Chapter 7: The Guardian Who Never Existed
"Rebecca was never Emily's legal guardian.""
Richard's voice cut through the conference room.
Dad stared at the document on the computer screen.
"Then how did her name get there?""
Patricia Wells adjusted her glasses.
"That's what we're investigating. The document appears to have been submitted electronically, but the supporting authorization contains several inconsistencies.""
I leaned closer.
The scanned signature at the bottom looked almost exactly like mine.
Almost.
"That's not my handwriting," I whispered.
Richard nodded.
"I agree. The signature appears to have been copied from another document.""
Dad clenched his fists.
"Who submitted it?""
Patricia turned her laptop around.
"The request originated from a device registered to an address in Marietta, Georgia.""
Dad immediately recognized it.
"That's Rebecca's property.""
I looked at him.
"She's been living there this whole time?""
"Apparently.""
For six years, we had believed my aunt had moved overseas. Dad had even sent birthday cards to her old address, which always came back marked undeliverable.
Now we knew she had been less than an hour away.
Richard closed the laptop.
"Michael, I recommend we contact law enforcement before anyone approaches her.""
Dad nodded.
Then he turned toward me.
"We're going home. I want to find that teddy bear.""
The drive back was almost silent.
I sat in the passenger seat, watching the familiar Atlanta neighborhoods pass by. Every house looked ordinary. Every driveway looked peaceful.
It was strange how much danger could hide behind an ordinary front door.
When we arrived, the locksmith had already changed the locks.
Dad opened the front door.
"Stay close to me.""
We went straight upstairs.
My old bedroom was empty except for a few boxes. Brittany's furniture had been removed, and the lavender walls looked strangely bare.
I searched through the remaining boxes.
Clothes.
Schoolbooks.
Photographs.
Nothing.
Then I remembered something.
"The closet.""
Dad helped me move a cardboard storage container.
Behind it was an old plastic toy chest. I opened the lid and began pulling out stuffed animals.
A white rabbit.
A yellow duck.
A small elephant.
And finally, the brown teddy bear.
One button eye was missing.
I held it against my chest.
"Mom gave me this when I was four.""
Dad smiled sadly.
"I remember. She used to sew its buttons back on whenever you lost one.""
I examined the bear.
There was a small tear along its back, almost hidden beneath the stitching.
I had never noticed it before.
"Can you get me scissors?""
Dad brought a pair from the bathroom.
Carefully, I opened the stitching.
Something metallic slipped into my palm.
A tiny brass key.
My breath caught.
"This is it.""
Dad stared at the key.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then I noticed something else inside the teddy bear.
A folded piece of paper.
It was yellowed with age.
I opened it carefully.
My mother's handwriting appeared across the page.
Emily, my precious girl. If you're reading this, someone has probably tried to take what belongs to you. Remember that money is not the most important thing I left behind. The truth is.
I swallowed.
There was another sentence.
Find the blue book. Trust the person who knows what happened at the lake.
I looked at Dad.
"What blue book?""
He shook his head.
"I don't know.""
"What lake?""
He stared at the note.
Then his face changed.
"Lake Lanier.""
"Why?""
Dad sat on the edge of the bed.
"Your mother and Rebecca used to spend summers there when they were younger. They had a small cabin with their parents.""
I looked at the paper again.
"Who knows what happened there?""
Dad didn't answer.
His phone rang.
It was Richard.
"Michael, we have a problem.""
"What now?""
"Rebecca's property was searched this morning.""
Dad stood.
"By whom?""
"According to the local police, someone entered the house and removed several boxes before they arrived.""
"Did they find Rebecca?""
"No.""
Dad looked at me.
Richard continued.
"But they found something interesting in the garage. A storage container registered under Vanessa's name.""
My stomach tightened.
"What's inside?""
"Photographs. Financial records. And a folder with Emily's name on it.""
I felt dizzy.
Richard paused.
"Michael, there's also a photograph of Laura taken shortly before she died.""
Dad closed his eyes.
"What about it?""
"Someone wrote a message on the back.""
"What message?""
Richard read it aloud.
*The girl must never find out who her real father is.*
The room went silent.
I looked at Dad.
He stared at the phone as if he hadn't understood the words.
"Richard," he whispered, "what did you just say?""
But Richard wasn't finished.
"The photograph also contains a second person. Someone standing behind Laura in the hospital corridor.""
Dad's voice trembled.
"Who?""
Richard answered.
"Your brother, Daniel.""
I felt the blood drain from my face.
My father's younger brother had died in a car accident when I was three.
May you like
Why would my mother's final photograph mention him?
And why would someone be hiding the truth about my biological father?
