Maya's Call

The key glinted in Julian’s hand, a small, jagged promise of containment. Iris clutched her bag, the weight of the Walkman and the passport a tangible anchor to a reality he was trying to erase. She wasn't twenty anymore. She wasn't fragile. She was a mother with a bill to pay and a cousin to save.

"Get out of my way, Julian," she said. Her voice was low, devoid of the tremor that shook her hands.

He smiled, a thin stretching of lips over teeth. "Or what? You'll call the police? And tell them what? That your uncle is mean? That the house makes noises? They already have a file on you, Iris. 'Emotional distress.' 'Harassment of staff.' Martha Gable was very thorough in her statement."

He stepped closer. "Go to bed. Tomorrow, we'll discuss a more... suitable living arrangement for you."

He walked past her, his shoulder brushing hers with deliberate force, and continued down the hall toward the master suite. He didn't look back. He didn't need to. He knew he had won.

Iris fled to her car. Her hands shook so badly she dropped the keys twice before she got the door open. She locked it from the inside, her breath coming in shallow gasps.

She needed to leave. But she couldn't. Not with Elias in the wall. Not with Maya’s tuition hanging over her head like a guillotine blade.

Her phone lit up on the passenger seat. Maya.

Iris stared at the screen. It was 2 AM. Maya never called this late.

"Mom?" Maya’s voice was breathless, panicked. "Mom, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, honey. Why are you awake?"

"I just... I saw him again. Uncle Julian."

Iris felt the blood drain from her face. "That's impossible, Maya. He's here. He's upstairs."

"No," Maya said, her voice rising. "I mean, I saw his car. The Jaguar. It was parked across the street from my dorm. I saw it when I came back from the library. And then... Mom, someone tried to get into my building."

"What?"

"The card reader on the lobby door. Someone tried to force it. The security guard chased him off, but he said... he said the guy looked like he belonged there. Like he owned the place. He was wearing a linen suit."

Iris looked at the house. Julian had been wearing a linen suit earlier. But now... now he was in shirtsleeves.

He had driven three hours to Maya’s campus, threatened her safety, and driven back. Just to prove he could.

"Did he see you?" Iris whispered.

"I don't think so. I hid behind a pillar. But Mom... he left something. On the steps."

"What?"

"A box. A bakery box. From the patisserie in Mercer."

The almond croissants. The same peace offering he had brought to Iris. It wasn't a gift. It was a signature.

"Lock your door," Iris said. "Do not leave your room. I'm coming to get you."

"No! You can't come here. If he sees you leave the house, he'll know he got to you. He wants you to run, Mom. He wants you to leave the house empty."

Maya was right. If Iris left, the basement was unguarded. Elias was unguarded.

"Okay," Iris said, forcing calm into her voice. "Okay. Stay inside. Call campus security. Tell them you have a stalker. Give them his description."

"I did. They're patrolling the hall. But Mom... he was smiling. When he walked away, he was whistling."

Iris closed her eyes. *Mack the Knife.*

"I'm safe here," Maya said, her voice small. "But you're not. He's there, isn't he?"

"Yes."

"Mom, look out the window. Is his car there?"

Iris looked. The driveway was empty. The Jaguar was gone.

He hadn't gone upstairs. He had walked through the house, made his threat, and left again.

"He was watching my dorm, Mom. He waved when I saw him."