Chapter 5 - The Empty Box
“Richard, stop!” I yelled, running toward the open window, but by the time I reached the sill, the sound of his car tires spinning out in the gravel driveway echoed through the rainy night.
I turned back to Daniel, my chest heaving, the adrenaline draining out of me and leaving behind a cold, sick hollow in my stomach.
Daniel knelt down beside the broken wainscoting, shining his phone light into the dark cavity in the wall. He reached inside, pulling out a few scraps of rotting cardboard and a faded, water-damaged manila folder, but the main contents of the lockbox were entirely gone.
“He got to it,” I whispered, sliding down the wall until I was sitting on the dusty floorboards, the tears finally breaking free. “He found the ledgers, Daniel. Diane won. She has the evidence, she has the leverage, and by morning she’ll have a judge freezing this entire estate before we can even prove we own it.”
Daniel dropped the empty folder, crawled over to me, and pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly against his chest as the cold wind blew through the broken window.
“We’ll figure it out, Claire,” Daniel murmured, kissing the top of my head. “We still have the deed transfer. We still have your dad’s testimony. This isn't over just because Richard took a box.”
My phone buzzed violently in my pocket.
I pulled it out, expecting it to be another harassing text from my mother or a call from the police about the break-in.
Instead, the screen flashed with an incoming call from an unlisted, out-of-state number.
I swiped accept and pressed the phone to my ear, my hand trembling.
“Hello?” I choked out.
There was a long, heavy pause on the other end of the line—only the sound of heavy static and ragged breathing.
May you like
Then, a deep, raspy voice spoke through the speaker, sending a violent chill straight down my spine.
“Don't bother looking in the wall, niece,” the voice rasped. “Your mother didn't send Richard here for the ledgers. She sent him to make sure I didn't leave them behind... and I’m standing right outside your house waiting for you.”
