Evelyn refused to tell me anything over the phone.<\/p>\n
She insisted we return to Bellamy's.<\/p>\n
I didn't want to.<\/p>\n
After the note at the storage unit, every familiar face felt different.<\/p>\n
Julian.<\/p>\n
Evelyn.<\/p>\n
Margaret.<\/p>\n
Arthur.<\/p>\n
Even the people who had helped me could have been part of whatever had happened to my mother.<\/p>\n
Still, the second ledger was too important to ignore.<\/p>\n
We returned to Bellamy's.<\/p>\n
Evelyn was waiting inside her office.<\/p>\n
The door was damaged.<\/p>\n
The lock had been forced.<\/p>\n
Papers covered the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't do this,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't accuse you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were thinking it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was right.<\/p>\n
I stepped inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was taken?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing obvious.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what were they looking for?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew there was a second one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you never told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was trying to protect you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the broken lock.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone keeps saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn sat down.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother trusted me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell me why.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at the photograph on her wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy husband was involved in the trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe stole money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe authorized transfers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's not the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel believed the money belonged to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd did it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why did he take it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause someone convinced him that the trust was being manipulated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur convinced Daniel to steal?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur wanted control.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf the trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf the family.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn't make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will.\u201d<\/p>\n
She opened a drawer.<\/p>\n
Inside was an old photograph.<\/p>\n
My mother.<\/p>\n
Evelyn.<\/p>\n
Daniel.<\/p>\n
Arthur.<\/p>\n
Margaret.<\/p>\n
All five standing together.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen was this taken?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSix years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy were you all together?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother had discovered the first irregularity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you helped her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why did she write that you knew what Daniel was doing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou let him do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried to stop him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The honesty surprised me.<\/p>\n
Evelyn looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf Arthur.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Daniel wasn't acting alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room became quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was helping him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn didn't answer.<\/p>\n
I remembered the note.<\/p>\n
The person beside you is the reason your mother disappeared.<\/p>\n
I looked at Julian.<\/p>\n
He had been standing near the door.<\/p>\n
He looked away.<\/p>\n
A strange feeling moved through me.<\/p>\n
\u201cJulian.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere were you the night my mother disappeared?\u201d<\/p>\n
His face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was working.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Bellamy's?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil what time?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMidnight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho saw you?\u201d<\/p>\n
He frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura, what are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnswer me.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward Evelyn.<\/p>\n
She said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse slowed slightly.<\/p>\n
Then Julian said something that brought it right back.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother came here that night.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe came through the back door.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou saw her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she asked me not to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat she was leaving town.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was found four months later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why did you say nothing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she told me you were in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt the floor beneath me shift.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn't say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she leave anything?\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA key.\u201d<\/p>\n
My eyes moved to the brass key in my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201c318?\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would she give you a hospital room number?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't know what it meant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn suddenly spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe used numbers as codes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo hide information.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does 318 mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat then?\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn walked toward a bookshelf.<\/p>\n
She removed three books.<\/p>\n
Behind them was a narrow metal compartment.<\/p>\n
She opened it.<\/p>\n
Inside was a handwritten page.<\/p>\n
Three.<\/p>\n
One.<\/p>\n
Eight.<\/p>\n
I looked at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt's a combination.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn didn't answer.<\/p>\n
My phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
A message from Margaret.<\/p>\n
Come back to the hospital. Your mother remembered something important.<\/p>\n
I immediately called her.<\/p>\n
She answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon't bring Arthur.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI won't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon't bring Julian either.\u201d<\/p>\n
I froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause your mother said his name.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Julian.<\/p>\n
He was watching me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret's voice dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said Julian was the last person she saw before she disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
The call ended.<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
He looked genuinely shocked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were at Bellamy's.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou saw my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe gave you a key.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe disappeared afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't hurt her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't say you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're thinking it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wanted to believe him.<\/p>\n
But the envelope at the storage unit suddenly seemed less like a warning and more like a carefully placed accusation.<\/p>\n
The person beside you.<\/p>\n
Julian.<\/p>\n
He took a step toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura, listen.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone rang again.<\/p>\n
This time, it was Arthur.<\/p>\n
I answered.<\/p>\n
His voice was urgent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I know who took your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm not certain yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why call?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the person you're with is not who you think.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked directly at Julian.<\/p>\n
Arthur continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet away from him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The call ended.<\/p>\n
I lowered my phone.<\/p>\n
Julian stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou believe him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know what to believe.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes two of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn stepped between us.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere's something you need to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
She took the brass key.<\/p>\n
\u201cFollow me.\u201d<\/p>\n
We went downstairs.<\/p>\n
Past the kitchen.<\/p>\n
Past the wine storage.<\/p>\n
Behind a false panel was a narrow metal door.<\/p>\n
The key fit.<\/p>\n
Inside was a tiny room.<\/p>\n
There was almost nothing there.<\/p>\n
A chair.<\/p>\n
A lamp.<\/p>\n
A safe.<\/p>\n
And a photograph.<\/p>\n
My mother stood beside the safe.<\/p>\n
On the back she had written:<\/p>\n
For Laura, when she is ready.<\/p>\n
My hands shook.<\/p>\n
Evelyn stepped back.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should open it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The combination was three numbers.<\/p>\n
I tried 318.<\/p>\n
The safe clicked.<\/p>\n
Inside was the second ledger.<\/p>\n
And beneath it was a handwritten letter.<\/p>\n
I opened the letter.<\/p>\n
Laura,<\/p>\n
If you're reading this, then I failed to keep you away from the people who wanted what I found.<\/p>\n
The ledger will show you where the money went.<\/p>\n
But the names are not the most important thing.<\/p>\n
The most important thing is the person who helped them reach me.<\/p>\n
I read the next line.<\/p>\n
I trusted him because he had protected our family for years.<\/p>\n
My eyes moved downward.<\/p>\n
Then I saw the name.<\/p>\n
I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
Julian spoke behind me.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura?\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
The person named in my mother's letter was not Arthur.<\/p>\n
It was not Evelyn.<\/p>\n
It was not Margaret.<\/p>\n
It was him.<\/p>\n
Evelyn refused to tell me anything over the phone. She insisted we return to Bellamy's. I didn't want to. After the note at the storage unit, every familiar face felt … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4149,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sharestory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4156"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4156\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4168,"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4156\/revisions\/4168"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}