Chapter 3 - The Key in Sophie's Hand)
Megan crouched immediately.
"Where did you get that?"
Sophie smiled and held out the key.
"Lady."
Daniel stepped into the hall.
His expression changed when he saw it.
"That key."
"You recognize it?"
He took it from Sophie.
"It's for Anna's room."
Megan looked toward the blue door.
"How did Sophie get it?"
Daniel called for his mother.
Evelyn came upstairs wearing a robe.
Richard followed.
When Evelyn saw the key, she stopped.
"Where did you find that?"
"Sophie had it," Daniel said.
"That's impossible."
"Why?"
"The key is kept downstairs."
"Where?"
Evelyn hesitated.
"In my desk."
Richard looked at her sharply.
Daniel walked to the blue door.
His mother grabbed his arm.
"No."
He looked down at her hand.
"Move."
"Daniel, there is nothing in there that will help you."
"Then opening it shouldn't matter."
"Your sister's room has been preserved."
"For thirteen years?"
"It is how I grieve."
Daniel inserted the key.
The lock turned.
Evelyn's face drained of color.
The room smelled faintly of dust and lavender.
Nothing looked thirteen years old.
That was Megan's first thought.
The bedspread was clean.
The curtains were not faded.
Books stood upright on the shelves.
A desk beneath the window held pens in a cup.
A framed photograph of Anna rested beside them.
"Someone cleans in here," Megan said.
Evelyn crossed her arms.
"Of course."
Daniel walked slowly around the room.
He opened the closet.
Old dresses.
Two jackets.
Shoes.
A cardboard box.
Megan lifted Sophie and entered behind him.
Richard stayed near the door.
"This has gone far enough."
Daniel ignored him.
He opened the desk drawers.
Empty.
The nightstand.
Empty.
Then Sophie wriggled in Megan's arms.
"Down."
Megan set her on the floor.
The little girl walked toward the closet.
Evelyn moved suddenly.
"Don't let her touch anything."
Sophie crouched near the baseboard.
She reached behind a row of shoes and pulled out a red wooden block.
Then another.
Then a small toy car.
Daniel stared.
"Those aren't Anna's."
Megan looked at him.
"Lucas?"
Daniel nodded.
Evelyn said nothing.
Sophie crawled farther into the closet.
"Sweetheart, come back."
She pushed against the rear wall.
A panel shifted.
Megan heard Daniel inhale sharply.
Behind the panel was a narrow storage cavity.
Inside sat a metal box.
Richard entered the room.
"Put that back."
Daniel reached for it.
His father grabbed his shoulder.
"I said put it back."
Daniel turned.
For years Richard had been able to end arguments with a look.
This time Daniel did not move.
"Why?"
"Because it belongs to me."
"It's in Anna's room."
"This is my house."
Megan picked up the box.
It was heavier than it looked.
Evelyn whispered, "Richard."
Something in her voice made him stop.
Daniel took the box from Megan.
The lock was small.
The brass key Sophie had found did not fit.
"Give it to me," Richard said.
Daniel looked at his father.
"No."
He carried it to their bedroom.
Richard followed.
"If you open private documents in my home, you will regret it."
Daniel shut the door in his face.
For the next hour, Megan and Daniel tried to open the box without damaging it.
Eventually Daniel found a screwdriver in the garage.
The old lock snapped.
Inside were dozens of papers.
Anna's school records.
Medical documents.
Letters.
A child's birth certificate.
Lucas James Bennett.
Mother: Anna Marie Bennett.
Father: blank.
Megan sat beside Daniel.
"Your parents lied."
He kept reading.
There was a custody petition filed shortly before Anna's death.
Petitioner: Anna Marie Bennett.
The document stated that Anna intended to relocate with Lucas.
An address was listed in another state.
"She was leaving," Megan said.
Daniel turned the page.
A letter followed.
It was handwritten.
Daniel recognized the writing immediately.
Anna's.
Danny,
If you're reading this, something went wrong.
Megan watched Daniel's hands begin to shake.
He continued.
Mom and Dad know I plan to leave. Dad says Lucas belongs here because he is a Bennett. He says he can prove I'm unstable and take him away from me. Mom keeps telling me I should be grateful they help us, but they aren't helping. They're controlling everything.
I made copies of the documents because papers keep disappearing from my room.
If they tell you I changed my mind, don't believe them.
If anything happens to me, find Lucas.
Do not let Dad raise him.
Daniel stopped reading.
Megan touched his arm.
He turned to the final page.
There was one more sentence.
And Danny, if they tell you my accident was caused by rain, ask why my brake line was cut.
Daniel stared at the words.
Behind the bedroom door came a soft click.
Someone had been standing outside.
Listening.
Daniel pulled the door open.
The hallway was empty.
But on the floor sat another photograph.
This one had not been there before.
It showed Anna standing beside her car.
May you like
On the back someone had written,
She should have stayed.
