Chapter 7: Storage Unit 214
I didn't tell Daniel about the phone call.
Not immediately.
I watched him through the hospital room window as he spoke to a police officer. His expression was serious, his hands moving occasionally as he explained something.
He looked exactly like the man who had spent the afternoon helping me uncover my family's secrets.
But Michael Hayes's warning kept repeating in my head.
Your father's attorney has been lying to you.
I looked down at the brass key in my palm.
Storage Unit 214.
My mother had left something there.
Something important enough that my father had apparently risked everything to protect it.
And now a stranger was warning me that opening it could reveal why my father had died.
The door opened.
Daniel stepped inside.
“How is Evelyn?””
“The doctors are still running tests.””
He pulled a chair beside me.
“That's good. The hospital has the medication samples now. They'll be able to investigate what she was given.””
I nodded.
He glanced at my hand.
“What's that?””
I closed my fingers around the key.
“Nothing.””
Daniel studied me.
“Maya, if there's something else you found, I need to know.””
I looked directly at him.
“Do you know Michael Hayes?””
His expression changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
“Why are you asking?””
“He called me.””
Daniel stood.
“When?””
“Just now.””
“What did he say?””
“He said you were lying to me.””
Daniel looked toward the hallway.
“Did he tell you where he was?””
“No.””
“What else?””
I hesitated.
“He mentioned my mother's belongings.””
Daniel slowly sat down again.
“Did he mention storage unit 214?””
My heart began pounding.
“How do you know about that?””
He rubbed his forehead.
“Because your father told me about it.””
“Then why didn't you tell me?””
“Because I didn't know whether it still existed.””
I stared at him.
“Daniel, I am done discovering important things through strangers.””
He looked ashamed.
“Your mother rented that unit shortly before she died. Your father believed she kept financial records there.””
“What kind of records?””
“Evidence concerning Michael Hayes and the original partnership.””
“Did you ever go inside?””
“No.””
“Why not?””
“Your father specifically instructed me not to access it without you.””
I looked at the key.
“Then you're coming with me.””
Daniel nodded.
“But first, we need to make sure Evelyn is stable and that the police know where we're going.””
I stood.
“She has Claire.””
“And she has medical professionals watching her. We'll return as soon as we can.””
I glanced toward Grandma.
Her face looked peaceful beneath the hospital blanket.
I leaned down and kissed her forehead.
“I'll be back, Grandma. I promise.””
Storage unit 214 was located at the back of a commercial storage facility outside town.
The evening air smelled of wet pavement and gasoline.
Rows of metal doors stretched beneath harsh fluorescent lights.
Daniel parked near the office.
I noticed a black SUV at the far end of the lot.
Its headlights were off.
“Is that Michael's vehicle?”” I asked.
Daniel looked over.
“I don't know.””
The SUV remained still.
A man stood beside it, smoking.
When he saw us, he dropped the cigarette and got into the driver's seat.
The engine started.
Then the vehicle disappeared through the exit.
Daniel took out his phone.
“I'm photographing the plate.””
I looked toward the storage building.
“Let's go.””
The office manager checked the rental records after I showed him the key and identification.
He looked at his computer.
“Unit 214 is still active.””
“Who pays for it?””
“A private account.””
“Can you tell me the name?””
He hesitated.
“I'm not supposed to disclose account information without proper authorization.””
Daniel showed him his attorney credentials and explained the circumstances.
The manager finally agreed to accompany us.
We walked down a narrow corridor.
The number 214 was painted in black above a gray metal door.
My hands were shaking.
Daniel stepped aside.
“You should open it.””
I inserted the key.
It turned smoothly.
The door rattled upward.
Inside was a small collection of boxes, an old filing cabinet, and a wooden trunk.
Dust covered everything.
I stepped inside.
For a moment, I could almost smell my mother's perfume.
A faint floral scent.
The kind she used to leave on my pillow when she tucked me into bed.
I touched the wooden trunk.
There was a photograph taped to the lid.
My mother stood between my father and grandfather.
They were smiling.
On the back, someone had written:
The people you love should never have to fear the truth.
I opened the trunk.
Inside were folders, photographs, and several old cassette tapes.
Daniel examined the documents.
“This is exactly what Richard was looking for.””
I pulled out a thick folder.
The label read:
HAWTHORNE CAPITAL — ORIGINAL TRANSACTIONS.
Inside were bank statements dating back more than twenty years.
Several transactions were marked with my mother's handwriting.
One note appeared repeatedly.
Payment unauthorized.
Another said:
Duplicate invoice. Recipient unknown.
Then I found a photograph of a man standing beside my grandfather.
The name beneath it was Robert Hayes.
His son, Michael, had inherited the company records after his father's death.
I turned another page.
My mother had written a warning in the margin.
*If Robert discovers I copied the account ledger, he will know who helped me.*
I stared at the sentence.
“Daniel, who helped her?””
He was examining a separate folder.
“I don't know.””
I opened the next document.
It was a handwritten statement.
My mother's name appeared at the bottom.
The date was three weeks before she died.
I began reading aloud.
“I discovered that company funds were transferred into a private account without authorization. Richard believes the transfers were approved by Robert, but the signatures do not match…”
I stopped.
The next paragraph was worse.
I believe someone inside our household is helping him.
My skin prickled.
I turned the page.
A name had been written in the margin.
Vanessa.
I stared at it.
“Daniel.””
He looked over.
I showed him the paper.
His face went pale.
Before he could respond, a sound came from outside.
A metallic crash.
The storage unit door began moving.
Daniel rushed toward it.
Someone was pulling it shut from the outside.
“Hey!”” he shouted.
He pushed against the metal.
I grabbed the bottom edge and helped him.
Together, we forced it upward.
But whoever had been outside was already running.
Daniel stepped into the corridor.
I heard his footsteps disappear around the corner.
Then he shouted.
“Maya! Stay inside!””
I froze.
A second later, he returned holding a small black object.
It was a camera.
Someone had installed it above the unit's door.
And its red recording light was still blinking.
Daniel looked at me.
“Someone knew we'd come here.””
Then I noticed something else.
The wooden trunk had been moved.
A hidden compartment beneath it was now visible.
Inside lay a single sealed envelope.
My mother's handwriting covered the front.
*For Maya, when she is old enough to understand what happened to me.*
I picked it up.
The envelope was addressed to me.
And beneath my name was a date.
May you like
The day after my eighth birthday.
The day my mother died.
