Chapter 13 - Rachel’s Safe
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That afternoon, after Ethan was officially discharged from the hospital and brought safely to my house, I left him under the care of my trusted sister, Clara.
I drove over to my son’s empty mansion. The police tape was still stretched across the front gate, fluttering in the cold wind. Because I was listed as a secondary trustee on the property deed, the police had granted me access to secure Daniel’s personal effects.
I used my spare key to open the heavy front door.
The house was eerily silent. Party hats and empty champagne glasses from New Year’s Eve were still scattered across the dining table. The golden lights were still twinkling in the windows, casting long, hollow shadows across the hardwood floors.
I walked directly into Daniel’s home office.
The room was a mess—drawers pulled open, papers scattered across the desk from the police search the previous night. I walked over to the built-in bookshelf behind his desk.
I remembered something Rachel had told me years ago, right before she entered hospice care.
“Arthur, if Daniel ever strays off the path, check the fireproof safe behind the mahogany bookshelf. I kept duplicates of everything there.”
I reached behind the third shelf, pressed the release latch, and swung the hidden panel open.
A small, black digital safe was mounted into the wall.
May you like
I tried the code—Ethan’s birthday.
The safe clicked open instantly.
