Chapter 5: The Secret Inside the Dashboard
I didn’t sleep.
Not after hearing Vanessa say my name like that.
Not after seeing fear on her face.
Fear meant one thing.
She knew exactly what was inside that car.
And she was terrified I would find out.
The next morning, I drove back to meet Daniel.
He was waiting outside the coffee shop, holding a small black box.
When he saw me, he immediately knew something was wrong.
“What happened?””
“My stepmother knows I found the envelope.””
His expression hardened.
“How?””
“I don’t know.””
I looked at the box in his hand.
“What is that?””
He handed it to me.
“I found this under the glove compartment.””
I stared at it.
It was small.
Old.
Covered in scratches.
But there was something familiar about it.
The tiny flower sticker on the corner.
My mother used those stickers on everything.
My hands trembled.
“She put this here.””
Daniel nodded.
“I think so.””
I opened the box.
Inside was a flash drive.
A small silver key.
And another envelope.
This one had my name written on it.
*EMILY.*
My eyes filled instantly.
“She knew.””
Daniel sat down.
“She knew someone might find the first one.””
I opened the second envelope.
My mother’s handwriting appeared again.
Emily,
If you found this, then the people I worried about were faster than I hoped.
My breathing stopped.
The people.
Not one person.
People.
I continued reading.
Your father will tell you he was protecting you. Vanessa will tell you I was unstable. They will both be partly right.
I looked up.
“Partly?””
Daniel leaned forward.
“What does it say?””
I kept reading.
Your father made a mistake. A terrible one. But the person controlling him is the person you need to fear.
My heart raced.
Controlling him?
I turned the page.
Three years ago, before my illness became worse, I discovered financial records connected to your father’s company.
Money was missing.
Large amounts.
Money that did not belong to him.
I stopped reading.
“My father stole money?””
Daniel looked shocked.
“From who?””
I continued.
I confronted him. He promised he would fix it. But then Vanessa found out.
The room became silent.
Vanessa knew.
I read the final lines.
Emily, if Vanessa ever finds the car, do not give her the key.
The key is the only thing that proves everything.
My fingers tightened around the small silver key.
Daniel looked at me.
“What does it open?””
“I don’t know.””
My phone rang.
Dad.
I stared at the screen.
Then answered.
“Where are you?””
His voice sounded panicked.
“Why?””
“Because Vanessa left.””
I frowned.
“What?””
“She took money from the house.””
My stomach dropped.
“How much?””
He hesitated.
“Everything she could access.””
I looked at Daniel.
“Why are you telling me this?””
My father’s voice cracked.
“Because she’s going after the key.””
The line went silent.
Then he said:
“She knows what it opens.””
I stood up.
“How?””
“Because Emily…”
His voice became quieter.
“Your mother wasn’t the first person who tried to expose her.””
A chill ran through me.
“What are you talking about?””
Before he answered, the call disconnected.
I immediately called back.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
Daniel stood.
“You need to leave.””
“Why?””
He pointed outside.
A black SUV had stopped across the street.
My heart stopped.
The same type of vehicle I had seen following Daniel.
A door opened.
A woman stepped out.
She was wearing sunglasses.
She looked directly at me.
Then she smiled.
Daniel whispered:
“That’s the person who followed me.””
I stared through the window.
“Who is she?””
Daniel’s face went pale.
“Your mother’s old business partner.””
I froze.
“My mother never had a business partner.””
Daniel looked at me.
“That’s what everyone wanted you to believe.””
The woman entered the coffee shop.
Slowly.
Confidently.
Like she already knew exactly where we were sitting.
She walked toward our table.
Then placed a photograph in front of me.
It was a picture of my mother.
But not the picture I remembered.
This one was taken just weeks before she died.
And standing beside her was Vanessa.
The woman leaned closer.
“Emily, your mother didn’t die without knowing the truth.””
May you like
My hands went cold.
“She died because she discovered it.””
