Chapter 5: The Box Behind the Washing Machine
Daniel waited until the children were safely inside the upstairs bedroom before going downstairs.
He had already contacted the police and arranged for an officer to come to the house. Michael had also advised him not to disturb anything connected to the suspected fraud.
But Ethan had mentioned something Daniel couldn't ignore.
Laura's box.
For months after his first wife's death, Daniel had kept her personal belongings in a small wooden chest. Photographs, letters, birthday cards, and things the children might want when they were older.
He had placed it in the basement because he couldn't bring himself to sort through it.
After Vanessa moved in, he remembered seeing the chest upstairs.
Then one day, it was gone.
He had assumed she had moved it into storage.
Now he wondered.
The basement door creaked as he opened it.
A cold draft carried the smell of detergent and damp concrete.
Vanessa was standing near the washing machine.
She turned sharply.
“What are you doing down here?””
Daniel looked at her.
“Getting something.””
“What?””
“Something that belongs to Laura.””
Vanessa's jaw tightened.
“There is nothing of hers down here.””
“Ethan says otherwise.””
She stared at him.
Then she stepped in front of the washing machine.
“Daniel, this is ridiculous. The children are upsetting you, and you're believing every word they say.””
He didn't move.
“Step aside.””
“Why?””
“Because I asked you to.””
Vanessa folded her arms.
“You can't just tear this house apart because a child has an imaginary story.””
Daniel looked at her for several seconds.
Then he noticed a narrow strip of cardboard sticking out behind the washing machine.
He moved toward it.
Vanessa grabbed his arm.
“Don't!””
Daniel immediately pulled away.
“What are you hiding?””
“Nothing!””
“Then move.””
She backed away.
Daniel carefully shifted the washing machine a few inches.
Behind it was a dusty wooden chest.
Its brass lock was broken.
He recognized it instantly.
Laura's initials were engraved into the lid.
D.C.
The same initials Daniel had carved into it years earlier as a wedding gift.
He crouched.
The lid opened with a soft creak.
Inside were several family photographs, a faded baby blanket, and a stack of envelopes tied with a blue ribbon.
But something was wrong.
The envelopes had been opened.
Some were missing.
Daniel lifted the photographs.
One showed Laura holding newborn Sophie in the hospital.
Another showed Ethan sitting on Laura's lap, laughing as she kissed his cheek.
Daniel's throat tightened.
Then he noticed a small envelope tucked beneath the blanket.
His name was written across the front.
*For Daniel. If anything ever happens to me.*
He recognized Laura's handwriting immediately.
His fingers trembled as he opened it.
Inside was a letter.
My love,
If you're reading this, something may have happened that prevented me from telling you the truth myself.
Daniel stopped.
He read the first paragraph again.
Vanessa stood behind him.
“Don't read that.””
Daniel looked up.
“Why?””
“Because it's old.””
“It's addressed to me.””
“Laura was sick. She wasn't thinking clearly.””
Daniel slowly returned his eyes to the letter.
Before we met, I discovered that someone had been accessing our family financial records. I didn't know who was responsible. I made copies of the documents and placed them somewhere safe.
His breathing changed.
The letter continued.
If anything happens to me, please look after Ethan and Sophie. And never let anyone convince you that protecting them means giving up control of their future.
Daniel looked at the bottom of the page.
There was another paragraph.
The person I suspect knows about the account connected to the children's inheritance. I hope I'm wrong. But if I'm not, please remember that the person closest to you may not be the person you think.
Daniel stared at the words.
Then he turned the page.
There was a second sheet.
It contained a handwritten list of names.
One name had been circled.
Richard Cole.
Daniel looked toward Vanessa.
“Why is Richard's name in my wife's letter?””
Vanessa said nothing.
“Did you know Laura?””
“I barely knew her.””
“Then why did you take this box?””
“I didn't!””
Daniel pointed at the broken lock.
“Someone opened it.””
“Maybe Ethan did.””
“Don't you dare blame him.””
Vanessa's expression twisted.
“You have no idea what I've sacrificed for this family!””
Daniel stood.
“You sacrificed nothing. You came into my home, gained my trust, and used my children to get access to something that wasn't yours.””
Vanessa's eyes filled with tears.
“You think Laura was perfect? She wasn't.””
“Don't.””
“She kept secrets from you too.””
Daniel went still.
“What does that mean?””
Vanessa looked at the letter.
“Ask Michael about the account.””
“What account?””
“The one Laura opened before she died.””
Daniel remembered the inheritance documents.
There had been an account established for Ethan and Sophie, but Michael had told him it was being managed under a separate trust.
“What about it?””
Vanessa swallowed.
“There's more money in it than you know.””
Daniel felt a cold sensation move through his chest.
“How much?””
“I don't know exactly.””
“Then why are you involved?””
Vanessa's eyes darted toward the basement stairs.
Before she could answer, Daniel's phone rang.
Michael.
Daniel answered immediately.
“Tell me about Laura's account.””
Michael's voice was unusually tense.
“Daniel, where are you?””
“Basement.””
“Are you alone?””
Daniel glanced at Vanessa.
“No.””
“Then listen carefully. We just received a new filing connected to the children's trust.””
“What filing?””
“A request to transfer the entire inheritance into a private custodial account.””
Daniel looked at the letter.
“When?””
“Yesterday.””
“Who requested it?””
Michael paused.
“Vanessa Carter.””
Daniel slowly lowered the phone.
Vanessa's face had lost every trace of color.
“You said you didn't know about the account,” he whispered.
She took a step backward.
“I can explain.””
“Then explain.””
Vanessa suddenly started crying.
“I was trying to save us!””
“Save us from what?””
She looked directly into his eyes.
“From the truth about Laura's death.””
Daniel stopped breathing.
“What did you just say?””
Vanessa covered her mouth.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then she whispered:
“Richard told me Laura didn't die the way everyone thinks she did.””
Daniel stared at her.
His wife had just suggested that the woman he had mourned for two years might have died under circumstances nobody had ever investigated.
And before he could ask another question, footsteps sounded on the basement stairs.
Ethan appeared at the bottom.
His face was pale.
“Daddy?””
Daniel turned.
“What is it, buddy?””
Ethan pointed toward the open chest.
“There's another letter.””
Daniel looked down.
The boy reached inside and pulled out a small envelope hidden beneath the lining.
It was addressed to Ethan.
In Laura's handwriting.
May you like
And across the back, someone had written:
*DO NOT LET VANESSA READ THIS.*
