Chapter 6: Grandma's Last Instructions
Dad was already reaching for his car keys before Tyler finished speaking.
“Where is she now?”” he demanded.
“I don't know! She took the car!””
“Tyler, listen to me. Are you alone?””
“Yes.””
“Lock the doors. Don't let anyone in except me or Aunt Laura.””
“But Dad—”
“Do it now.””
Dad ended the call and looked at me.
“Stay here with your aunt.””
I stood up.
“No.””
“Emily, this isn't a discussion.””
“Someone stole my laptop, my hard drive, and possibly my college money. Now Melissa is running away. I'm not sitting here while everyone decides what I can handle.””
His expression softened, but his voice remained firm.
“I know you're angry. You have every right to be. But I need to make sure you're safe.””
Aunt Laura stepped between us.
“Daniel, she's not asking to chase Melissa down the highway. She's asking to be part of the conversation about her own life.””
Dad rubbed his face.
For a moment, he looked older than I'd ever seen him.
“Fine,” he said.
“You're coming with me to get Tyler. But you stay beside me, and you do exactly what I say.””
I nodded.
Before we left, Aunt Laura pushed Grandma's sealed letter across the table.
“Take this,” she said.
“I think it's time.””
Dad slipped it into his jacket.
Then we drove back to our house.
The living room looked exactly as we'd left it, except the aquarium light was off and a wet towel lay across the floor.
Tyler sat on the bottom stair, holding a backpack.
He jumped up when we entered.
“Dad!””
Dad pulled him into a hug.
Tyler clung to him, crying into his shoulder.
“I'm sorry,” he sobbed.
“I didn't know she was going to do all this.””
Dad held him tighter.
“Whatever happened, we'll deal with it. You're not responsible for the choices your mother made.””
Tyler nodded against his jacket.
I wanted to believe him. I wanted to be angry at Tyler for stealing my laptop, for laughing at me, for treating my hard work like a joke.
But seeing him cry made me realize he'd been frightened, too.
That didn't excuse what he'd done.
It just meant Melissa had managed to hurt both of us.
Dad helped Tyler sit at the dining table.
“Start from the beginning,” he said.
“Tell us everything you remember about Tuesday.””
Tyler wiped his eyes.
“Mom was in the kitchen talking to Uncle Ryan on the phone. She thought I was upstairs.””
“What did she say?””
“She asked whether the transfer could be traced.””
Dad's face tightened.
“And what did Ryan say?””
“He told her the money had already been moved through two accounts. He said there was no way you'd find it unless you saw the original documents.””
I sat down across from Tyler.
“What original documents?””
“The blue folder. Mom kept it in her bedroom closet.””
Dad leaned forward.
“Did you ever see inside it?””
Tyler nodded.
“I saw bank statements, a bunch of papers with signatures, and a photograph of Grandma. Mom told me not to touch it.””
“Did she say why?””
“She said it was private.””
I thought about the scans on my hard drive.
The blue folder.
Grandma's photograph.
The mysterious bank envelope.
Pieces were beginning to fit together, but I still couldn't see the entire picture.
Dad took out his phone and called Margaret again. He explained what Tyler had told us and asked her to prepare a formal report of the suspected fraudulent transfer.
When he finished, Aunt Laura arrived with the sealed letter.
She had followed us after making sure her house was locked.
“Open it,” she said.
Dad carefully broke the seal.
Inside was a handwritten letter and a small key taped to a piece of cardboard.
He began reading aloud.
Daniel,
If you are reading this, something has happened to Emily's inheritance, and I am afraid my concerns were justified.
Dad stopped.
His eyes moved over the page.
Then he continued.
I established Emily's education trust because I wanted her future protected from anyone who might see her as an opportunity rather than a child.
I swallowed.
Grandma had never spoken about anyone that way.
The original trust documents are not the same as the paperwork you received from Ryan. I discovered discrepancies shortly before my death, and I arranged for the original records to be held separately.
Dad lowered the letter.
“Ryan told me the estate attorney had sent me the final paperwork.””
Aunt Laura nodded grimly.
“Mom told me she was worried about Ryan handling the documents. She said he'd become secretive about money.””
Dad resumed reading.
The enclosed key opens a safe-deposit box at First National Bank. Inside are the original trust agreement, the beneficiary instructions, and a letter from the bank confirming that the funds could not be transferred without my designated trustee's approval.
I stared at the little key.
“Who's the trustee?””
Dad read the next line.
Then he looked at me.
“Your grandmother named me as trustee until you turn eighteen.””
“So the money couldn't have been moved without your permission?””
“Not legally,” he replied.
Aunt Laura pulled out a chair.
“Which means somebody either forged his authorization or used false documents to persuade the bank to release it.””
Dad turned the page.
There was another paragraph, written in a different pen.
If Ryan has been involved, do not confront him alone. He knows where the records are kept, and he may already have attempted to replace them.
Dad's face hardened.
He reached into his jacket and pulled out the threatening message on his phone.
Aunt Laura read it and covered her mouth.
“Daniel, you need to contact the police.””
“I will. But first, I want to know what's in that safe-deposit box.””
He looked at the key.
Then he looked at Tyler.
“Do you know which bank your mother mentioned?””
Tyler nodded slowly.
“First National.””
Dad's eyes narrowed.
“How do you know that?””
“Because I heard her on the phone with Ryan. She said she had to get to the bank before you did.””
I felt my heart hammering.
Dad stood immediately.
“We're going.””
But Tyler grabbed his sleeve.
“Dad, wait.””
“What is it?””
Tyler looked at me, then back at Dad.
“Mom didn't just take Emily's hard drive. She took something else from Grandma's box.””
Dad went completely still.
“What box?””
“The one in her closet. The blue folder was inside it.””
He swallowed hard.
“And when she left, she said Ryan was going to meet her at the bank to exchange the original papers.””
Aunt Laura stepped backward.
“That doesn't make sense. The bank's records should still exist.””
Tyler shook his head.
“She said they wouldn't be able to prove anything once the last document disappeared.””
Dad grabbed his keys.
Then his phone buzzed.
A new message from Margaret appeared on the screen.
*Daniel, do not go to the bank yet. I've just received confirmation that someone accessed the safe-deposit box registered to your mother's estate.*
Dad read the message twice.
His face drained of color.
May you like
Then another message arrived.
*The box was emptied thirty minutes ago. The person who signed the access log used your name.*
