Part 8
The notification pinged,
it was a sharp,
metallic sound,
it cut through the silence of the hospital room like a gunshot,
Daniel’s head snapped up,
he grabbed his phone,
he tapped the screen,
he read the message,
he read the attachment,
he read the summary,
the color drained from his face,
he went ghostly white,
he went gray,
he went the color of dead fish,
he dropped the phone,
it clattered to the floor,
it skittered under the bed,
he didn't try to pick it up,
he couldn't,
his hands were paralyzed,
his mind was blank,
he was in shock,
he was in denial,
he was in the middle of a heart attack,
"Daniel?"
Marissa stirred,
she woke up,
she looked at him,
"What's wrong?"
"What happened?"
she asked,
her voice groggy,
her voice concerned,
he didn't answer,
he couldn't,
he was staring at the wall,
he was staring at nothing,
he was staring at his life dissolving,
I leaned over,
I picked up the phone,
I looked at the screen,
I pretended to read,
I pretended to be surprised,
"Daniel?"
I asked,
my voice a masterpiece of confusion,
"what is this?"
"this looks like...
an audit report?"
"this looks like...
embezzlement charges?"
he didn't blink,
he didn't move,
he was a statue,
he was a monument to failure,
I stood up,
I walked to him,
I touched his shoulder,
he was cold,
he was trembling,
"Daniel,
talk to me,"
I said,
my voice firm,
my voice commanding,
"what did you do?"
"what did you do to us?"
he turned his head slowly,
he looked at me,
his eyes were hollow,
his eyes were pits of despair,
"I didn't,"
he whispered,
"I didn't do this,"
"someone framed me,"
"someone set me up,"
"someone is trying to kill me,"
I laughed,
it was a short,
dry sound,
it was a sound of absolute,
total victory,
"Someone is trying to kill you?"
I repeated,
"or someone is finally holding you accountable?"
"think,
Daniel,"
"think about your choices,"
"think about your greed,"
"think about the money,"
he stared at me,
he searched my face,
he saw something there,
he saw the truth,
he saw the recognition,
he saw the hand that held the match,
the match that was burning his world to the ground,
"You,"
he whispered,
"you did this,"
I smiled,
it was a predator's smile,
"I did nothing,"
"I just watched,"
"I just remembered,"
"I just waited,"
"and now,"
May you like
"I am just...
cleaning up."
