Chapter 5 - Grandma's BoxThe Secret Under the Floorboards

I didn't sleep.

At 5:40 in the morning, I called my aunt Diane.

She was Grandma's younger daughter and the only person in our family who had never seemed afraid of conflict.

She answered on the second ring.

"What's wrong?"

"Did Grandma leave me something?"

Silence.

Then:

"Who told you?"

"Nobody."

"Madison..."

"Please."

My aunt sighed.

"Yes."

My heart pounded.

"What?"

"She had a box."

"What kind?"

"A wooden lockbox."

"Where is it?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"Your father took it."

Of course he did.

"What's inside?"

"I never saw everything."

"Then what did you see?"

"My name."

I closed my eyes.

"Her will?"

"Not exactly."

"Then what?"

My aunt lowered her voice.

"Accounts."

"What accounts?"

"Investments. Property. Insurance."

I sat down.

"How much?"

"I don't know."

"You must."

"I saw one statement."

"What did it say?"

She hesitated.

"Four hundred twenty thousand dollars."

I couldn't speak.

"Grandma had that much?"

"More, probably."

"Where did it go?"

"Your father said it went to Kevin."

My stomach turned.

"Kevin?"

"He said it was for medical expenses."

"Kevin wasn't sick."

"I know."

"So where did the money go?"

My aunt whispered:

"His business."

I stared at the wall.

Suddenly everything made a different kind of sense.

My family had spent years telling me Kevin was unlucky.

Kevin needed help.

Kevin had a rough patch.

Kevin was "trying."

While I saved every dollar, they poured Grandma's money into him.

"What did Grandma know?"

"Enough to be angry."

"Did she know they took the money?"

"She discovered it."

"When?"

"Near the end."

"What happened after?"

My aunt didn't answer.

"Aunt Diane."

"Your grandmother wanted to change her will."

My heart stopped.

"To leave everything to me?"

"Yes."

"Did she?"

"We don't know."

"What happened to the will?"

Another silence.

"Your father said it was invalid."

"Why?"

"He had paperwork."

I suddenly understood.

"The house."

"Yes."

"What about it?"

"Your grandmother wanted you to have property."

"Which property?"

My aunt took a breath.

"The land where your house is."

I stared at the walls.

No.

That couldn't be possible.

"I bought this house from a couple named the Whitmans."

"Yes."

"How would Grandma own this land?"

"She didn't."

I frowned.

"Then what are you saying?"

"She owned the company that owned the land."

I went completely still.

Carter Holdings.

The company I'd been told belonged to Kevin.

The company that appeared on fraudulent documents.

The company connected to my property.

"Wait."

I stood up.

"My house was built on land owned by Carter Holdings?"

"At one point."

"Who owned Carter Holdings?"

"Your grandmother."

I felt dizzy.

"Until when?"

"Until the month before she died."

I looked at the clock.

It was 6:12 a.m.

I had been awake for less than half an hour and somehow my entire understanding of my life had collapsed.

"Aunt Diane, who bought the company?"

"No one."

"Then where did it go?"

"I don't know."

"But Dad does."

"Madison."

"What?"

"Don't confront him yet."

"Why?"

"Because you don't know what you're holding."

"What am I holding?"

"The reason your grandmother was terrified."

That afternoon, I went to my parents' house.

Dad wasn't home.

Mom was sitting at the kitchen table.

She looked exhausted.

"Where's Dad?"

"Work."

"Where's Kevin?"

She looked at me.

"Why?"

"I'm asking."

"I don't know."

I walked past her.

"Madison."

I went upstairs.

"Where are you going?"

"To Dad's office."

She stood.

"You can't."

"I can."

The office door was locked.

I pulled a paperclip from my bag.

It took me three minutes.

Inside, everything was painfully organized.

Files by year.

Taxes.

Company documents.

Bank statements.

Insurance.

Then I saw a black box on the bottom shelf.

I opened it.

Inside were keys.

A USB drive.

And a letter.

The letter was addressed to me.

In Grandma's handwriting.

My hands began to shake.

I opened it.

There were only two lines.

Madison,

If you are reading this, your father failed to keep his promise.

I swallowed.

There was a second page.

I turned it over.

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And read the final sentence.

Do not let them have the house.