Chapter 3: The Room That Held the Truth
Chapter 3: The Room That Held the Truth
The workshop sat behind the house.
Locked.
Dust covered the windows.
Judith suddenly stood.
"No."
"Nobody goes in there."
Richard looked at her.
"According to your husband's written instructions..."
He handed Mara the key.
"...only she may enter."
Mara unlocked the door.
The smell of sawdust and cedar filled the room.
Everything remained exactly as her father had left it.
His workbench.
His tools.
His old radio.
But one cabinet stood apart from everything else.
A small brass lock matched the key.
Inside...
There were neatly organized folders.
Bank statements.
Cancelled checks.
Property records.
And one thick notebook.
Richard opened it carefully.
"Your father documented everything."
Page after page revealed years of financial records.
Large transfers to Paige.
Payments covering luxury vacations.
Designer purchases.
A down payment on the SUV parked outside.
Every transaction was labeled:
Advance against inheritance.
The total exceeded six hundred thousand dollars.
Paige's face went pale.
Judith whispered,
"He wasn't supposed to keep those."
Richard looked up.
"I'm sorry?"
May you like
She immediately covered her mouth.
Too late.
