Chapter 2 - The Guests Who Refused to Leave
Vanessa spun around.
“What are you doing?”
I watched the iron gate close across the driveway.
The mechanism hummed quietly.
A few seconds later, the gate stopped.
A red light appeared on the control panel.
Locked.
Vanessa stared at it.
Then she turned toward me.
“Open that gate!”
I continued rocking.
“Why?”
“Because our car is inside!”
“You can leave whenever you're ready. I'll open it for your departure.”
Her father, Richard, stepped forward.
He was a tall man with silver hair and the expression of someone accustomed to being obeyed.
“This is unnecessary, Leah.”
I looked at him.
“Then your visit was unnecessary too.”
His wife, Patricia, folded her arms.
“We drove three hours to get here.”
“That was your decision.”
Vanessa marched toward the porch steps.
“Jared told us we could come!”
I stood.
“Jared doesn't own this property.”
“He's Thomas's son!”
“And I'm Thomas's widow.”
She laughed bitterly.
“You're seriously going to treat family this way?”
I thought about the night she threw me out.
About Jared refusing to look at me.
About the message demanding money before anyone bothered to ask whether I had arrived safely.
“Yes,” I said.
“When family behaves this way.”
Vanessa's eyes narrowed.
“You can't keep us out.”
I stepped toward the front door.
“Watch me.”
Richard lifted a hand.
“Let's be reasonable.”
I stopped.
He smiled in a way that reminded me of used-car salesmen.
“We're not here to fight.”
“Then why are you here?”
“To inspect the investment.”
I stared at him.
“What investment?”
He glanced toward the cabin.
“Thomas left Jared the penthouse. Obviously, there must be some relationship between these properties.”
“There isn't.”
Richard's expression changed slightly.
“You don't know that.”
I felt a warning stir inside me.
“What exactly are you suggesting?”
He cleared his throat.
“Perhaps the cabin should be professionally valued before anyone makes permanent decisions.”
“Why?”
“Because estate distributions should be fair.”
I almost laughed.
“Fair?”
Vanessa stepped closer.
“Jared got a penthouse with enormous expenses. You got a paid-off house.”
I folded my arms.
“Your complaint is that my husband left me somewhere affordable to live?”
She flushed.
“That's not what I said.”
“It's exactly what you said.”
Patricia looked at the windows.
“This place must be worth a fortune.”
There it was.
The truth.
They had expected a shack.
Now they saw wealth.
And suddenly, the cabin mattered.
I glanced toward their SUV.
“You need to leave.”
Vanessa's face hardened.
“I'm calling Jared.”
“Please do.”
She pulled out her phone.
I went inside and locked the door.
Through the front window, I watched her pacing across my porch.
Richard examined the outdoor security cameras.
Patricia walked toward the greenhouse.
I opened the window.
“Please stay away from my greenhouse.”
Patricia stopped.
“I'm only looking.”
“From the driveway, please.”
She rolled her eyes.
My phone rang.
Jared.
I answered.
“Mom, what's going on?”
“Your wife brought her parents to my house without asking.”
“They just want to see the place.”
“They announced they were staying for the weekend.”
A pause.
“Can't you let them stay one night?”
“No.”
“Mom, you're being difficult.”
I closed my eyes.
For thirty-six years, I had heard that tone.
The tone Jared used when he wanted something and believed I would eventually surrender.
“Your wife threw me out of your home.”
“She didn't throw you out.”
“She told me to pack that night.”
He sighed.
“You know how Vanessa gets.”
“Yes.”
I looked through the window.
“I'm beginning to understand exactly how she gets.”
“Please don't embarrass her parents.”
“Then perhaps they shouldn't trespass on my property.”
Jared lowered his voice.
“Mom, I need you to cooperate.”
I froze.
“Cooperate with what?”
Silence.
“Jared?”
He sighed.
“Vanessa's father thinks there might be a way to restructure the estate assets.”
My blood went cold.
“Restructure?”
“He knows people in real estate.”
“Jared, what have you told them?”
“Nothing serious.”
“Then why are they here?”
He didn't answer.
I looked toward Richard.
He was photographing the exterior walls.
Something about the situation felt increasingly wrong.
“Jared, are they planning to sell my property?”
“Mom, nobody said that.”
“Then tell them to leave.”
I ended the call.
Outside, Vanessa was still arguing with her father.
I picked up the notebook from the kitchen counter.
Thomas had filled it with renovation records.
But several pages near the back were sealed inside a clear protective sleeve.
I hadn't examined them yet.
A handwritten note appeared above the sleeve.
“Important: If Richard ever visits, read this first.”
My heart slammed against my ribs.
Richard.
Vanessa's father.
Why would Thomas mention him?
I sat down.
Inside the sleeve was a copy of a business agreement dated eleven years earlier.
Thomas had invested in a real estate development company.
The company was called Eastbrook Holdings.
Richard's signature appeared on the final page.
I frowned.
Thomas had never mentioned investing with Richard.
I turned the page.
A second document showed the investment had ended in a dispute.
Then came a letter from an attorney.
Thomas had accused Richard of misrepresenting property values and concealing liabilities.
My mouth went dry.
At the bottom of the letter, Thomas had written:
“Richard doesn't forget money he believes he deserves.”
I stared at the words.
Outside, Vanessa knocked loudly.
“Leah! Open the door!”
I didn't move.
Then Richard spoke.
“Mrs. Bennett, I believe we should discuss your husband's property arrangements.”
His voice had changed.
The false friendliness was gone.
I approached the door without unlocking it.
“There's nothing to discuss.”
“You may be sitting on an asset with legal complications.”
“Then my attorney can handle them.”
A long pause followed.
Richard spoke again.
“Did Thomas leave you any additional paperwork?”
My stomach tightened.
I looked toward the notebook.
“Why?”
“Because there are matters you may not understand.”
I forced my voice to remain steady.
“Then you can explain them through a lawyer.”
He laughed softly.
“That would be expensive.”
“It's my expense to decide.”
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then I heard Patricia whisper something.
Richard answered sharply.
“Get in the car.”
Vanessa protested.
“Dad!”
“Now.”
I waited until all three had returned to the SUV.
Then I used the remote to open the gate.
They drove away.
But before Richard reached the road, he stopped.
He lowered his window.
And looked directly toward my security camera.
I couldn't hear what he said.
But I could read his lips.
“This isn't over.”
I closed the curtains.
Then I returned to Thomas's notebook.
There was one more sealed envelope hidden beneath the protective sleeve.
May you like
On the front, in my husband's familiar handwriting, were five words.
“Leah, trust nobody with this.”
