Chapter 5: The Night She Never Mentioned
Daniel read the message again.
Then again.
His thumb hovered over the screen.
“Who is this?”” he whispered.
Michael held out his hand.
“Let me see.””
Daniel passed him the phone.
Michael read the two messages, then looked at Angela.
“What happened when he was twenty-one?””
Angela didn't answer.
“Mom?””
Still nothing.
Daniel stepped toward her.
“Who was with you?””
Angela's lips parted.
No sound came out.
Michael's expression hardened.
“Angela.””
She finally looked at him.
“You promised.””
Michael stared.
“I promised what?””
“That we would never tell him.””
Daniel felt his pulse hammering.
“You made a promise about me?””
Angela closed her eyes.
“It wasn't supposed to become your problem.””
“It already is.””
Michael gave the phone back to Daniel.
“Call the number.””
Daniel did.
One ring.
Two.
Three.
Then a recorded message.
“The number you have dialed is not available.””
Daniel lowered the phone.
“It's blocked.””
Michael held out his hand again.
“Show me the number.””
Daniel did.
Michael stared at it.
His face changed.
“What?””
Daniel watched him.
“You recognize it?””
Michael looked toward the garage door.
“Yes.””
Angela whispered, “Michael…”
He turned to her.
“You said that number was gone.””
“It was.””
“Then how did they get it?””
Daniel stepped between them.
“Who is it?””
Neither answered.
He raised his voice.
“Who is it?””
Angela flinched.
Michael finally spoke.
“Your uncle.””
Daniel frowned.
“My uncle?””
“Your mother's brother.””
Daniel searched his memory.
“I haven't heard you mention him in years.””
“I know.””
“What happened to him?””
Michael looked at Angela.
She nodded weakly.
“He passed away.””
Daniel's stomach dropped.
“When?””
“Eight years ago.””
“Then how is he texting me?””
No one spoke.
Daniel stared at the screen.
The rain had started again, tapping lightly against the garage windows.
He could hear the old refrigerator humming beside them.
Then Angela walked to the workbench and sat down.
Her hands were shaking.
“I need to tell you something.””
Michael pulled out the chair beside her.
Daniel remained standing.
“What happened when I was twenty-one?””
Angela looked at him.
“That year, your father almost lost the house.””
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
“What?””
Michael glanced at Angela.
“We weren't going to tell you.””
“Why?””
“Because you were finishing school.””
Daniel shook his head.
“You let me think everything was fine.””
“It wasn't.””
“How bad?””
Michael rubbed his hands together.
“Bad enough that I was working two jobs.””
Daniel stared.
“You already had one.””
“I took nights.””
Angela continued.
“We were behind on the mortgage.””
“How far?””
“Almost four months.””
Daniel's face went pale.
“Why didn't I know?””
“Because you were twenty-one,” Michael said.
“You were trying to build your future.””
“I could have helped.””
Michael gave him a tired smile.
“You had barely enough money to buy yourself groceries.””
“I could've gotten another job.””
“And quit school?””
Daniel fell silent.
Angela reached for one of the old envelopes.
“This one was written that year.””
She opened it.
Daniel sat down across from her.
“Read it,” she said.
He took the paper.
The handwriting was cramped.
Today Michael came home with mud on his shoes and blood on his hand.
Daniel looked up.
“What?””
Michael sighed.
“I fell at work.””
“You didn't tell me.””
“I didn't want to scare you.””
Daniel looked back at the letter.
He said it was nothing. I knew it wasn't.
Daniel continued.
The bank called again.
His eyes lifted.
Angela nodded.
“Keep going.””
He read.
I opened the drawer where we keep the emergency money.
There wasn't enough.
I counted it twice anyway.
Daniel swallowed.
At the bottom was one final line.
I think I know what I have to do.
Daniel lowered the page.
“What did you do?””
Angela looked at Michael.
He answered.
“She sold her wedding ring.””
Daniel's head snapped up.
“You did what?””
Angela's eyes filled.
“It was just a ring.””
“Mom.””
“It wasn't important.””
Michael shook his head.
“It was the only piece of jewelry her mother had given her.””
Daniel looked at the empty ring finger on Angela's hand.
He had never noticed.
“How much did you get?””
“Enough to stop the foreclosure notice.””
Daniel stared.
“You sold Grandma's ring because I was at school.””
“Not because of you.””
“Because of the family.””
Angela nodded.
Daniel's eyes burned.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because I knew what you'd do.””
“What?””
“You would leave school.””
“I would have helped.””
“You would have put your life on hold.””
“Maybe I should have.””
Michael leaned forward.
“No.””
Daniel looked at him.
“You don't get to say that.””
“Yes, I do.””
Michael's voice was firm.
“You were twenty-one. Your job was to build something. Our job was to make sure you had the chance.””
Daniel shook his head.
“You both decided everything for me.””
Angela's eyes filled with tears.
“We decided to protect you.””
“From your own problems?””
“From ours.””
Silence.
Daniel looked at the letter again.
“But the message said there was someone with you.””
Angela went completely still.
Michael looked away.
“Who?””
Daniel's voice was quiet now.
“Mom, who was with you that night?””
Angela pressed her lips together.
Michael answered.
“Her brother.””
Daniel looked at him.
“Uncle Victor?””
“Yes.””
“What did he do?””
Michael's face darkened.
“He came to the house after midnight.””
Angela stared at the floor.
“He offered us money.””
Daniel frowned.
“Why is that bad?””
“Because he wanted something in return.””
“What?””
Angela finally looked up.
“He wanted ownership.””
“Of the house?””
“Yes.””
Daniel's stomach twisted.
“He wanted us to sign it over.””
Michael nodded.
“He said we'd stay as tenants.””
“That sounds awful.””
“It was worse than that.””
Angela's voice was barely audible.
“He knew we were desperate.””
Daniel leaned forward.
“What did he threaten?””
Michael answered.
“He said if we didn't agree, he'd make sure the bank took the house.””
Daniel stared.
“Could he do that?””
“No.””
Michael's jaw tightened.
“But at the time, we were scared enough to believe him.””
Angela reached into the box and pulled out another document.
A yellowed photocopy.
She placed it in front of Daniel.
Daniel looked down.
It was a handwritten agreement.
At the top was the family home address.
Below it were names.
His parents.
And his uncle.
Daniel read the first paragraph.
Then the second.
Then he stopped.
“What's this?””
Michael leaned closer.
“What?””
Daniel pointed.
“There are two signatures.””
“Yes.””
“Yours and Mom's.””
“Yes.””
“But…”
He looked at the bottom.
“There's a third.””
Michael's expression changed.
Daniel whispered the name.
“Victor.””
Angela nodded.
“He made us sign.””
“But why didn't he ever take the house?””
Michael looked at Angela.
“Because we found another way.””
Daniel looked between them.
“What way?””
Neither answered.
Daniel's voice sharpened.
“What did you do?””
Angela stood suddenly.
“I borrowed money.””
“From who?””
She didn't answer.
“Mom.””
“Daniel, please.””
“From who?””
Michael stood too.
“Angela.””
She looked at him.
“You know he deserves the truth.””
Michael closed his eyes.
“I know.””
Angela looked back at Daniel.
“I called someone I hadn't spoken to in years.””
“Who?””
“My father.””
Daniel blinked.
“Grandpa?””
“Yes.””
“But Grandpa had already passed away by then.””
Angela nodded.
“He had.””
Daniel stared.
“Then who did you call?””
Angela didn't answer.
Michael did.
“His lawyer.””
Daniel's brow furrowed.
“Why?””
“Because your grandfather had left something for her.””
“What?””
Angela reached into the box one more time.
This time she pulled out a small sealed envelope.
Daniel recognized the handwriting immediately.
It was his grandfather's.
Angela handed it to him.
“He had written your name on it.””
Daniel's breathing slowed.
“My name?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because what was inside had something to do with you.””
Daniel turned the envelope over.
A date was written in the corner.
*June 14.*
The same date as the photograph.
He looked at his mother.
“What happened that night?””
Angela whispered, “That was the night I learned there was another reason Victor wanted our house.””
Daniel stared at her.
“Another reason?””
She nodded.
“And it had nothing to do with money.””
Michael's phone suddenly rang.
He checked the screen.
His face went completely blank.
Daniel looked at him.
“Who is it?””
Michael didn't answer.
The phone kept ringing.
Then a message appeared beneath the incoming call.
Michael read it.
His hand began to shake.
Daniel stepped closer.
“What does it say?””
Michael turned the phone around.
May you like
It was from the same unknown number.
*“He knows about the inheritance now. You have until morning to tell Daniel the whole truth.””*
