Chapter 3: The Man Who Buried My Father
For several seconds, I couldn't move.
I read my father's handwriting again.
Then again.
Richard Hale did it.
My father had written those words six months before his supposed accident.
“Officer, what does this mean?””
Daniels pulled the phone back.
“It means we're no longer treating this as a possible case of child endangerment alone.””
“Are you saying Richard killed my father?””
“I'm saying your father apparently believed he was in danger.””
I felt dizzy.
My father, Michael Parker, had supposedly died when his car went off a rural bridge during a rainy evening.
The police had called it an accident.
Our mother had identified his belongings.
Richard had attended the funeral.
He had even delivered a speech about how much he respected my father.
I remembered him standing beside the casket, placing a hand on my mother's shoulder.
At the time, I thought he was comforting her.
Now I wondered whether he had been celebrating.
“Can I see the document?”” I asked.
Daniels nodded.
He showed me a photograph taken inside the safe.
There were several papers, a flash drive, and an envelope addressed to me.
My name was written in my father's familiar handwriting.
*For my daughter, when she is old enough to understand.*
My eyes filled with tears.
“Why didn't anyone give this to me?””
“The document was hidden inside the safe. We haven't examined everything yet.””
I stared at the envelope.
“Can I have it?””
“Not until the forensic team finishes processing it.””
I nodded reluctantly.
Then my phone vibrated.
MOM.
I stared at the screen.
Daniels noticed.
“Answer it. Put it on speaker.””
I accepted the call.
“What do you want, Mom?””
Her voice came through immediately.
“Where are you?””
“At the hospital.””
“Are the babies alive?””
I closed my eyes.
“Yes.””
A brief silence followed.
Then she asked the question I would never forget.
“Did the police find the safe?””
My blood ran cold.
“That's the first thing you want to know?””
“Don't play games with me, Emily.””
“My brothers almost died tonight.””
“I know that!””
“Then why didn't you call to ask about them?””
“I was trying to handle something important.””
I gripped the phone.
“You left Toby alone with two four-month-old babies in a freezing house.””
“He's ten. He can look after himself.””
I looked at Officer Daniels.
He was writing something down.
“Mom, he's a child.””
“He's always been dramatic.””
“He gave the twins his socks because he thought they were freezing to death!””
Silence.
Then my mother said something that made my stomach turn.
“Emily, listen carefully. Whatever the police found in that basement belongs to me.””
I almost couldn't speak.
“Dad built that house.””
“And he's dead.””
The words landed like a slap.
I stared at the wall.
“Did Richard turn off the heat?””
“Don't involve yourself in things you don't understand.””
“Did you buy life insurance on your children?””
She inhaled sharply.
“Who told you that?””
“Is it true?””
“Those policies were Richard's idea. He said it was responsible planning.””
“Responsible planning? For one and a half million dollars?””
Her voice dropped.
“You have no idea how much money your father left behind.””
I felt a chill run down my spine.
“What does Dad's money have to do with this?””
“Everything.””
Then she hung up.
I lowered the phone.
Daniels immediately asked, “Did she mention the insurance?””
“Yes. She said Richard arranged it.””
He exchanged a look with the other officer.
“That's useful information.””
I looked at him.
“What happens now?””
“We need to locate both of them and secure the remaining evidence.””
Before he could continue, a nurse entered.
“Emily? Your brothers are showing improvement. The doctors want to keep them under observation, but they're responding to treatment.””
My knees nearly gave out.
I grabbed the edge of the chair.
“Can I see them?””
“In a few minutes.””
Toby began crying quietly.
“Are they going to come home?””
I wrapped my arms around him.
“Yes, sweetheart. We'll bring them home together.””
But I didn't know whether that house would ever be safe again.
An hour later, Officer Daniels returned with another investigator.
He carried a clear evidence bag containing a small black electronic device.
“Is this the box Toby described?”” I asked.
“Yes. It was recovered behind the washing machine.””
The device had a red indicator light and several wires.
“What does it do?””
“We're waiting for the technical examination. However, we've also found evidence that the basement electrical system was modified recently.””
“By Richard?””
“We have footage showing him entering the basement.””
He placed a second photograph on the table.
Richard was carrying a large metal toolbox.
The timestamp was from the afternoon before the blizzard.
My hands tightened into fists.
“Did Mom know?””
“We're trying to establish that.””
Then the investigator opened another folder.
“We also found something behind the damaged wall.””
I leaned forward.
“What?””
“A hidden compartment.””
He removed a photograph.
It showed a small metal cabinet embedded in the basement wall.
Inside were several folders, a digital recorder, and what looked like an old cellphone.
My father had hidden them.
“Did you listen to the recorder?””
“Not yet. Our team is preserving the original files.””
I stared at the photograph.
“Could it contain something about his death?””
“Possibly.””
The investigator turned another page.
“There is one more detail. Your father's car accident occurred on October seventeenth. The vehicle was examined at the time, but the report indicates the brake system was severely damaged.””
I frowned.
“I thought the police said the brakes failed because of the collision.””
“So did the original investigators.””
He paused.
“But our preliminary review suggests the damage may have occurred before the vehicle went over the bridge.””
I felt my chest tighten.
“Someone cut his brakes?””
“We haven't established that yet.””
Then the hospital room door opened.
A nurse wheeled Liam inside.
His tiny fingers moved beneath the blanket.
I immediately stood.
“Oh, baby.””
The nurse smiled gently.
“He's doing better. Leo is resting in the next room.””
I leaned over Liam's crib.
His little hand curled around my finger.
For the first time that night, I allowed myself to cry.
Then Toby approached.
“Can I hold him?””
“Not yet, sweetheart. Let him rest.””
He looked down at his brother.
“I thought he was going to die.””
I kissed the top of his head.
“You saved him by calling me.””
Toby shook his head.
“I didn't save Dad.””
I froze.
“What did you say?””
He looked at me.
“Dad told me something before he died.””
My heart began pounding.
“When?””
“The night before his accident.””
I crouched beside him.
“What did he tell you?””
Toby glanced at the officers.
“He came into my bedroom. He said if anything happened to him, I should never let Richard take the little blue key.””
I stared at him.
“What little blue key?””
Toby reached into the pocket of his borrowed sweatpants.
His fingers trembled as he pulled out a small object wrapped in tissue.
It was a blue plastic key.
I recognized it immediately.
It belonged to the old storage cabinet in Dad's workshop.
But Dad had told us that cabinet was empty.
Toby placed it in my palm.
“He hid it inside my teddy bear. I found it when Mom packed our things after his funeral.””
I turned the key over.
A tiny number had been scratched into the plastic.
*317.*
Officer Daniels stepped closer.
“Where did you say that cabinet was?””
“Dad's workshop,” I whispered.
The investigator looked at his partner.
Then his phone rang.
He answered, listened, and slowly turned pale.
“What is it?”” Daniels asked.
The investigator covered the microphone.
“Richard Hale just arrived at the house.””
My stomach dropped.
“Why would he go back there?””
The investigator listened again.
Then he said something that made the room go silent.
“He's trying to get into the workshop.””
I looked down at the blue key in my hand.
Richard wasn't looking for the insurance papers.
He wasn't looking for the furnace controls.
May you like
He was looking for whatever my father had hidden behind cabinet number 317.
And judging by the expression on the investigator's face, whatever was inside that cabinet could finally explain who had really killed my father.
