Chapter 3: The Seven-Hundred-Fifty-Thousand-Dollar Secret
The following afternoon, Dad drove me home after the doctor cleared me to leave.
I was still weak, and my cough hadn't completely disappeared. But I insisted on going home.
I wanted my mother's jewelry box.
I wanted my bedroom back.
And more than anything, I wanted to know why my father had signed a document connected to money I didn't even know existed.
When we arrived, Vanessa was waiting in the living room.
She had changed into a cream-colored sweater and applied fresh makeup. A box of tissues sat beside her on the coffee table.
Brittany was sitting next to her, scrolling through her phone.
"Michael," Vanessa said, standing up.
"Thank goodness you're back.""
Dad walked past her.
"Where's the jewelry box?""
Vanessa followed him.
"Can we please talk first?""
"No.""
"Michael, I said I was sorry.""
He stopped.
"Did you apologize to Emily?""
Vanessa glanced at me.
"I'm sorry you felt uncomfortable.""
I stared at her.
"Uncomfortable?""
She sighed.
"Emily, I know you're upset, but this has gotten out of hand.""
Dad pointed toward the stairs.
"Go get the box.""
Vanessa didn't move.
"I don't have it.""
"Then tell me where it is.""
She looked at Brittany.
Brittany immediately stood up.
"Why are you both acting like Mom committed a crime? It's just an old jewelry box.""
Dad turned toward her.
"Where is it?""
"I don't know.""
"Then why are you wearing Emily's mother's earrings?""
Brittany touched her ears.
Her expression changed.
"Mom gave them to me.""
"Those belonged to Laura.""
"Well, nobody was using them!""
I felt something break inside me.
I remembered sitting beside Mom's bed when she had taken those earrings off and placed them in my palm.
"These are yours someday, sweetheart," she had said.
I looked at Brittany.
"Take them off.""
She rolled her eyes.
"Excuse me?""
"Take off my mother's earrings.""
Vanessa stepped between us.
"Don't speak to my daughter like that.""
Dad walked over and removed the earrings from Brittany's hands when she finally took them off.
"Nobody touches another thing in this house until we know what happened.""
He called someone.
"Richard, it's Michael. I need you at the house. Bring the trust documents and the original authorization records.""
Vanessa's face went pale.
"Why are you calling Richard?""
"Because he was Laura's attorney.""
"That was years ago.""
"Exactly.""
Dad walked into his office and shut the door.
For the next twenty minutes, I sat on the couch while Vanessa paced back and forth.
Brittany kept whispering to her.
Finally, she approached me.
"Emily, you need to understand something.""
I looked at her.
"What?""
"Mom was only trying to help us. Your father has been spending money on you for years. Maybe it's time you stopped acting like everything belongs to you.""
I stared at her.
"My mother left me a trust. That's not something you get to take.""
Brittany laughed.
"You don't even know what happened to it.""
Before I could respond, the front doorbell rang.
A tall man in a charcoal suit entered carrying a leather briefcase.
"Michael?""
Dad came out of his office.
"Richard. Thank you for coming.""
The attorney shook his hand and looked at me.
"Emily, it's good to see you. I wish it were under better circumstances.""
He placed the briefcase on the dining table.
Vanessa approached.
"Richard, I'm sure there's been a misunderstanding.""
He didn't look at her.
"Mrs. Carter, I need you to sit down.""
She remained standing.
"Why?""
"Because I have some questions about financial documents that were submitted to the trust administrator.""
Dad opened the briefcase.
Inside were several folders, bank statements, and copies of legal papers.
Richard placed one document in front of me.
"Your mother established the trust shortly before she died. She appointed your father as guardian of the assets until your eighteenth birthday. However, she included a very specific protection.""
"What protection?""
Richard turned the paper toward me.
"Any withdrawal above twenty-five thousand dollars required two independent authorizations. One from your father and one from the designated trust administrator.""
I looked at Dad.
"Then how did Vanessa get the money?""
Richard opened another folder.
"That's precisely what we're trying to establish.""
He placed several printed bank statements on the table.
I recognized the first amount.
$18,500.
The description listed luxury jewelry.
The next transaction was $42,000.
Then $67,000.
There were payments for designer handbags, hotel stays, furniture, and expensive vacations.
I felt sick.
"How much is missing?""
Richard checked his notes.
"Approximately $310,000 has been transferred or spent without proper authorization.""
Vanessa immediately stood.
"That's ridiculous!""
Richard continued.
"There's also a vehicle purchase worth approximately eighty-six thousand dollars.""
Brittany suddenly looked uncomfortable.
Dad stared at her.
"Your Mercedes?""
She crossed her arms.
"I thought you bought it for me.""
Dad's voice became dangerously quiet.
"I didn't.""
Brittany looked at her mother.
"Mom?""
Vanessa grabbed her purse.
"Michael, this is a private family matter. We don't need an attorney sitting here accusing me of things.""
Richard closed the folder.
"Mrs. Carter, the bank records indicate that you submitted documents representing yourself as Emily's legal representative.""
Vanessa shook her head.
"I was helping manage the household.""
"You also submitted a signature purporting to be Mr. Carter's.""
Dad went completely still.
"What?""
Richard placed a photocopy in front of him.
It was a withdrawal authorization dated two days earlier.
Dad studied it.
Then he shook his head.
"That's not my signature.""
Vanessa began crying.
"Michael, I can explain.""
He looked at her.
"Did you forge my signature?""
"I was going to put the money back!""
"That isn't an answer.""
Richard pointed to the bottom of the document.
"There's something else. The $240,000 transfer was sent to an account registered under a different name.""
Dad leaned forward.
"Whose name?""
Richard turned the paper around.
I read the name once.
Then again.
It wasn't Vanessa.
It wasn't Brittany.
It wasn't even my father.
The account belonged to a company called Carter Family Holdings.
I looked confused.
"What's that?""
Dad slowly pulled out a chair.
His face had lost all its color.
"That company was created six months ago.""
"By whom?""
He didn't answer.
Richard did.
"By your father, Emily.""
I turned toward Dad.
He looked like someone had just struck him.
"There's more," Richard continued.
"The company received the latest $240,000 transfer, but it also made another payment yesterday.""
"To whom?"" Dad asked.
Richard opened the final page.
Then he looked directly at me.
"To a private investigator.""
Vanessa suddenly stopped crying.
Brittany dropped her phone onto the table.
I looked at Dad.
"Why would you hire a private investigator?""
He rubbed both hands over his face.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then he reached into his jacket and removed a folded envelope.
"Emily, your mother told me something before she died. Something I never told you because I thought I was protecting you.""
He placed the envelope in front of me.
My name was written across the front in my mother's handwriting.
I recognized it immediately.
My hands began shaking.
"Where did you get this?""
Dad's eyes filled with tears.
"It was hidden inside the jewelry box.""
I opened the envelope.
Inside was a photograph of my mother holding me as a baby.
On the back, she had written seven words:
*If Vanessa ever finds the second account, run.*
I looked up.
Vanessa was standing near the staircase.
She wasn't crying anymore.
She was staring at the photograph.
May you like
And then she whispered something that made Richard immediately reach for his phone.
"Michael, you weren't supposed to find that letter.""
