Chapter 7: The Enemy Was Closer Than They Thought
Jace read the message three times.
Then he called Marcus.
“Where are you?””
“Outside Daniel's storage unit. Police are on their way.””
“Did you touch anything?””
“No. Whoever did this knew exactly what they were looking for.””
Jace looked at Emily.
She was staring at the photograph on his phone.
“Is it my father?”” she whispered.
“I don't know.””
“Someone broke in because of me.””
Jace shook his head.
“Someone broke in because they're afraid of what we'll find.””
Margaret Ellis gathered the documents from her desk.
“Emily, I want you to stay somewhere secure until we understand what's happening.””
Emily stood.
“I'm coming with you.””
Jace immediately shook his head.
“No.””
“It's my mother's story!””
“And that's exactly why I don't want you walking into a potentially dangerous situation.””
Emily's eyes flashed.
“You don't get to make decisions for me just because you're bigger.””
Jace stared at her.
Then, unexpectedly, he smiled.
“Your mother must have been something.””
“She was.””
“I can tell.””
Margaret intervened.
“Emily, you can help without putting yourself at risk. I need you to look through your mother's belongings for anything connected to Daniel or Richard. Your memories may be important.””
Emily nodded reluctantly.
Jace turned to Margaret.
“Can you keep her here until I return?””
Margaret agreed.
Before leaving, Jace crouched slightly so they were eye level.
“Listen to me, kid. If anything happens, call me. Immediately.””
Emily nodded.
“And Emily?””
“Yes?””
“Your mother didn't raise a coward. Don't let anyone make you feel powerless.””
He left with his phone already against his ear.
The storage facility stood on the edge of town.
Rows of metal units stretched beneath a gray sky. Police officers were examining the broken lock while Marcus waited beside a black pickup truck.
When Jace arrived, Marcus handed him a pair of gloves.
“Look at this.””
Inside the unit, cardboard boxes had been ripped open. Papers covered the floor. An old filing cabinet had been forced apart.
But the thieves hadn't taken the expensive motorcycle parts stored along the back wall.
They had taken documents.
Jace crouched beside the empty cabinet.
“They knew what they wanted.””
Marcus nodded.
“Whoever did this had access to information about Daniel's records.””
Jace examined the damaged lock.
“Any cameras?””
“Facility manager says one camera covers this row. But the footage disappeared sometime overnight.””
Jace stood.
“Convenient.””
A police officer approached.
“Mr. Walker?””
“Yes.””
“We found something behind the cabinet.””
The officer handed him a small plastic evidence bag.
Inside was a brass key.
Jace turned it over.
A number had been engraved on one side.
*314.*
Marcus frowned.
“What's that?””
Jace looked at him.
“Daniel's old workshop had a safe. Three hundred fourteen was the combination he used on his personal locker.””
Marcus stared.
“You think there's something still there?””
“Maybe.””
Jace slipped the bag back to the officer.
“Can we retrieve it?””
The officer nodded.
“We'll document it and arrange access.””
As they stepped outside, Marcus lowered his voice.
“There's something else.””
“What?””
“I spoke to the facility manager. He said a man came here yesterday asking about Daniel's storage unit.””
“Richard?””
“No. A younger man. Mid-thirties.
Expensive clothes. He showed identification and claimed to be handling the estate.””
Jace stopped walking.
“Name?””
“Grant Miller.””
Jace's expression changed.
He knew that name.
Grant Miller had been Richard Carter's former business associate.
And, more importantly, he had been Daniel's financial adviser.
Back at Margaret's office, Emily sat at a desk surrounded by old photographs.
She had called her neighbor, Mrs. Bennett, who had kept several boxes of Sarah's belongings after her death.
The older woman arrived carrying a cardboard container.
“I wasn't sure what you were looking for, sweetheart,” she said.
“But your mother kept everything.””
Emily smiled.
“Thank you.””
Mrs. Bennett placed the box on the table.
“She talked about you constantly. Even when she was sick, she worried about your schoolwork.””
Emily swallowed.
“Did she ever talk about my father?””
Mrs. Bennett hesitated.
“Not much.””
“Did she hate him?””
The older woman sighed.
“Your mother didn't waste much energy hating people. But there were nights when she'd sit by the window and stare at the road.””
Emily looked down.
Mrs. Bennett touched her shoulder.
“She wanted you to have a happy life. That was all.””
After the woman left, Emily opened the box.
Inside were birthday cards, old school drawings, a faded scarf, and a stack of letters tied with blue ribbon.
At the bottom was a small black notebook.
Emily recognized it immediately.
Her mother had carried it everywhere.
She opened the first few pages.
Shopping lists.
Doctor appointments.
Notes about Emily's school.
Then she reached a page dated eleven years earlier.
**November 18. Richard called again. He says he wants to see Emily. I told him no.
He hasn't asked how she is in years, but now he suddenly wants to meet her. Daniel thinks he's after the trust documents. I hope Daniel is wrong.**
Emily turned the page.
**November 23. I found out Richard has been speaking to Grant. They're trying to convince Daniel that I stole money from the company.
I didn't. I never touched it.**
Emily's fingers trembled.
She continued reading.
**November 27. Daniel came to see me. He looked frightened.
He said he had made a terrible mistake years ago and that Richard had proof. He wouldn't explain everything. He only told me to protect Emily.**
Then came the final entry.
Dated three days before Sarah died.
*If anything happens to me, Daniel knows where the original agreement is hidden. Richard must never get it.*
Emily stared at the sentence.
Original agreement.
She grabbed her phone and called Jace.
He answered immediately.
“Emily?””
“I found something.””
“What?””
“My mother wrote that Daniel knew where the original agreement was hidden.””
Jace went silent.
“Where did she say?””
“There's another page. But it's torn.””
“Can you send me a picture?””
Emily photographed the notebook.
Seconds later, Jace called again.
“Emily, listen carefully. Do not leave Margaret's office.””
“Why?””
“Because we found something.””
“What?””
Jace lowered his voice.
“Grant Miller has been looking for the same agreement.””
Emily glanced at the notebook.
Then she noticed a tiny handwritten number in the corner of the torn page.
*314.*
Her breath caught.
“Jace?””
“Yeah?””
“I think I know where the agreement is.””
Before he could answer, someone knocked on Margaret's office door.
Three sharp knocks.
Margaret stood.
“Were you expecting anyone?””
Emily shook her head.
The receptionist opened the door.
A man in an expensive navy suit stepped inside.
He smiled politely.
“Good afternoon. I'm Grant Miller.””
Emily's blood ran cold.
May you like
He looked directly at her.
“And you must be Emily.””
