Chapter 5: The Safe Beneath My Wife's Clothes
I returned home shortly after midnight.
Detective Harris came with me, along with another officer.
The house looked exactly as I had left it.
The dinner plates were still on the table.
The half-eaten bread roll remained beside Mason's chair.
The locked pantry stood open.
I couldn't stop looking at that little pink lunchbox.
My daughter's apology note was still inside it.
I folded the note carefully and placed it in my pocket.
Detective Harris approached the stairs.
“Where did Rebecca say the safe was?””
“In Vanessa's bedroom.””
We entered the room.
Her perfume still lingered in the air. A silk robe hung over the chair, and expensive handbags were arranged neatly along the wall.
It was difficult to reconcile this room with the woman who had locked my five-year-old daughter in a closet.
I opened the wardrobe.
Rows of designer dresses filled the space.
At the back, beneath several storage boxes, I found a small black safe.
“Do you know the combination?”” Harris asked.
I shook my head.
“No.””
An officer examined the keypad.
“Four digits.””
I tried our wedding anniversary.
Wrong.
Vanessa's birthday.
Wrong.
Then I remembered something.
Her son's birthday.
I entered the date.
The safe opened.
Inside were several passports, a thick envelope of cash, a flash drive, and a black smartphone.
My hands began trembling.
I picked up the phone.
The screen was cracked, but it powered on.
There were no contacts.
No recent messages.
Only one audio file.
The date displayed was the night Sarah died.
Detective Harris took a photograph of the screen.
“Don't play it yet. We'll preserve this as evidence.””
I nodded.
Then I noticed something beneath the phone.
A folded document.
It was an insurance policy.
Sarah's name appeared at the top.
My name was listed as the policyholder.
Lily was the beneficiary.
But there was something I had never seen before.
A handwritten note in the margin:
Original beneficiary documents must be obtained before final transfer.
Below it was Vanessa's signature.
I stared at the paper.
“Why would she have this?””
Harris examined it.
“This appears to be a copy of an older policy document. We'll have it checked.””
I turned over the page.
There was a second note.
Rebecca has the original.
I looked at the detective.
“Rebecca?””
He nodded slowly.
“We'll ask her.””
Then the officer beside the safe spoke.
“Detective, there's another item.””
He held up a small envelope.
Inside was a photograph of Sarah's damaged car.
The image had been taken before the vehicle was removed from the accident scene.
On the back, someone had written:
She never should have kept the files.
I felt sick.
Harris placed the photograph into an evidence sleeve.
“Michael, I need you to understand something. We have allegations, suspicious documents, and a recording. But we need to establish exactly what happened.””
“I understand.””
“Do you have any idea where Vanessa might have obtained the insurance information?””
I shook my head.
Then I remembered the paperwork Sarah had left behind.
After her death, I had moved everything into a filing cabinet in the home office.
Vanessa had insisted on organizing those documents when we married.
I had trusted her completely.
I had given her access to everything.
At 2:15 a.m., my phone rang.
It was Mason.
“Dad?””
I stepped into the hallway.
“Hey, buddy. What's wrong?””
“I'm sorry.””
“For what?””
“I should've told you about the videos before.””
I closed my eyes.
“You already did the right thing.””
There was a long silence.
Then he asked:
“Can I tell you something about Mom?””
“Of course.””
“She's been taking Lily somewhere when you're away.””
My stomach tightened.
“Where?””
“To a house.””
“What house?””
“I don't know the address. It's a blue house with a white fence.””
“Who lives there?””
“A woman.””
“Rebecca?””
Mason shook his head, although he couldn't see me.
“No. Someone else.””
“Have you met her?””
He hesitated.
“She gave Lily candy once. But Mom told Lily not to tell you.””
I looked toward the bedroom.
“Did you see this happen?””
“Last Tuesday. Mom said she was taking Lily to get her hair done, but they came back after three hours.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because Mom said the woman was Lily's new grandmother.””
I frowned.
“Her new grandmother?””
Mason lowered his voice.
“She said Lily was going to live with her soon.””
I felt a cold pressure settle in my chest.
“Did Lily know?””
“She cried. She said she wanted to stay with you.””
I looked at Detective Harris.
He had heard enough to understand the seriousness of what Mason was saying.
“Did you tell anyone else?”” I asked.
Mason whispered:
“No. But I heard Mom call the woman Grandma Helen.””
I repeated the name.
“Helen?””
“Yes.””
I searched my memory.
I knew no one named Helen.
Neither did Sarah's family.
But Rebecca might.
I called her immediately.
She answered on the second ring.
“Michael?””
“Do you know someone named Helen?””
The silence lasted several seconds.
Then Rebecca whispered:
“Oh, God.””
“What?””
“Vanessa's mother.””
I gripped the phone.
“Her mother is alive?””
“Of course she is.””
“Then why haven't I ever met her?””
Rebecca began crying.
“Because Helen was involved in everything Vanessa did.””
My stomach dropped.
“What do you mean?””
“Michael, you need to find out why Vanessa wanted Lily's inheritance. It wasn't just about the money.””
“Then what was it about?””
Rebecca's answer came quietly.
“Vanessa believed Sarah had hidden something valuable inside Lily's belongings.””
I looked toward the hallway.
Lily's pink backpack sat beside the stairs.
The same backpack she had carried to preschool for months.
“Do you know what Sarah hid?””
Rebecca took a shaky breath.
“Yes.””
“What?””
“Something that could put Vanessa and her mother in prison.””
Before I could ask another question, Detective Harris's phone rang.
He listened for several seconds.
His expression changed.
Then he looked directly at me.
“Michael, Vanessa has been released from the hospital holding area into police custody for questioning. But she isn't asking for a lawyer.””
I frowned.
“Then what does she want?””
May you like
Harris lowered his phone.
“She wants to know whether you've opened the safe.””
