Chapter 8 - THE MAN BEHIND THE RUMORS
The quiet lasted six days.
On the seventh, Diane found an envelope under her apartment door.
Inside was a photograph of Ravi standing outside a warehouse. Beside him was a man whose face had been circled in red.
On the back, someone had written:
Ask him what happened to Daniel Cross.
Diane stared at the words.
She searched the name online.
Daniel Cross had been a local businessman who disappeared three years earlier. Several articles described him as a criminal associate. One claimed he had stolen money from Ravi's organization. Another said he had fled the country.
No one knew where he was.
Diane sent Ravi a photograph of the note.
He called within seconds.
“Where did you get that?”
“Under my door.”
“Don't touch the envelope again.”
“Who is Daniel Cross?”
Silence.
Then Ravi said, “I'll come over.”
“No. Answer me.”
He took a breath. “Daniel worked for me. He stole money and sold information to a rival group. He disappeared before I could question him.”
“Did you hurt him?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“I know what I did and what I didn't do.”
Diane looked at the photograph. “People say you make people disappear.”
“People say many things.”
“Are they all lies?”
“No.”
The honesty unsettled her more than a denial would have.
Ravi continued. “I have been part of a world that uses fear. I won't pretend I am innocent. But Daniel's disappearance was not something I ordered.”
“Then why is someone sending me this?”
“Because they want you to distrust me.”
“Maybe I should.”
“Maybe you should ask questions. You should never trust someone simply because they ask you to.”
Diane looked down at the note. “I'm asking you now.”
“I'll tell you what I know. But not over the phone.”
They agreed to meet in a public place.
***
Ravi arrived at the café with a folder.
He placed it on the table. “Daniel Cross was an accountant. He discovered that one of my senior partners was moving money through a company I didn't know existed. Before he could give me the records, he disappeared.”
“Did you look for him?”
“For two years.”
“Why?”
“Because he was the only person who knew where the original records were.”
Diane opened the folder.
There were photographs, police reports, and copies of emails. One message suggested Daniel had been seen in another state under a different name.
“Why didn't you go to the police?”
“I did. The investigation was compromised.”
“By whom?”
“Victor Voss was one of the people involved. That's why he wanted the case from the hotel. It contained part of the trail.”
Diane leaned back. “So this is bigger than Catherine.”
“Much bigger.”
“Then why are you still in it?”
Ravi looked at her. “Because I built part of this system. I have to be the one who helps dismantle it.”
Diane studied him. “Do you want to leave that life?”
“Yes.”
The answer came so quickly that she believed he had been waiting to say it.
“What stops you?”
“People who think they own a piece of me. People who know where I have buried my mistakes. And people who believe that if I change, they will lose power.”
Diane closed the folder. “Then change anyway.”
He gave a small, tired smile. “You make it sound simple.”
“It isn't. But Sadi is ten. She has already learned that some people use money to make others do things they don't want to do. I don't want her growing up thinking that's normal.”
Ravi looked at her. “I don't want that either.”
“Then prove it.”
He nodded. “I intend to.”
***
That evening, Diane received a call from the dental clinic.
A cancellation had opened a consultation slot for Sadi. The receptionist asked whether they could come the following morning.
Diane almost cried.
She had been on the waiting list for months.
When she told Sadi, the girl hugged her.
“Does this mean I can get my teeth fixed?”
“It means we can find out what you need.”
Sadi smiled, showing the crooked teeth she had been trying to hide.
“I don't mind them as much now.”
Diane kissed her forehead. “You don't have to mind them at all. You're beautiful exactly as you are.”
Later, Diane found a second message from Ravi.
I spoke with my attorney. I'm preparing to turn over the remaining records. It may take time, but I'm going to do it.
She typed:
I hope you mean it.
May you like
He answered:
I do.
