cook. I clean. I look after the children when Sarah is working.""
"You take food from an eight-year-old.""
"She doesn't need all that food!""
The words escaped her before she could stop them.
Marcus stared at her.
Vanessa immediately tried to recover.
"I meant she doesn't need special treatment every time she wants something.""
"She's a child.""
"And my children are children, too!""
"Then feed them. Nobody has ever told you not to.""
Vanessa clutched her handbag.
"You think money makes you better than me.""
"No. But stealing from my family makes you someone I can't trust.""
She stepped closer, her voice dropping.
"You should be careful, Marcus. Sarah doesn't know everything about me.""
He didn't move.
"What does that mean?""
Vanessa smiled, but her eyes were hard.
"It means your wife might be surprised by what she learns if you keep digging.""
Marcus felt a chill crawl up his spine.
"Is that a threat?""
"It's advice.""
She walked past him toward the front door.
He followed her outside.
"You're not taking anything from this house.""
Vanessa turned on the porch.
"You can't control where I go.""
"No. But I can control who stays under my roof.""
Her face twisted.
"You wouldn't throw me out. Sarah would never forgive you.""
Marcus didn't answer.
Vanessa walked to her car and drove away.
He stood on the porch until the taillights disappeared.
Then he went inside and checked the home security system.
The front door camera had recorded Vanessa carrying grocery bags to her car on several occasions. The footage also showed her entering the house alone while Sarah was at work.
Marcus opened the bedroom camera history.
There was no camera inside their private room, but the hallway footage showed Vanessa entering with an empty handbag and leaving several minutes later with the bag bulging at the seams.
He saved the recordings.
Then he opened their shared bank account on his laptop.
He expected to find the missing cash reflected in an ATM withdrawal, perhaps an unauthorized transaction.
Instead, he found something worse.
Several hundred dollars had been transferred from their joint account to an unfamiliar account over the past two months.
The transfers were small enough to escape notice individually.
Together, they totaled nearly six thousand dollars.
Marcus stared at the screen.
Then he clicked the details of the most recent transfer.
A name appeared beside the destination account.
It wasn't Vanessa's.
It was the name of a man Marcus recognized.
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A man who had once sat at their kitchen table, kissed Vanessa on the cheek, and called her his future wife.
And according to the transaction history, Vanessa had been sending him money from Marcus and Sarah's account for weeks.
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