Chapter 20 - Shadows on the Horizon
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In late October, a small, unmarked wooden box arrived in my mailbox.
There was no return address. No stamp. It had been delivered by hand.
I brought the box inside to my study, curious. I used a small pocket knife to slice through the tape sealing the top.
Inside lay an old, tarnished silver pocket watch and a folded piece of heavy yellowed parchment.
I picked up the watch. On the back, an inscription was carved into the metal: PROPERTY OF ETHAN CARTER SR.
My father’s watch. A watch that had been stolen from my home over twenty years ago during a break-in I had long since forgotten about.
Unfolding the parchment, I read the neat, elegant handwriting written in dark red ink:
“Dear Arthur,
You think you saved Ethan. You think Daniel and Victoria were the only ones pulling the strings.
You have no idea who Rachel really was.
You have no idea where that money came from, or why she chose you to guard it.
The trust fund was never meant for Ethan’s education.
It was a ransom.
And now that the money has been moved back into the public bank system... they know where to find him.
Keep your eyes on the snow this winter, Arthur.
We are coming to collect.”
My breath hitched in my throat. The paper slipped from my numb fingers, fluttering onto the desk.
Through the window of my study, the autumn leaves were falling slowly to the ground. In the distance, dark gray storm clouds were rolling in over the hills, promising an early, brutal winter.
Downstairs, I heard Ethan laughing as he closed his school books.
I walked over to the desk drawer, pulled out my old service revolver, loaded six steel cartridges into the cylinder, and clicked it shut.
May you like
I looked out the window at the gathering storm.
The fight wasn't over. It was only just beginning.
