For the first time that afternoon, something deeply personal appeared in Beatrice\u2019s expression. It wasn\u2019t remorse. It was something harder to understand. \u201cI was unable to have children.\u201d I remained quiet. \u201cKenneth dreamed of becoming a father.\u201d Grandma Rose murmured, \u201cBeatrice\u2026\u201d \u201cNo. He demands an explanation? Then he\u2019ll get one.\u201d She turned toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cKenneth and I spent years trying. Medical appointments. Treatments. Every possible option. Nothing succeeded. Then one evening he arrived home saying a colleague\u2019s children needed a safe place to stay.\u201d Her expression tightened. \u201cAnd suddenly, you were living under our roof.\u201d A few distant memories returned. Not of the day we arrived. But of Kenneth kneeling beside a small bed.<\/p>\n
Simon quietly crying. His blue blanket. A little moon-shaped nightlight. Perhaps those images came from our very first evening there. Beatrice went on. \u201cInitially, I expected you to stay seven days.\u201d She gave a humorless laugh. \u201cThen it became several weeks.\u201d Her gaze drifted away. \u201cAnd before long, Kenneth began referring to you as his sons.\u201d Nobody said anything. \u201cWhat happened when Amelia asked for us back?\u201d \u201cThe situation was still unsafe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou haven\u2019t answered me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beatrice faced me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told Kenneth that returning you would put you at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas that actually true?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of it was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly some?\u201d<\/p>\n
Grandma Rose spoke quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe also convinced Amelia that Kenneth no longer intended to return the boys.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned toward her immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Beatrice stared at her mother.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have no idea what you\u2019re saying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was the one who drove you there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grandma Rose had begun crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cI waited outside in the car while you went inside to speak with her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beatrice looked at her in disbelief.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve kept quiet for twenty years, and suddenly you\u2019ve decided to tell everyone?\u201d<\/p>\n
Grandma Rose looked shaken.<\/p>\n
Still, she continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeatrice told Amelia that Kenneth believed the children belonged with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat can\u2019t be true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe also warned Amelia that Kenneth had influential contacts who could prevent her from regaining custody.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beatrice raised her voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re twisting what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grandma Rose continued without looking at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmelia trusted what she was told.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared directly at Beatrice.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou kept us away from our mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her expression changed immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was keeping you safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou deliberately separated us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not fair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou deceived our mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI provided a stable childhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you deceived us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent years raising you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou spent those years reminding us that we were never truly welcome!\u201d<\/p>\n
My voice echoed throughout the study.<\/p>\n
For the first time, Beatrice stepped backward.<\/p>\n
I could no longer hold back everything I\u2019d carried.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou made us believe we\u2019d been abandoned. You convinced us nobody cared enough to keep us. You constantly reminded us how fortunate we were because without you, we\u2019d have nowhere to belong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was frustrated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were just little boys!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were supposed to be the grown-up!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI KNOW!\u201d<\/p>\n
Her sudden outburst startled everyone.<\/p>\n
Beatrice placed her fingertips against her forehead.<\/p>\n
For a brief moment, she appeared completely drained.<\/p>\n
Then she said quietly, \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I kept looking at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Kenneth ever discover what you said to Amelia?\u201d<\/p>\n
She remained silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he know the truth?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her answer was barely a whisper.<\/p>\n
Something inside me seemed to give way.<\/p>\n
Kenneth hadn\u2019t knowingly deceived us.<\/p>\n
At least, not from the beginning.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why didn\u2019t he make things right?\u201d<\/p>\n
Beatrice stared down at the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did he find out?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came across one of Amelia\u2019s letters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grandma Rose added softly, \u201cShe eventually began mailing them straight to this house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beatrice gave a small nod.<\/p>\n
\u201cKenneth confronted me about everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pictured the arguments between them.<\/p>\n
The tense voices coming through their bedroom door.<\/p>\n
The disagreements I could never explain.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened afterward?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe reached out to Amelia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what did he tell her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe promised that once you boys reached eighteen, he would explain the entire situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy wait until we were eighteen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThings weren\u2019t simple.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy couldn\u2019t he tell us sooner?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the people connected to Daniel were still out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence settled over the study.<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep repeating that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it really happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was looking for us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe never discovered their identities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what makes you certain anyone was?\u201d<\/p>\n
Beatrice met my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause someone was responsible for Kenneth\u2019s death.\u201d<\/p>\n
I suddenly struggled to breathe.<\/p>\n
No words came.<\/p>\n
Grandma Rose\u2019s face turned pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeatrice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou insisted on hearing everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Grandma Rose murmured. \u201cNot that part.\u201d<\/p>\n
My throat felt painfully dry.<\/p>\n
\u201cKenneth passed away from a heart attack.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beatrice studied me with an unusual expression.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what his official records stated.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe collapsed while working.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had a heart condition.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her in disbelief.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was taking medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExcuse me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wasn\u2019t taking any medication for his heart before that incident.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grandma Rose rose from her chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beatrice turned toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy? Apparently we\u2019re revealing every secret today.\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman standing before me seemed almost unrecognizable.<\/p>\n
There was frustration in her expression.<\/p>\n
But it wasn\u2019t directed at me.<\/p>\n
It was directed at memories she\u2019d carried for years.<\/p>\n
\u201cKenneth had been perfectly healthy,\u201d she explained. \u201cUntil that particular afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n
I could barely speak.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened that day?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe telephoned me that morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited for her to continue.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis voice sounded absolutely frightened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Never before had I heard Beatrice describe Kenneth that way.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said somebody had entered his office without permission.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had no idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas anything missing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what frightened him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhoever entered had left something behind.\u201d<\/p>\n
A cold sensation passed through me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did they leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
Somehow, I already understood.<\/p>\n
Even before she answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cA picture of Simon and me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beatrice slowly nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt showed you both walking home after school.\u201d<\/p>\n
I lowered myself into a chair.<\/p>\n
My legs suddenly felt too weak to hold me.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone had been following us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grandma Rose brushed tears from her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cKenneth instructed Beatrice to take both boys somewhere far away.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we stayed here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked back at Beatrice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t we leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
She held my gaze.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Kenneth passed away later that day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody spoke.<\/p>\n
I remembered that afternoon.<\/p>\n
Our teacher had asked Simon and me to leave the classroom.<\/p>\n
Grandma Rose arrived to collect us.<\/p>\n
I remembered repeatedly asking where Kenneth had gone.<\/p>\n
Nobody would answer.<\/p>\n
Later that evening, Beatrice sat across from us at the dining table and said, \u201cYour father won\u2019t be coming home.\u201d<\/p>\n
At first, I couldn\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n
Simon understood immediately.<\/p>\n
He began crying uncontrollably.<\/p>\n
I faced Beatrice again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you report the photograph?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKenneth had made me promise to keep quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut he was already gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s precisely why.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you saying?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf someone had targeted Kenneth because of what he\u2019d discovered, I wasn\u2019t about to announce that I knew his secrets too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you concealed the entire story.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI made sure you survived.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t possibly know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked directly at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut both of you are still here.\u201d<\/p>\n
I resented the fact that her reasoning wasn\u2019t entirely impossible.<\/p>\n
Grandma Rose settled back into her chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cMason, there\u2019s something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned toward her.<\/p>\n
Naturally, there was.<\/p>\n
After everything I\u2019d learned, why should the surprises stop now?<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
She gestured toward the envelopes.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at the most recent letters.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned back toward the open drawer.<\/p>\n
I began sorting through the envelopes.<\/p>\n
Different dates appeared beneath my fingers.<\/p>\n
Fourteen years earlier.<\/p>\n
Twelve.<\/p>\n
Ten.<\/p>\n
Seven.<\/p>\n
My heartbeat quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe continued sending them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grandma Rose nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Beatrice claimed the letters had stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n
I glanced at Beatrice.<\/p>\n
She made no attempt to contradict me.<\/p>\n
Amelia had continued writing to us for years after Kenneth\u2019s passing.<\/p>\n
I unfolded a letter dated ten years earlier.<\/p>\n
My beloved boys,<\/p>\n
Today, you both turn thirteen.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re teenagers already.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s almost impossible to imagine.<\/p>\n
I found a picture of you on the internet from a school celebration.<\/p>\n
Simon, your smile reminds me so much of your father\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Mason, your resemblance to me is so remarkable that I closed my computer and spent nearly an hour crying.<\/p>\n
I have no way of knowing whether Beatrice ever shares these letters with you.<\/p>\n
Something tells me she doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
But putting these words on paper helps me feel that, in some small way, I still have a place in your lives as your mother.<\/p>\n
I wish I could tell you why I haven\u2019t returned for you.<\/p>\n
I still believe somebody is keeping track of my movements.<\/p>\n
Two weeks ago, I noticed a stranger following me from my workplace to my apartment building.<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t tell whether he\u2019s connected to the people Daniel investigated or whether the experiences of the past have made me suspicious of everyone.<\/p>\n
Whatever the truth, I refuse to bring that danger anywhere near you.<\/p>\n
I lowered the page.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe stayed away because she wanted us safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beatrice remained silent.<\/p>\n
I reached for another envelope.<\/p>\n
This one was dated eight years earlier.<\/p>\n
My dear Mason and Simon,<\/p>\n
Today, I learned something that suggests Daniel might still be alive.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know whether the information can be trusted.<\/p>\n
But if he\u2019s alive, perhaps Kenneth\u2019s concerns were justified all along.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve decided to try finding him.<\/p>\n
If these words ever reach you and I haven\u2019t returned, please don\u2019t believe I\u2019ve abandoned you a second time.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m doing everything I can to bring your father back to us.<\/p>\n
The paper trembled between my fingers.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe could be alive?\u201d<\/p>\n
Grandma Rose said softly, \u201cThere\u2019s another letter.\u201d<\/p>\n
I searched until I located the next envelope.<\/p>\n
Its date was from seven years earlier.<\/p>\n
The message was brief.<\/p>\n
Extremely brief.<\/p>\n
Beatrice,<\/p>\n
I\u2019m aware that you\u2019ve been opening my letters.<\/p>\n
I know Kenneth has passed away.<\/p>\n
And I know you\u2019ve never explained the truth to the boys.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve chosen to forgive things that would be difficult for anyone to forgive.<\/p>\n
But you must take my warning seriously this time.<\/p>\n
Daniel was alive.<\/p>\n
I located him.<\/p>\n
And the wrong people have discovered that I found him.<\/p>\n
Take the boys somewhere else.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t explain the reason.<\/p>\n
Just get them somewhere safe.<\/p>\n
There was nothing more.<\/p>\n
I turned toward Beatrice.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid we relocate?\u201d<\/p>\n
She gave a slow nod.<\/p>\n
An old memory suddenly returned.<\/p>\n
The summer before my junior year of high school.<\/p>\n
Without warning, Beatrice announced that we were changing schools and moving to another neighborhood.<\/p>\n
Simon had been extremely upset.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d assumed she simply wanted a smaller home.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas that why we moved?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy keep the reason from us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause frightened sixteen-year-olds sometimes make decisions without considering the consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat became of Amelia?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI honestly don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWere there any more letters?\u201d<\/p>\n
Beatrice said nothing.<\/p>\n
I searched through the remaining contents.<\/p>\n
There were no additional envelopes.<\/p>\n
Seven entire years.<\/p>\n
Not one letter afterward.<\/p>\n
I felt deeply unsettled.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould she have passed away?\u201d<\/p>\n
Grandma Rose whispered, \u201cWe have no way of knowing.\u201d<\/p>\n
I lowered myself into Kenneth\u2019s chair.<\/p>\n
Everything I\u2019d believed when I woke up that morning had changed.<\/p>\n
Our mother had never willingly abandoned us.<\/p>\n
Our biological father might still be living.<\/p>\n
Kenneth\u2019s passing might have involved something far more complicated than we\u2019d been told.<\/p>\n
And Beatrice, the woman who had raised Simon and me, had concealed truths from us for twenty years.<\/p>\n
Truths we had every right to understand.<\/p>\n
Or perhaps she\u2019d also been trying to keep us safe.<\/p>\n
I hated having to consider that possibility.<\/p>\n
But resentment mixed with genuine fear was much harder to understand.<\/p>\n
I reached into my pocket for my phone.<\/p>\n
Beatrice immediately questioned me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you planning to do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m calling my brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her expression shifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy shouldn\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he doesn\u2019t know you\u2019ve come here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously he doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not what I mean. Someone else doesn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I slowly lowered my phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly are you suggesting?\u201d<\/p>\n
Beatrice walked across the study.<\/p>\n
\u201cKenneth shared something with me shortly before he passed away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said he called that morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me that if circumstances ever forced these secrets into the open, I had to make certain you and Simon weren\u2019t together when you learned them.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what reason?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe believed keeping you apart would make it more difficult for anyone to locate both of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t make any sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt made sense to Kenneth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grandma Rose appeared troubled.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeatrice, you\u2019ve never mentioned that before.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are plenty of things I haven\u2019t shared with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Suddenly, my phone began vibrating.<\/p>\n
All three of us glanced down.<\/p>\n
SIMON.<\/p>\n
Despite everything, I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cTalk about perfect timing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beatrice reached for my wrist.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease don\u2019t pick up.\u201d<\/p>\n
I moved my hand away.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMason.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not allowing you to control what we know anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
I answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey.\u201d<\/p>\n
Static.<\/p>\n
Then Simon\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cMason?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Beatrice.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt her house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then Simon said, \u201cYou need to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something in his voice made me sit straighter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLeave now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSimon, I found out about Amelia.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another silence.<\/p>\n
Longer.<\/p>\n
Then my brother said something I wasn\u2019t prepared for.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
Beatrice stared at me.<\/p>\n
Grandma Rose frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Simon repeated, \u201cI know about Amelia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMason, listen to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long have you known?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA few months.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cA few months?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was trying to verify everything before I told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew our mother didn\u2019t abandon us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I could barely process this.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough to tell you to get out of that house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Beatrice isn\u2019t telling you the biggest part.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
Her face turned white.<\/p>\n
Simon continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found Dad\u2019s old storage unit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou found what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA storage unit under a company name. It took me six months to trace it back to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFiles. Tapes. Financial records.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the old desk.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of tapes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRecordings.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
Simon lowered his voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cKenneth.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart hammered.<\/p>\n
\u201cKenneth recorded himself?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes. Mostly meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMeetings with who?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned slightly away from Beatrice.<\/p>\n
\u201cSimon, why didn\u2019t you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I found something with your name on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
That stopped me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA sealed file.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was in it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t opened it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause someone broke into my apartment two nights ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room suddenly felt too small.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey didn\u2019t take the laptop. Didn\u2019t take money. Didn\u2019t touch anything except Dad\u2019s files.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Beatrice.<\/p>\n
Her eyes were locked on mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid they get them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I moved everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not telling you over the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSimon\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMason.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think someone knows I found the storage unit.\u201d<\/p>\n
I walked toward the window and looked out.<\/p>\n
Beatrice\u2019s quiet suburban street appeared perfectly normal.<\/p>\n
A woman pushed a stroller. A delivery truck sat two houses down. A silver sedan was parked across the street.<\/p>\n
I stared at it.<\/p>\n
The engine appeared to be running.<\/p>\n
\u201cSimon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid anyone follow you recently?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of car?\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSilver sedan. Older model.\u201d<\/p>\n
The blood drained from my face.<\/p>\n
Across the street, the driver\u2019s head turned.<\/p>\n
I stepped away from the window.<\/p>\n
Beatrice whispered, \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
I ignored her.<\/p>\n
\u201cSimon, where are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the window again.<\/p>\n
The sedan hadn\u2019t moved.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t come here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMason\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone may be outside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beatrice rushed toward the curtain.<\/p>\n
I grabbed her arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
For once, she listened.<\/p>\n
Simon cursed under his breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m calling the police.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beatrice said it sharply.<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean, no?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf this is connected to Kenneth, the police won\u2019t help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
Another secret.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeatrice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes filled with something I couldn\u2019t identify.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Kenneth went to the police before he died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone gave his evidence back to the people he was investigating.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room became utterly silent.<\/p>\n
Grandma Rose whispered, \u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
Beatrice looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Kenneth recognized his own photocopies when they sent them back.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were warning him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Simon heard everything through the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad kept copies?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have them.\u201d<\/p>\n
We all froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Simon repeated, \u201cI have the financial records.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beatrice stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cSimon?\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time that afternoon, something deeply personal appeared in Beatrice\u2019s expression. It wasn\u2019t remorse. It was something harder to understand. \u201cI was unable to have children.\u201d I remained … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3333,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,21,22,1,5,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aita","category-daily-article","category-reddit-stories","category-story","category-story-daily","category-viral-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6401"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6401\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6412,"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6401\/revisions\/6412"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}