Then I played the second.
Then the third.
By the fourth, I understood why he had hidden the box.
He was afraid.
My son had been afraid.
The man who had negotiated million-dollar contracts without blinking had been afraid of people inside his own circle.
Then I found the envelope.
It was thicker than the others.
On the front were five words.
IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO ME.
My hands went numb.
I opened it.
Inside was a handwritten letter.
Mom,
If you are reading this, something happened that I hoped would never happen.
I don’t know who I can trust.
But I know one thing.
You were always right about people.
You just trusted your heart more than your instincts.
If I die unexpectedly, don’t let anyone convince you that you have no rights.
Don’t let anyone send you away.
Don’t sign anything.
And most importantly, don’t trust Vanessa.
I dropped the letter.
For several seconds, I could not move.
Then I noticed another sentence at the bottom.
There is something else you need to know about the cabin.
I read it again.
Then again.
There was a second compartment.
This time, it wasn’t beneath the living room.
It was inside the wall behind the old altar.
