Chapter 8 - THE LETTER HER FATHER LEFT BEHIND
Emily read the letter twice.
Then a third time.
Her father wrote about money.
Companies.
Threats.
A business dispute.
But there was one sentence that frightened her most.
If Diane ever tells you I abandoned you, remember that I was trying to protect you.
Emily looked at Daniel.
“Protect me from what?”
Daniel didn't answer.
The letter mentioned a trust.
A trust established in Emily's name.
Created when she was nine.
Her father had placed assets into it.
Diane had been named temporary administrator.
Emily's throat tightened.
“Why would she need to manage it?”
“Because you were a minor,” Daniel said.
“But what happened when I turned eighteen?”
Daniel looked at the documents.
“She should have transferred control to you.”
“She didn't.”
“No.”
Emily continued reading.
Her father had warned that someone might attempt to access the trust without Emily's knowledge.
The letter ended with another instruction.
If you are reading this, find Jonathan.
Do not trust anyone who tells you the trust is empty.
Emily immediately called him.
He answered on the first ring.
“You found it.”
“Yes.”
“Then you know.”
“I know almost nothing.”
Jonathan sighed.
“That may be safer.”
“I need the truth.”
“You're not ready for all of it.”
“My mother has been using my money.”
“Yes.”
“My brother helped.”
“Yes.”
“And my father's trust exists.”
“Yes.”
Emily's voice cracked.
“How much is in it?”
Silence.
“Jonathan.”
“I can't tell you over the phone.”
“Why?”
“Because your mother is still watching.”
Emily looked around her living room.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean she knows you found the letter.”
Emily's blood ran cold.
“How?”
Jonathan said,
“Because she just called me.”
The line went silent.
Emily looked at Daniel.
“What did she say?”
Jonathan hesitated.
“She said if you open the trust, someone else will come after you.”
“Who?”
Jonathan's voice became barely audible.
“The person who has been waiting for your father to disappear permanently.”
Then the call ended.
Emily stared at the phone.
May you like
Outside the window, a car slowed near the house.
Then stopped.
