Chapter 4
We returned to the house with Detective Brooks and two officers.
The fire department had cleared the property, but the smell of smoke remained.
Caitlyn refused to go upstairs.
I did not blame her.
Daniel stayed beside her in the living room while I approached Dad’s portrait.
His painted eyes followed me from above the fireplace.
Where the dead man still watches.
I lifted the frame.
There was no safe behind it.
Only a faded rectangle on the wall.
My hope collapsed.
“Melissa moved it,” I said.
Detective Brooks examined the hooks.
“These were disturbed recently.”
Caitlyn walked closer.
“Grandpa didn’t mean behind it.”
I turned.
“What do you mean?”
She pointed at the portrait.
“He said dead men watch with their eyes.”
Daniel removed the painting from the wall and laid it facedown on the carpet.
The wooden backing looked ordinary.
Then Caitlyn touched the painted image of Dad’s left eye.
“There.”
I pressed it.
A tiny click sounded inside the frame.
Part of the backing opened.
A yellow paper star fell onto the carpet.
Beside it was a small brass key.
Daniel picked up the star.
A number had been written on it.
0714.
“My birthday,” Caitlyn said.
The key did not fit any lock in the house.
But Daniel recognized the engraved symbol on its side.
“It belongs to a private vault company downtown.”
Detective Brooks called for another unit.
We left immediately.
The vault company occupied the basement of an old bank.
The manager examined the key, then looked at Caitlyn.
“This box is registered to Thomas Monroe and Caitlyn Monroe.”
“She’s seven,” I said.
“Mr. Monroe left special instructions. The box may be opened by Caitlyn’s legal guardian after his death.”
I showed my identification and her birth certificate.
The manager led us into a private room.
The box was long and narrow.
Inside were three folders, a flash drive, an old phone, and a handwritten letter addressed to me.
My fingers trembled as I opened it.
Sarah,
If you are reading this, I failed to tell you the truth while I still had time.
Melissa has been taking money from my accounts. Your mother knows more than she admits. I confronted Melissa, and she threatened to keep Caitlyn away from me by convincing you that I was becoming dangerous.
I did not transfer the house and land to Caitlyn because I love you less. I did it because Melissa cannot challenge a child without exposing her greed.
Trust Daniel Price.
Do not trust Graham Voss.
Most importantly, do not accept my death without questions.
Dad
I read the final sentence twice.
Graham Voss had handled Dad’s estate.
He was also Melissa’s attorney.
Daniel opened the first folder.
Inside were medical records.
Dad had undergone a complete heart examination three weeks before his death.
His heart was healthy.
The second folder contained photographs of medications.
One bottle was prescribed to Mom.
Another photograph showed the same pills crushed into a powder beside Dad’s coffee cup.
I covered my mouth.
“Who took these?”
“Your father,” Daniel said. “He told me he was documenting everything.”
The third folder contained copies of text messages.
Melissa: He signed the new trust.
Mom: Then make him change it.
Melissa: He won’t.
Mom: We may have to speed things up.
My knees nearly gave way.
Detective Brooks read over my shoulder.
“These messages alone aren’t enough to prove murder. But they justify reopening the investigation.”
Daniel inserted the flash drive into his laptop.
There were dozens of audio files.
The first began with Dad’s voice.
“I’m recording this on July eighteenth. Melissa entered my office without permission and demanded I sell the northern property.”
Then Melissa spoke.
“You promised that land to me.”
“I promised nothing.”
“I gave up five years taking care of you.”
“You visited twice a month and charged my credit card every time.”
“You gave Sarah everything.”
“I gave Sarah love. That was all she ever asked for.”
A sharp sound followed, as if something had struck the desk.
Melissa’s voice became low.
“You think putting it in Caitlyn’s name will stop me?”
“I think hurting a child is the one thing even you won’t do.”
The recording ended.
I stared at the screen.
Dad had been wrong.
Melissa was willing to hurt Caitlyn.
The old phone contained more messages.
Several were from Graham Voss.
Graham: Daniel is asking questions.
Melissa: Keep him away from Sarah.
Graham: Burn the original transfer if you find it.
Melissa: What about the vault?
Graham: Thomas never told me where it was.
I looked at Detective Brooks.
“You have enough now.”
“To arrest her for fraud and conspiracy, possibly. For your father’s death, we still need medical evidence.”
“What evidence? He was cremated.”
“That may have been why they arranged it so quickly.”
Anger rose through me.
They had destroyed his body.
They had almost destroyed his documents.
They had endangered my daughter.
And my mother had helped them.
The vault manager knocked on the door.
“Ms. Monroe, there is a woman upstairs asking for you.”
We all went still.
“Who?”
“She says she’s your mother.”
Detective Brooks signaled to the officers.
Mom stood in the lobby clutching her purse.
When she saw the police, she stopped.
“Sarah, thank God. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“Why did you break into Daniel’s office?”
Her mouth opened.
Then she looked at Daniel.
“He is manipulating you.”
“We have the security footage.”
“I was retrieving family documents.”
“You stole them.”
“They belonged to Thomas.”
“They belonged to his attorney.”
Mom saw the open vault room behind us.
Fear crossed her face.
“What did you find?”
“The truth.”
She grabbed my arm.
“We need to speak privately.”
Detective Brooks removed her hand.
“No touching.”
Mom stared at him.
“I am her mother.”
“That does not give you permission.”
The same words had been spoken to Melissa at the hospital.
For the first time, I saw the pattern clearly.
They believed family titles gave them ownership over people.
Sister.
Mother.
Aunt.
They used those words like keys.
But I was changing the locks.
“Did you help Melissa steal from Dad?” I asked.
Mom began to cry.
“I was trying to keep the family together.”
“Did you know she planned to burn those papers?”
“No.”
“Did you know she locked Caitlyn in that room?”
“No!”
“Did you help her after Dad died?”
Her silence was long enough.
Detective Brooks stepped closer.
“Mrs. Monroe, I need you to come with us.”
She panicked.
“I didn’t kill him.”
Nobody had accused her yet.
The lobby became silent.
I felt Caitlyn press against my side.
Mom realized what she had said.
“I mean, I didn’t cause his heart attack.”
“What did you do?” I whispered.
“Nothing.”
“What did Melissa do?”
“Nothing.”
Detective Brooks read her rights.
Mom shook her head.
“This is a mistake. Sarah, tell them.”
I said nothing.
“Tell them I would never hurt your father.”
“You stole his files.”
“Because Melissa asked me to.”
The admission slipped out.
Detective Brooks stopped.
Mom covered her mouth.
“Why did she ask you?” he said.
“She said Sarah was trying to steal Caitlyn’s inheritance.”
I almost laughed at the cruelty of it.
Melissa had accused me of the very thing she was doing.
Mom turned toward me.
“She said you were going to take the money and disappear.”
“And you believed her?”
“I didn’t know what to believe.”
“You always believed Melissa.”
“That isn’t true.”
“When she broke your necklace, you blamed me. When she stole money from your purse, you blamed me. When Dad caught her lying, you blamed him.”
Mom’s face crumpled.
“You were stronger.”
I stared at her.
“What?”
“Melissa needed more help.”
“So you sacrificed me because I could survive it?”
“I never meant it that way.”
“But that is what you did.”
The police escorted her outside.
She called my name repeatedly.
I held Caitlyn and watched her go.
Daniel placed the old phone into an evidence bag.
“There may be another way to prove what happened to your father.”
“How?”
“His car.”
“The car Melissa lied about?”
“Your father installed a dashboard camera after someone damaged his garage. It recorded continuously and uploaded files to a cloud account.”
Hope moved through me.
“Can we access it?”
“Maybe. The password was linked to his old email.”
Caitlyn raised her hand as if she were in school.
“Grandpa’s password was Jellybean0714.”
I blinked.
“How do you know that?”
“He told me I was his favorite jellybean.”
Daniel entered the password.
The account opened.
Hundreds of videos appeared.
We searched the date of Dad’s death.
There was one file.
It showed Dad sitting behind the wheel outside his house.
He looked weak.
Melissa stood beside the open door.
Her voice was clear.
“You should have signed the land over when I asked.”
Dad struggled to breathe.
“What did you put in my coffee?”
My blood turned to ice.
Melissa leaned closer.
“Something Mom won’t miss.”
Dad reached for his phone.
Melissa took it from him.
Then another person entered the frame.
Graham Voss.
He checked Dad’s pulse.
“He’s still alive,” Graham said.
Melissa looked toward the house.
“Not for long.”
The video ended.
Daniel sat completely still.
Detective Brooks reached for his radio.
But before he could speak, the lights inside the vault company went out.
A fire alarm began screaming.
Emergency lights flashed red.
Then a voice came through the darkness.
“Give me the drive, Sarah.”
May you like
Melissa stood at the end of the hallway.
And this time, she was holding a gun.
