Chapter 4: The Key That Disappeared
My father called Daniel back seven times.
Every call went straight to voicemail.
On the eighth attempt, he threw his phone onto the sofa and grabbed his car keys.
“I'm going to his house.””
Nicole stepped into his path.
“You can't just leave.””
“Move.””
“Richard, please. Daniel is probably upset. He has a history of making dramatic statements when he's under pressure.””
Dad stared at her.
“You just told me my wife might not have died the way I think she did. My brother says you've found a key connected to her inheritance. And now you're defending him?””
“I'm trying to protect you!””
“From your own lies?””
Nicole's mouth tightened.
She reached for his arm, but Dad pulled away so sharply that she stumbled against the hallway table. A framed photograph of Ethan's kindergarten graduation toppled to the floor.
“Don't touch me,” Dad said.
I had never heard him speak to her like that.
For years, Nicole had controlled every argument by crying first, speaking softly, and making Dad feel guilty for upsetting her. Watching him refuse to comfort her was like watching a lock finally break.
But the fear on her face was real.
And I was beginning to understand that whatever she'd hidden was far worse than an affair.
“Dad,” I said, “if Daniel knows something about Mom's death, we need to hear him out before we do anything.””
Dad looked at me.
“You're right. But I'm not leaving you and Ethan here with her.””
Nicole let out a bitter laugh.
“Are you serious? You're treating me like a criminal because of a recording made by an eight-year-old?””
“An eight-year-old who caught you lying about a pregnancy test.””
She flinched.
Dad took Ethan's backpack from the floor and handed it to me.
“Get your brother's shoes. We're going to Grandma's.””
Nicole's expression changed at the mention of Grandma.
“Your mother cannot be involved in this.””
I froze.
Dad slowly turned around.
“What did you just say?””
Nicole swallowed.
“Nothing. I only meant that she's elderly, and this situation would upset her.””
“My mother is perfectly capable of deciding what upsets her.””
He opened the front door.
“Get your shoes, Maya.””
I led Ethan upstairs. He followed without speaking, his little hand wrapped around two of my fingers.
In his bedroom, I knelt to help him tie his sneakers.
“Did you know Uncle Daniel was going to give you that envelope?”” I asked.
Ethan shook his head.
“He came when you were at school. Mommy told me to stay in my room, but I heard them fighting.””
“What were they fighting about?””
He looked toward the open door.
“I don't remember everything.””
“That's okay. Tell me what you remember.””
He picked at a loose thread on his sleeve.
“Uncle Daniel said Mommy promised him something. Then Mommy said she wasn't going to share it with him anymore.””
“Share what?””
“I don't know.””
He hesitated.
“But Uncle Daniel said he wasn't going to prison for her.””
My hands stopped moving.
“Did he say anything else?””
Ethan nodded.
“He said, 'You told me the medicine would work.''”
The room seemed to tilt.
“What medicine?””
“I don't know, Maya.””
His eyes filled with tears.
“Am I in trouble for recording them?””
I pulled him into my arms.
“No, sweetheart. You did the right thing.””
“But Mommy is angry.””
I held him tighter.
“Sometimes grown-ups get angry when someone discovers they've done something wrong. That doesn't mean you did anything bad.””
He buried his face against my shoulder.
“Can we go somewhere else?””
“Yes,” I whispered.
“We're going somewhere safe.””
When we came downstairs, Nicole was standing beside the kitchen table with her purse open. Several papers lay scattered across the wood. She was frantically searching through them, turning each sheet over before shoving it back into the bag.
Dad watched her from the doorway.
“What are you looking for?””
She jumped.
“My medication.””
“Then why are you searching through the insurance documents?””
Nicole snapped the purse shut.
“Because it's my purse, Richard. I don't need your permission to look through it.””
Dad held out his hand.
“Give me your car keys.””
She stared at him.
“Excuse me?””
“If you're planning to leave, you're not taking my car.””
“It's my car, too!””
“The title is in my name.””
For a moment, I thought she might slap him.
Instead, she grabbed her purse and walked toward the front door.
Dad moved aside but kept his eyes on her.
“You can leave whenever you want. But if you do, don't destroy or remove anything else from this house.””
Nicole stopped on the threshold.
Then she looked directly at me.
“You think your mother was some kind of saint, don't you?””
I said nothing.
“She wasn't. She made terrible decisions. She hurt people. And if you keep digging into the past, Maya, you'll discover things about her that you won't be able to forgive.””
“Maybe,” I answered.
“But at least they'll be the truth.””
Her face twisted.
She walked out without another word.
Dad locked the door behind her.
For a few seconds, the three of us stood in the quiet hallway, listening to her car engine start and fade down the street.
Then Dad's phone vibrated.
A message from Daniel.
*Come to the old storage unit behind my workshop. Bring Maya. Don't tell the police yet. There's something you both need to see.*
Dad read it twice.
“Why does he want me to bring you?””
I looked at the message.
“Because whatever happened to Mom might have something to do with me.””
Dad's eyes filled with pain.
“I won't let anything happen to you.””
“I know.””
But I wasn't entirely sure anymore.
He slipped the phone into his pocket and opened the door.
As we stepped outside, I glanced back at the kitchen window.
Nicole's bedroom curtains moved.
Someone was watching us.
And when I looked more closely, I realized the car parked across the street wasn't hers.
It belonged to Uncle Daniel.
The driver's seat was empty.
But on the passenger seat lay a small black box.
And even from the sidewalk, I recognized the silver initials engraved on its lid.
May you like
I.C.
My mother's initials.
