Instead, it left an even worse question: why had he insisted that Evan leave the second he walked through our door?
“Then explain the picture.”
“Is he… is Evan… your son?”
“Claire and I were never together.”
Evan nodded. “My mom never said they were. That’s not why I came here.”
I looked at him.
“Then why did you bring this?”
He glanced at Daniel.
“Then why did you bring this?”
“My mom died last year.”
The anger in the room softened for half a second.
He swallowed.
“I found some old pictures when my stepdad and I were going through her things. This one had Daniel’s name written on the back.”
Maya stepped closer to him.
“This one had Daniel’s name written on the back.”
“He showed me the picture a few weeks ago,” she said. “I recognized Dad immediately.”
“Who were you to her?” Evan asked. “My stepdad didn’t know, and all it said in her letters was some stuff about how she could never have done ‘it’ without you. What was she talking about?”
Daniel sat down. I watched him rub both hands over his face.
I folded my arms.
“Who were you to her?”
“Start talking, Dan. What was your relationship with Claire?”
He looked at the table.
“We were friends. We met through Mark. They were dating.”
My skin prickled.
“Mark? The same Mark who borrowed your torque wrench?”
Daniel nodded.
“Start talking, Dan. What was your relationship with Claire?”
Maya stared at him.
“That doesn’t explain why you freaked out.”
Daniel pointed toward the chairs.
“Sit down. I’ll explain everything.”
After a moment’s hesitation, we all took a seat at the table.
Daniel started talking.
“That doesn’t explain why you freaked out.”
“Mark and I were best friends back then. Like brothers. We did everything together. When he first started dating Claire, their relationship seemed perfect.”
“But?” I asked.
Daniel’s expression turned grim.
“Mark started controlling everything. Where she went, who she talked to, how much she spent.”
“Mark and I were best friends back then.”
Evan leaned forward. “And nobody said anything?”
Daniel looked at him. “No.”
Evan leaned back and let out a harsh breath.
“I became the only man Mark trusted to be around her. We got close,” Daniel continued. “When Claire got pregnant, and Mark started getting really possessive and jealous, she told him she was leaving. But he wouldn’t let her.”
“And nobody said anything?”
“What does that mean?” Evan leaned forward again. “Did he hurt her?”
Daniel shook his head.
“Nothing like that, but he emptied most of their shared account, changed passwords, froze cards. He made sure leaving him would cost her.”
Maya went still.
“That’s when Claire called me,” Daniel said.
“Did he hurt her?”
“Why you?” Evan asked.
“She trusted me.” Daniel glanced at his watch. “I gave her cash, helped her pack, and drove her to a friend three hours away. She’d already decided to leave. She asked for help, and I helped.”
Evan looked down at the photograph. “That’s why she said she couldn’t have done it without you.”
Daniel nodded. “Now you REALLY need to go. Now.”
Daniel glanced at his watch.
“Dad, are you serious?” Maya gaped at him. “After all this, we’re back to telling Evan to leave?”
“You don’t understand. Mark’s coming here tonight. He’s probably on his way here right now,” Daniel replied.
Evan’s eyes went round. He turned to Maya.
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