The room became silent.
Malik stared at him.
"What are you saying?"
David opened the folder.
"There was no evidence of foul play. No one was charged. But Marcus had become concerned about something."
"Something from the Marines?"
"Yes."
"What?"
David hesitated.
"We don't know exactly."
Malik looked at the papers.
"What happened the week before he died?"
Angela looked at David.
"You know."
David nodded.
"Marcus disappeared for three days."
Angela's eyes widened.
"He told me he was visiting an old friend."
"He wasn't."
"Then where was he?"
"We don't know."
Malik felt the room shrinking around him.
"Why didn't anyone tell us?"
David looked at him.
"Because your father believed the less you knew, the safer you were."
Angela sat down.
She covered her face.
For seven years she had believed she understood her husband's death.
Now the foundation beneath that belief had cracked.
David continued.
"There was one other thing."
"What?"
"Marcus contacted Richard Whitmore."
Malik looked toward the window.
Across the street, Richard's house stood dark.
"What did they talk about?"
David shook his head.
"We don't know."
Angela whispered:
"I think Richard knows."
Richard opened the envelope that night.
Inside was a single letter.
Marcus's handwriting.
**Richard,**
**I know you don't trust me. That's fine. You don't have to. But you need to understand that what happened wasn't about the neighborhood. It was never about the HOA.**
Richard swallowed.
The letter continued.
**Someone has been asking questions about my family. If anything happens to me, I need you to make sure Angela and Malik are left alone.**
Richard closed his eyes.
He remembered the night Marcus had come to his door.
Not angry.
Not threatening.
Afraid.
Richard had never seen fear in that man's face before.
Marcus had handed him the envelope.
"You're the only person in this neighborhood I can ask."
Richard had refused.
He had been angry about the HOA dispute.
He had believed Marcus was exaggerating.
And three days later, Marcus was dead.
Richard had carried the guilt ever since.
His phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
Unknown number.
He answered.
"Hello?"
No one spoke.