Chapter 7 - The Witness in the Dark
As soon as Marcus left and Rebecca returned to the master bedroom, David slipped down the stairs and into his mother’s room. He locked the door behind him and knelt by Evelyn’s bedside.
"Mom," he whispered, gently shaking her shoulder. "Mom, wake up. It’s David."
Evelyn’s eyes fluttered open, filled with instant panic until she recognized her son’s face. "David... is he gone? The man... I heard his voice."
"You heard Marcus?" David asked, his voice cracking.
Evelyn nodded slowly, a single tear escaping her eye. "She brings him here when you're away, David. They... they think I can't hear them. They talk about the money. They talk about putting me in a home where I’ll never see you again."
"Why didn't you tell me, Mom?" David’s voice was thick with guilt. "Why didn't you say something on the phone?"
"She was always watching," Evelyn whispered, pointing a trembling finger at the smoke detector. "She told me she had eyes in the walls. She said if I told you anything, she would tell the doctors I was crazy, and they would lock me in a padded cell. She... she took my medicine, David. She only gave it to me when I signed the papers."
"What papers?"
"The ones transferring the money," Evelyn sobbed. "She would hold the water bottle in front of my face and tell me I could have a sip if I signed. I’m sorry, David. I was so thirsty. I didn't want to lose your father’s money, but I couldn't breathe."
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David buried his face in his mother’s chest, his body racking with silent, violent sobs. The guilt was a heavy, physical weight, crushing his lungs. He had brought this woman into his mother’s life. He had trusted her.
"I’m going to fix this, Mom," David whispered, his voice hardening with a cold, calculated resolve. "I promise you. They are going to pay for every single second of pain they caused you."
