Chapter 9: The Storage Unit That Was Never Supposed to Be Opened
Dad immediately stood up.
"Where is the key?""
Olivia shook her head.
"I don't know.""
"You just said Richard gave your mother a key.""
"I saw it once.""
"Where?""
"In Mom's jewelry box.""
Monica's bedroom door was still open.
Dad walked straight toward it.
Monica stepped into the hallway.
"Where do you think you're going?""
"To find the key.""
"You can't go through my things.""
Dad stared at her.
"You went through my daughter's belongings for months. I think we're past that argument.""
Monica tried to block the doorway.
Dad stopped.
"Move.""
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then Monica stepped aside.
I followed Dad into the room.
Monica's bedroom smelled of expensive perfume and fresh laundry. Everything was arranged neatly. Her handbags stood in rows, and her jewelry was displayed on a glass-topped dressing table.
Dad opened the top drawer.
"Where's the jewelry box?""
Monica folded her arms.
"I don't know what you're looking for.""
Olivia pointed toward the dresser.
"The blue velvet one.""
Dad opened it.
Inside were earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and several small keys.
He picked up each one.
Then he found a brass key attached to a white plastic tag.
A number was written on it.
*UNIT 318.*
Dad held it up.
"Is this it?""
Olivia nodded.
"That's the one.""
Monica reached for it.
"Give that back.""
Dad moved his hand away.
"What's in the storage unit?""
"Old belongings.""
"Whose belongings?""
"Laura's.""
My chest tightened.
"My mother's?""
Monica nodded reluctantly.
"Some things were never collected after she died.""
I stared at her.
"Why didn't you tell me?""
"Because there was nothing important there.""
Olivia looked at her mother.
"That's not what you said.""
Monica turned sharply.
"Olivia, stop talking.""
But Olivia continued.
"You said Uncle Richard was going to take the documents before Dad found out.""
Dad turned toward her.
"What documents?""
Olivia began crying.
"Mom said there were company records and a second set of ownership papers.""
Monica grabbed her arm.
"Enough!""
Dad immediately separated them.
"Don't touch her.""
He looked at Olivia.
"Tell me everything.""
She wiped her face.
"Uncle Richard came here last month. He said he had to retrieve some documents before the company records were reviewed.""
"Did he open the storage unit?""
"I don't know. He gave Mom the key and told her not to let Jasmine see what was inside.""
I felt sick.
Dad looked at Monica.
"Why was my brother giving you keys to my late wife's belongings?""
Monica's voice dropped.
"Because Richard believed Laura had kept documents that could complicate the company transfer.""
"Complicate it how?""
"He said there was another ownership agreement.""
I stepped forward.
"What agreement?""
Monica looked at me.
"Something your mother signed before she died.""
Dad frowned.
"Why would that be a problem?""
"Because it gave Jasmine more control than we expected.""
I stared at her.
More control.
My mother hadn't simply left me a college fund.
She had left me a protected stake in the company.
And someone had spent years trying to change that.
Dad placed the key in his pocket.
"We're going to Unit 318.""
Monica immediately protested.
"You can't just take Laura's belongings.""
Dad turned toward her.
"They belong to her daughter.""
Then he looked at me.
"Get your jacket.""
We drove to the storage facility twenty minutes away.
It was a large building on the edge of town, surrounded by metal fencing and security cameras.
The afternoon sky had turned gray.
Dad parked near the entrance.
I carried my mother's letter inside my backpack.
At the reception desk, a middle-aged man looked up.
"Can I help you?""
Dad showed him the key.
"We need access to Unit 318.""
The man examined the tag.
"Who owns the unit?""
"My late wife, Laura Bennett.""
He typed something into his computer.
Then he frowned.
"That's unusual.""
Dad leaned forward.
"What?""
"The account was recently accessed.""
"When?""
"Last Thursday.""
I felt my stomach tighten.
"By whom?""
The man checked the records.
"An authorized visitor named Richard Bennett.""
Dad's jaw tightened.
"Was anything removed?""
The employee hesitated.
"According to our inventory log, several boxes were moved.""
"By whom?""
"Mr. Bennett.""
Dad looked at me.
Richard had been here only days earlier.
He had known we might discover the documents.
"Can we still access the unit?"" Dad asked.
The employee checked the account.
"Yes, but I need identification and proof of authorization.""
Dad provided the required documents and showed him the trust paperwork.
After verifying everything, the employee escorted us down a long corridor.
Unit 318 was near the back.
He unlocked the outer security gate and left us with the unit door.
Dad inserted the brass key.
It turned.
The metal door rolled upward with a loud grinding sound.
Inside were cardboard boxes, old furniture, a standing lamp, and several plastic storage containers.
But something was immediately obvious.
The unit had been disturbed.
Dust covered most of the floor, except for a wide rectangular space near the back where something heavy had recently been removed.
Dad walked inside.
"Richard took something.""
I examined the boxes.
Several were labeled in my mother's handwriting.
*Jasmine — Childhood.*
*Family Photographs.*
*Company Records — Original.*
I rushed toward the last one.
It was almost empty.
Inside were only a few folders and an old envelope.
Dad opened the folders.
They contained photocopies of business registrations, tax documents, and property records.
Then I found a small notebook tucked beneath the bottom flap.
My mother's handwriting covered the first page.
If Richard has accessed this unit, the original records may no longer be safe.
I read the sentence aloud.
Dad looked over my shoulder.
There were several pages of notes.
One entry was dated two weeks before my mother's death.
I have discovered that the attempted transfer was not a misunderstanding. Someone has been using Marcus's information to create unauthorized company documents.
I turned the page.
Another entry read:
I spoke with Eleanor. She believes the original signed agreement is still in the unit. If it disappears, the duplicate held by the independent trustee must be used.
Dad looked at me.
"An independent trustee?""
I nodded.
Margaret.
We continued reading.
Then I reached the final written entry.
It was dated three days before my mother's death.
I now know who has been helping Richard.
My hands began trembling.
The sentence beneath it contained a name.
I read it once.
Then again.
Dad leaned closer.
"What does it say?""
I couldn't speak.
He took the notebook.
His face changed.
Because the name wasn't Monica.
It wasn't Olivia.
It was someone Dad had trusted since childhood.
Someone who had stood beside him at my mother's funeral.
Someone who had hugged me and told me everything would be okay.
The name was:
*Daniel Bennett.*
Dad stared at the page.
"Daniel?""
I looked at him.
"Who is Daniel Bennett?""
Dad slowly sat down on an overturned storage box.
"My younger brother.""
I felt the room spin.
"Richard isn't your only brother?""
Dad shook his head.
"No.""
He looked at the empty space where the missing boxes had been.
"Daniel was the one who introduced Monica to Richard.""
I stared at the notebook.
The pieces were beginning to connect.
Monica.
Richard.
Daniel Price.
Daniel Bennett.
And the company my mother had created to protect me.
Dad turned another page.
A photograph slipped out.
It showed my mother standing beside three men in front of the family house.
Dad picked it up.
His fingers trembled.
"That's Richard," he whispered.
"That's Daniel.""
Then he pointed at the third man.
"Jasmine, do you recognize him?""
I shook my head.
Dad looked at the photograph for several seconds.
Then he said:
"That's Daniel Price.""
I frowned.
"How can he be in the photograph if his name is Daniel Bennett?""
Dad turned the picture over.
There was a handwritten note on the back.
Daniel Bennett — now operating under the name Daniel Price.
Beneath it was another sentence.
He is the one who has the original documents.
I felt cold all over.
Then Dad's phone rang.
The caller ID displayed an unknown number.
He answered.
A man's voice came through.
"Marcus, you need to stop looking through Laura's things.""
Dad stood up.
"Who is this?""
The man laughed quietly.
"You know exactly who this is.""
Dad tightened his grip on the phone.
"Daniel?""
"Listen carefully. You have no idea what your wife left behind.""
Dad looked at me.
Then Daniel spoke again.
"And if Jasmine finds the original agreement, she'll discover that the house was never the most valuable thing her mother owned.""
The call disconnected.
I stared at Dad.
He stared back.
And then, from somewhere inside the storage unit, we heard a phone vibrating.
It was coming from one of the boxes Richard had left behind.
Dad opened it.
Inside was an old mobile phone.
Its screen lit up.
May you like
One new message appeared.
*UNKNOWN: THEY FOUND THE NOTEBOOK. MOVE THE ORIGINAL BEFORE THEY FIND THE SECOND TRUST.*
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