Chapter 5: The Man Waiting Outside
Dad didn't tell me about the threatening message until we were halfway to Aunt Laura's house.
He drove with both hands gripping the steering wheel, checking the rearview mirror more often than usual.
Rain streaked across the windshield, and the wipers squeaked against the glass.
“Dad, what's going on?””
He glanced at me.
“Nothing you need to worry about tonight.””
“Someone threatened me, didn't they?””
His silence answered before he did.
I sat up straighter.
“You said I was safe.””
“You are. That's why we're going to Laura's.””
“Who sent the message?””
“I don't know yet.””
“Was it Uncle Ryan?””
“I don't know, Emily.””
His voice wasn't angry. It was exhausted.
I looked down at Grandma's photograph in my lap.
She was smiling in it, standing beside me at my eighth-grade graduation. I'd worn a blue dress she'd bought me, and she'd insisted on taking a hundred pictures because she said I was growing up too quickly.
When she'd left me the money, she'd told Dad she wanted me to have the freedom to become whoever I wanted.
Now someone was threatening to take that future away.
“Dad?””
“Yes?””
“What if the money is really gone?””
He didn't answer immediately.
“Then we'll fight to recover it.””
“What if we can't?””
He glanced at me again.
“Then we'll find another way to get you through college. That money mattered because your grandmother wanted you to have choices. Nobody can take away your ability to build a future.””
I nodded, but my throat hurt too much to speak.
When we reached Aunt Laura's house, the porch light was on. She opened the door before Dad had even finished knocking.
She was his older sister, a nurse with a sharp tongue and a habit of noticing things other people tried to hide.
One look at our faces told her something was wrong.
“Daniel, what happened?””
“Can we come inside?””
She stepped aside.
“Of course. Emily, sweetheart, take your bag upstairs. There's clean bedding in the guest room.””
I obeyed, but I stopped halfway up the staircase when I heard Aunt Laura lower her voice.
“Is this about Ryan?””
My heart began pounding.
Dad answered, “How did you know?””
“Because he called me this afternoon asking whether Emily had ever mentioned Grandma's money.””
I gripped the railing.
Dad's voice sharpened.
“What exactly did he say?””
Laura sighed.
“He said there might be a misunderstanding about the inheritance. He wanted to know if Emily had been asking questions.””
“Did he say anything about Melissa?””
“No. Why?””
Dad told her about the missing funds, the forged signature, and Tyler's recording.
There was a long silence.
Then Aunt Laura said something that made my fingers go numb.
“Daniel, you need to know that Mom didn't leave the money in a simple account.””
“What do you mean?””
“Before she died, she changed her will. She was worried about someone influencing Emily after she was gone.””
Dad's voice dropped.
“Someone who?””
“I don't know. She wouldn't tell me. But she made me promise to keep a sealed letter until Emily turned eighteen.””
I nearly missed the next step.
A sealed letter?
Aunt Laura continued.
“She said if anything unusual happened to Emily's inheritance, I should give the letter to you and let you decide what to do.””
“Where is it?””
“In my safe.””
Dad exhaled sharply.
“Laura, why didn't you tell me this before?””
“Because Mom specifically told me not to open it unless there was a problem with the money. Until today, I thought the account was fine.””
I hurried upstairs before they could catch me listening.
I couldn't stop thinking about Grandma's secret letter.
Why hadn't she told Dad about it?
And what had she been afraid of?
An hour later, I was sitting on Aunt Laura's guest bed when my phone vibrated.
A message from Tyler.
*Emily, I'm sorry. I should have told Dad everything sooner.*
I stared at the screen.
Then another message appeared.
*Mom took something else from your room before you got home.*
My stomach tightened.
I typed back.
*What?*
The typing indicator appeared, disappeared, then returned.
Finally, he sent a photograph.
It showed my bedroom desk, taken from the doorway.
In the corner, beside the lamp, was a small rectangular space where something had once sat.
My external hard drive.
I kept it in a drawer beneath my notebooks. It contained backups of school projects, photographs, and the files I'd been working on all summer.
But there was something else on it.
Three months earlier, Grandma had asked me to scan several old family documents for her. She'd wanted digital copies of photographs, letters, and financial papers she'd collected over the years.
I'd saved the scans on that same drive.
Among them was a photograph of Grandma holding a large envelope stamped with the name of a bank.
I had never thought much about it.
Now Tyler's next message arrived.
*Mom told Uncle Ryan she couldn't find the blue folder. He said the only copy was on your hard drive.*
I read the message three times.
Then I called him.
He answered in a whisper.
“Emily?””
“Tyler, why didn't you tell Dad about the hard drive?””
“Because I didn't know she took it until after you left.””
“Where is it now?””
“I don't know. I saw Mom put it in her purse.””
“Why would she need my backup drive?””
Tyler's breathing grew uneven.
“Because the video wasn't the only thing you recorded.””
I sat frozen on the bed.
“What do you mean?””
“I heard Mom talking to Uncle Ryan. She said there was another file. One that showed the original bank documents.””
My fingers tightened around the phone.
“Tyler, what documents?””
“The ones Grandma made Dad sign before she died.””
I heard a door slam on his end.
Then Melissa's voice rang out in the background.
“Who are you talking to?””
Tyler whispered, “I have to go.””
“Wait!””
But the call ended.
I rushed downstairs, where Dad and Aunt Laura were examining a thick envelope she'd retrieved from her safe.
“What happened?”” Dad asked.
I showed him the messages.
He read them without speaking.
Aunt Laura's face had gone pale.
“Daniel,” she said slowly, “I think I know why your mother insisted on keeping that letter sealed.””
She placed the envelope on the table.
On the front, in Grandma's unmistakable handwriting, were the words:
*TO BE OPENED ONLY IF SOMEONE TRIES TO TAKE EMILY'S INHERITANCE.*
Dad reached for it.
But before he could break the seal, his phone rang.
It was Tyler.
May you like
And he was screaming.
“DAD! MOM'S LEAVING! SHE TOOK THE FOLDER, AND SHE SAID IF I TELL YOU WHERE SHE'S GOING, I'LL NEVER SEE HER AGAIN!””
