Chapter 13- THE WALL IN MY FATHER’S HOUSE
The new owners of my father’s house were named Mark and Susan Ellis.
They allowed Maya, Evan and me to enter the pantry while their attorney watched over a video call.
Most of the shelves had been removed. Dust covered the floor, and a rectangle of newer drywall stood out against the older plaster.
I remembered Brian installing those shelves.
He had spent an entire Saturday working alone, refusing my offer to help. That evening, he told me he had repaired water damage.
There had never been water damage.
A locksmith opened the metal door in less than five minutes.
Behind it sat a black case wrapped in plastic.
My name was written across the top.
Not in Brian’s handwriting.
In Donna’s.
The case contained copies of investment contracts, family bank statements and photographs of signed documents. Several pages carried signatures that looked like mine.
One folder was labeled LILY.
Inside was a custodial investment account opened using Lily’s Social Security number. More than two hundred thousand dollars had passed through it before being transferred to three shell companies.
I covered my mouth.
“They used her identity,” I whispered.
Evan turned away, swearing under his breath.
At the bottom of the case was a digital voice recorder and a ring holding four keys. One key was tagged STORAGE 318.
Maya stopped me before I touched anything else.
“From this moment forward, this is evidence.”
The county investigator arrived and sealed the room.
As we stepped outside, I saw a beige sedan parked across the street.
Donna sat behind the wheel.
For several seconds, neither of us moved.
Then she lifted her phone and took a photograph of me.
The sedan pulled away before the investigator could reach it.
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That night, Donna’s attorney filed an emergency motion.
She claimed I had entered the house to destroy property belonging to Lily.
