Chapter 4: The Letter She Thought She Could Destroy
“You burned your mother's letter?””
My father's voice shook through the phone.
Vanessa stood beneath the living room chandelier, her arms wrapped around herself. For the first time since I'd known her, she looked small. The woman who had spent years controlling every conversation in our house was now staring at the floor while two police officers waited for her to explain herself.
“I was upset,” Vanessa said.
“I made a mistake.””
“A mistake?”” Dad repeated.
“That letter was supposed to stay sealed until Lily turned eighteen!””
“I didn't know what it was at first.””
“Then why did you burn it?””
Vanessa's eyes flicked toward me.
“Because it would have destroyed our family.””
I felt something twist inside my chest.
“Our family?”” I asked.
“You just accused me of a crime I didn't commit.””
She ignored me.
Officer Daniels took the phone from my hand and spoke to Dad directly.
“Sir, I need you to understand that we have evidence of a suspected false accusation and a potentially unauthorized financial transfer. We'll document everything we have and arrange for the appropriate investigators to follow up.””
“I'm coming home,” Dad said.
“Don't let anything else disappear.””
Officer Daniels glanced at Vanessa.
“We'll make sure the evidence already provided is preserved. Any further examination of the property will need to be handled appropriately.””
“I'll be there in two hours,” Dad said.
“Lily, stay with the officers. Don't go anywhere alone.””
Then he hung up.
For several seconds, the only sound was Chloe's quiet sniffing.
I turned toward Vanessa.
“What was in that letter?””
She wiped her cheeks.
“Something you wouldn't understand.””
“Then explain it.””
“Lily, please. Not now.””
“You had the police come to our house and watched them search my backpack. You told them I was a thief. You were ready to let them take me away, and now you're asking me for patience?””
Her jaw tightened.
“I never wanted you arrested.””
“You said you wanted them to take me away.””
“I was trying to protect myself!””
The words escaped before she could stop them.
Everyone stared at her.
Vanessa's eyes widened.
Then she looked at Officer Daniels, searching desperately for a way to recover.
“I mean, I was trying to protect the family. Lily has been making accusations for weeks.””
“About my mother's missing jewelry?”” I asked.
“About everything.””
“Then tell the officers where the bracelet is.””
Vanessa looked away.
“Tell them where the brooch is.””
“I'm not having this conversation with you.””
“Because you can't answer me!””
Officer Daniels raised one hand.
“Enough. We'll speak to everyone separately.””
Officer Ruiz guided Chloe toward the kitchen while Daniels asked Vanessa to sit at the dining table. He wanted to record her account of the evening and clarify exactly what she meant by saying she had burned the letter.
I followed Officer Ruiz into the kitchen to sit with Chloe.
My little sister was curled into a dining chair, her pink pajamas wrinkled and her feet tucked beneath her. A glass of water sat untouched in front of her.
“Did I do something bad?”” Chloe whispered.
I crouched beside her.
“No, sweetheart.””
“Mommy says good girls don't tell other people's secrets.””
I brushed a strand of hair away from her forehead.
“Sometimes keeping a secret hurts someone. Telling the truth can be scary, but you did the right thing.””
Chloe stared at her hands.
“Will Mommy hate me now?””
I wanted to promise her that nothing would change, that Vanessa would apologize, and that we'd all wake up the next morning to a normal family.
But I couldn't lie to her.
“I don't know,” I admitted.
“But whatever happens, I'll be here.””
Chloe reached for my hand.
Then she glanced toward the hallway.
“Lily?””
“Yes?””
“I didn't record everything because of the necklace.””
My stomach tightened.
“What do you mean?””
Chloe took a shaky breath.
“Yesterday, I heard Mommy talking to someone in the study. She said she needed to get rid of the papers before Daddy came home.””
I sat down beside her.
“What papers?””
“I don't know. But when I asked her, she told me not to be nosy. Then she said you were going to ruin everything.””
A chill crept over my skin.
“Did you see the papers?””
Chloe shook her head.
“But I saw her put something in the fireplace. The next morning, she had black stuff on her fingers.””
I thought about the letter.
The blue folder.
The $84,000.
“Did you record that, too?””
“No. I was scared, so I hid in the hallway and listened.”” She squeezed my hand.
“But Mommy said something about a man named Eric.””
The name caught my attention.
Eric.
I'd heard Vanessa use it on the phone a few times. She called him her brother, although I'd met him only twice. He was the kind of man who wore expensive watches and talked loudly about investments he never explained.
“What did she say about him?”” I asked.
Chloe closed her eyes, trying to remember.
“She said, 'Eric needs the money by Monday, or we're both finished.''”
Before I could ask more, Officer Daniels appeared in the kitchen doorway.
“Lily, I need you to come with me for a moment.””
I followed him back to the living room.
Vanessa sat rigidly at the dining table, refusing to look at me.
Officer Daniels spoke quietly.
“Your father has confirmed that he did not authorize the transfer. He has also given us the name of the attorney who helped establish your mother's education trust.””
“Can the attorney get the letter back?””
“If the original is destroyed, no. But your father believes the attorney may have a copy.””
I felt a flicker of hope.
“Who is the attorney?””
“Mrs. Evelyn Hart. She handled your mother's estate.””
The name meant nothing to me, but Officer Daniels had already written down the telephone number Dad provided.
He called her.
I sat on the sofa while he explained the situation. I couldn't hear every word, but I saw his expression grow more serious as the conversation continued.
“Yes, ma'am,” he said.
“The recording appears to show the stepmother entering the girl's room and placing the necklace in her backpack.””
A pause.
“Yes. There is also a recording concerning financial documents and an attempted transfer from an education account.””
Another pause.
Then Officer Daniels looked directly at me.
“Mrs. Hart, are you saying the letter contained instructions about the trust?””
He listened for several seconds.
“Understood. We'll have her father contact you as soon as he arrives.””
When he ended the call, I leaned forward.
“What did she say?””
“Mrs. Hart confirmed that your mother left detailed instructions concerning the education fund. She's willing to discuss them with your father.””
“And the letter?””
Officer Daniels hesitated.
“She said she kept a copy of the original document in her estate file.””
I pressed my hand over my mouth.
Vanessa stood so abruptly that her chair scraped across the floor.
“She cannot show that to Lily!””
Officer Daniels turned toward her.
“Why not?””
Vanessa's face drained of color.
“Because it was private.””
“Private from whom?””
She stared at him.
For the first time, I understood that she wasn't afraid merely because she'd been caught stealing.
She was afraid of what my mother had written.
Officer Daniels asked her to sit down again.
Vanessa obeyed, but her hands trembled against the tabletop.
Then my phone vibrated.
It was a message from Dad.
I'm ten minutes away. I've spoken to Mrs. Hart. Lily, there is something I need to tell you before you read that letter.
I stared at the screen.
Another message appeared.
Your mother discovered something about Vanessa before she died.
I looked up.
May you like
Vanessa was watching me.
And when she saw the expression on my face, she whispered, “Your father has no right to tell you that.””
