David locked the back door behind him, turning the deadbolt firmly into place before carrying Mark up to the master bathroom. He ran a warm bath, washing the dirt and dried tears from his son's small face.
David: There you go, buddy. Warm water feels better, right?
Mark: Yeah. Daddy, why is stepmom Victoria always angry at us?
David: She won't be here much longer, Mark. You don't have to worry about her anymore.
Mark: Is Mommy's bear clean now?
David looked at the teddy bear sitting on the bathroom counter. The brown faux fur was stained, and the stitching near the stomach was stretched thin.
David: Not yet. I need to take a look at something inside it first.
Mark: Mommy called it her secret chest. She said if bad people ever came, I should give it to you.
David froze, his hands dripping with soapy water. He looked directly into Mark's innocent eyes.
David: Sarah said that to you? Before she passed away?
Mark: Uh-huh. She put a little black key inside the bear and pinched it closed.
David wrapped Mark in a plush bath towel, set him down on the bedroom rug with some toys, and picked up the bear. He took a pair of small embroidery scissors from the vanity drawer and carefully snipped the thread along the bear's back.
He reached inside the soft cotton batting and pulled out the metallic flash drive. Tied around the drive with a piece of thin red ribbon was a tiny brass key.
David: What were you hiding, Sarah?
He carried the flash drive to his computer, plugging it into the USB port. A prompt flashed across the screen, requesting a password. David typed in his late wife's birth date. Access Granted.
A single folder appeared on the desktop, labeled: FOR DAVID - IN CASE OF EMERGENCY.
David: Let's see what this is...
He clicked open the folder. Dozens of scanned PDF documents, bank statements, and audio recordings filled the screen. The financial documents showed massive money transfers from a high-yield trust fund David never knew existed—a trust fund left to Sarah by her wealthy grandfather, valued at over four million dollars.
David: Four million dollars? Sarah had an inheritance?
He kept scrolling. Below the bank records was a folder titled VICTORIA HARPER.
David: Victoria? How did Sarah know Victoria before she died?
David's blood ran cold as he opened the sub-folder. Inside were legal filings, police records, and private investigator notes detailing Victoria's real identity. She wasn't just a local real estate agent—she was a former financial advisor who had been investigated for fraud, elder exploitation, and grand larceny in two different states.
David: My God. She didn't meet me by accident at that charity gala...
Suddenly, the house phone began to ring downstairs, its harsh tone echoing through the silent home.
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