Chapter 4: The Message on the Jewelry Box
For several seconds, my father didn't move.
He stared at the photograph on Uncle David's phone, his thumb hovering over the screen.
The broken window.
The open front door.
The black jewelry box.
And those three words written across its lid.
*ASK JORDAN'S MOTHER.*
I read them again.
Then once more.
My mother had been dead for three years.
How could anyone expect me to ask her anything?
“Who sent this?”” Dad asked.
Uncle David checked the message.
“Daniel. He says the caretaker found the box about twenty minutes ago.””
“Did he touch it?””
“He says no.””
Dad grabbed his jacket.
“We're going there.””
Uncle David stood immediately.
“Not tonight. It's almost nine.””
“Someone has broken into Sarah's property.””
“And you think driving over there without knowing who's inside is a good idea?””
Dad looked at him.
“I am not leaving another piece of her life in Vanessa's hands.””
The room went quiet.
I sat on the kitchen stool, holding the envelope containing Mom's letter.
I didn't understand everything.
But I understood one thing.
Vanessa had been looking for something that belonged to my mother.
And she had been willing to hurt me to get it.
“I'm coming,” I said.
Both men turned.
Dad shook his head.
“No, buddy.””
“But it's Mom's house.””
“I know.””
“Then I want to go.””
He crouched beside me.
“Jordan, I need you to stay somewhere safe.””
I looked down at the letter.
“What if there's something there that belongs to me?””
His expression softened.
“I promise I'll bring back anything that belongs to you.””
“But what if Vanessa gets there first?””
Dad didn't answer.
Uncle David stepped forward.
“Marcus, perhaps we should take him. We won't let him out of our sight.””
Dad looked uncertain.
Then his phone rang.
It was Daniel again.
He answered.
“Tell me.””
A pause.
Then his expression changed.
“What do you mean the police are already there?””
He listened.
“Who called them?””
Another pause.
Dad looked directly at me.
“Vanessa.””
My stomach tightened.
She had called the police?
“Why?”” Uncle David asked.
Dad put the phone on speaker.
Daniel's voice filled the kitchen.
“She's reported a break-in and claimed that valuable property belonging to her was stolen from the house.””
Dad frowned.
“What property?””
“Jewelry. Cash. Documents. She says Jordan may have taken some of it.””
I felt my face grow hot.
“That's not true!””
Dad immediately reached for my shoulder.
“I know.””
Daniel continued.
“She also claims you threatened her and forced her out of the house.””
Dad closed his eyes.
For a moment, he looked as if he were trying to hold himself together through sheer force of will.
Then he spoke.
“Daniel, send the dining-room recording to the officers. Every relevant clip. And tell them I will be there shortly.””
“I've already sent the footage.””
“Good.””
Dad ended the call.
Uncle David shook his head.
“She is trying to turn the whole thing around.””
Dad picked up his keys.
“Then we stop letting her control the story.””
Before leaving, he knelt in front of me.
“Listen carefully. You're staying with David until I come back.””
I nodded.
“If anyone asks you about the money, tell them exactly what happened. Don't guess. Don't try to explain things you don't understand.””
“Okay.””
“And don't let anyone make you feel guilty for telling the truth.””
I hugged him.
He held me for a few seconds longer than usual.
Then he left.
I couldn't sleep.
Uncle David made grilled cheese sandwiches, put on a movie, and pretended not to notice that I hadn't eaten more than two bites.
At eleven, he checked the front door.
At eleven fifteen, he checked it again.
At eleven thirty, I finally asked the question that had been sitting inside my chest.
“Uncle David?””
“Yeah, buddy?””
“Did Mom know Vanessa?””
He lowered the television volume.
“Why do you ask?””
“Because Vanessa knows about the key. And the storage room. And the trust.””
He sat beside me.
“Your mother met Vanessa once.””
“When?””
“Before she died.””
I stared at him.
“What?””
David nodded slowly.
“Your father and Vanessa were introduced through a business associate. Your mother knew about her before Marcus started dating her seriously.””
“Did Mom like her?””
He looked uncomfortable.
“Not particularly.””
“Why?””
David rubbed his chin.
“Your mother was a good judge of character.””
I waited.
He continued.
“She once told me that Vanessa asked too many questions about the family's finances.””
My fingers tightened around the letter.
“Why didn't Dad know?””
“He knew. But he thought she was simply curious.””
“Did Mom warn him?””
David nodded.
“She did.””
I looked toward the television.
A cartoon character was laughing on the screen.
I didn't find anything funny.
“What did she say?””
David was quiet for a moment.
Then he answered.
“She said, 'David, I don't think that woman wants to become part of this family. I think she wants to own it.''”
I looked down.
Those words sounded exactly like something Mom would have said.
I remembered how she used to look at people.
She never judged anyone by their clothes or their car. She watched what they did when nobody was paying attention.
“Why didn't Dad listen?””
David sighed.
“Because he was lonely, Jordan. And Vanessa knew how to make him feel needed.””
I thought about that.
Then I asked something I hadn't dared ask before.
“Did Mom know she was going to die?””
David's expression changed.
“No, sweetheart.””
“Then why did she leave that letter?””
He looked at the envelope.
“Your mother prepared letters for you at different stages of your life. Your father kept most of them.””
“Most?””
David nodded.
“She wanted you to have something from her when you turned thirteen, sixteen, and eighteen.””
I stared at him.
“Where are the other letters?””
“I don't know.””
I looked at the photograph of Mom.
Suddenly, I understood why the letter had been hidden in my drawer.
Maybe it wasn't the only thing she had left behind.
Maybe Vanessa knew that too.
My phone buzzed.
I had left it on the coffee table.
A message appeared from an unknown number.
*Jordan, I know you are with David. Your father is hiding things from you. Ask him what happened the night your mother died.*
I read it twice.
Then my fingers went cold.
“Uncle David?””
He looked at the screen.
His face changed immediately.
“Give me the phone.””
“Who sent that?””
“I don't know.””
“Is it true?””
He looked at me.
“Jordan—”
“Did something happen the night Mom died?””
He didn't answer.
That silence frightened me more than the message.
Before I could ask again, his phone rang.
It was Dad.
David answered.
“Marcus?””
I could hear my father's voice, loud and strained.
“I'm at the property.””
“What's happening?””
“Someone has been inside.””
“Did they find anything?””
A long pause.
Then Dad said:
“They left something for Jordan.””
I stood up.
“What is it?””
David put the phone on speaker.
Dad's voice became clearer.
“A photograph. Of Sarah.””
“Another one?””
“No.””
His voice cracked slightly.
“It's a photograph taken the night she died.””
May you like
And then he said something that made my entire body go cold.
“Jordan, your mother wasn't alone that night.””
