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“You go ahead,” I said.
“Listen, I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to bring it up without you here. I didn’t plan it. She sat down and asked about my mom. I told her we didn’t really talk much since my dad died. She said I should try to reach out to her and reconcile. I told her I needed to talk to her about what she had said to you all of those years ago . . . and then I just said it.”
“Said what?” I prompted when he didn’t continue.
“That I never blamed you; that I didn’t think your father had anything to do with Enron, and that I don’t think that’s why he disappeared.”
“What did she say?” I urged, my annoyance forgotten for now.
“She snapped at me that it was none of my business which just confirmed for me that I was right. And so, I asked her what she knew. And she said I needed to stop talking about things I didn’t understand. That is when you walked in.”
I just looked at him, shock warring with worry. So, my mother was aware of something she didn’t want us to know.
And right now, she was in her room getting something she has been keeping from me. My stomach twisted, and I started to feel a slight numbing all over my body. I was not prepared for this.
After the FBI called again about a news conference, I talked to Lilly and Addie, and they both agreed to do it. My mother still refused, but said she wouldn’t stop us. So, we were waiting for it to be set up. Agent Walker told us it could take a few weeks to get organized.
That surprised me, given how long she has been asking us about it, but we signed a bunch of media releases earlier this week so I think they are almost ready.
I wasn’t sure if after seeing what my mother was about to show us I would feel the same about doing it.
“Red, say something.” Dean’s urgent whisper interrupted my thoughts.
“I’m sorry . . . just thinking.” I sighed. “It’s okay, D. Let’s just see what she has to say.”
Dean opened his mouth again, but just then my mother walked into the room. She was carrying a small plastic box—slightly smaller than a shoe box and clear. It was full of papers that, from where I was sitting, looked like letters.
“I found this the day your father disappeared. I wasn’t at the grocery store like everyone thinks. I was following him. He had been behaving strangely for several weeks. We were always so close, but for about three months before Enron collapsed, he had been distant. I thought it was because of work, but my gut told me I was wrong.
“So, as the bad news from Enron started trickling in, I watched him. Of course, he was upset, but I could tell it wasn’t because of what was going on at the company. That news actually seemed to make him feel relief.
“About a week before he left, I became suspicious. I went into his office and looked through his drawer. I had never done this before, but I had to know what was going on. And I found a statement from his investment advisor informing him of penalties associated with liquidating your retirement fund before you turned sixty-five.
“I knew then something was horribly wrong. I asked him as soon as he got home. He was furious. He spoke to me in a way I’d never imagined possible. I was shocked, hurt, angry, but also even more suspicious than ever.
“So, the night before Enron collapsed, he’d come to our bed. He hadn’t slept in it since the night of our argument. And he begged for my forgiveness. He said there were things he couldn’t tell me, but he loved me, loved our family, and would do anything to protect us. It’s the very last night we were together.
“The next morning, he got up to take Addie to school; I was supposed to be running errands. He kissed me goodbye like nothing was wrong, but I could sense everything was wrong. So, I followed him.
“After he dropped Addie off he went to the bank, and then he picked up a rental van. He drove to the mall and went inside through the old Macy’s entrance. I sat in my car and waited, I waited for hours, Milly, until I got a call from the police. They were looking for him. Apparently, the withdrawal he made from the bank triggered some sort of alert.
“It was the same day Enron sent everyone home and they were looking for him. The FBI wouldn’t tell me what he had done, other than he had taken a large amount of money and they wanted to talk to him in conjunction with Enron. Then they put it on the news and sent the police and social services to your schools to pick you up.
“I went home, straight to his office, and opened his safe. It was empty except for this box which had my name on it.”
She handed me the box with trembling hands.
There was a yellowing piece of paper stuck to it that simply said, Mary.
I opened the lid and inside were envelopes with her name on the outside.
“What are these,” I asked as I sifted through them. They all looked the same.
She shook her head and exhaled, a sad, weary sound that gutted me.
“When we were dating, he would write to me every day. I would get to work and there would be a letter on my desk. I kept them all, in order by date, in the box in his safe. I was confused, but I started opening them and each one had a piece of paper with a word on it.” She nodded at the box.
“Look, Milly.”
