Chapter 4 - MY MOTHER’S WARNING
I stared at the envelope.
Eight months.
That was how long my mother had been dead.
Eight months of grief.
Eight months of regret over missed calls and rushed dinners.
And now her handwriting was warning me about the man standing ten feet away.
“Where did you get this?”
Daniel swallowed.
“Your mother’s desk.”
“You broke into her house?”
“It belongs to you now.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
Vanessa rolled her eyes.
“Can we stop pretending your mother was some saint?”
I turned on her.
“Say one more thing about her.”
Vanessa stepped back.
Daniel grabbed the envelope.
“We need to think clearly.”
I snatched it from him.
“You’re done deciding what I need.”
I opened it.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
Emma,
If you’re reading this, Robert Cross has realized I kept copies.
Daniel may tell you he doesn’t know anything.
Do not believe him.
The Cross family has hidden money through shell companies for years.
But the money is not the worst part.
Follow the name WILLOW CREEK.
And protect Lily.
She is the reason they will panic.
Love,
Mom.
My hands shook.
I read the last two lines again.
Protect Lily.
She is the reason they will panic.
I looked at Daniel.
“What does that mean?”
He seemed genuinely unsettled now.
“I don’t know.”
Vanessa muttered, “This is insane.”
“No,” I said. “Cutting a five-year-old’s hair because you’re jealous is insane.”
“I wasn’t jealous!”
“Then what were you?”
Vanessa opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Daniel reached for the letter.
I moved it away.
“Don’t touch it.”
His expression changed.
Cold.
“Emma, my father is going to hear about this.”
“Good.”
“You don’t understand him.”
“I understand enough.”
“No, you don’t.”
His voice was almost a whisper.
“If Dad thinks you have those records, he won’t send Vanessa next time.”
The room went silent.
Even Vanessa looked at him.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
Daniel didn’t answer.
I grabbed Lily’s coat.
“We’re leaving.”
He blocked the door.
“No.”
I stared at him.
“Move.”
“I can’t let you take her.”
My blood went cold.
“She is my daughter.”
“She is mine too.”
“And you helped someone traumatize her.”
“I was trying to protect this family.”
“From a five-year-old?”
“From what your mother left behind.”
I stepped closer.
“If you don’t move, I’ll scream loud enough for every neighbor on this street to hear.”
Daniel held my eyes.
Then he stepped aside.
I took Lily out.
We drove straight to my mother’s house.
By the time we arrived, it was dark.
I unlocked the front door.
Nothing looked disturbed.
Until I reached Mom’s office.
The blue drawer was open.
Empty.
May you like
And written across the wall in black marker were six words.
YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT THE DEAD ALONE.
