I stared at her. “Grace…”
“I’m serious.” Her voice trembled, but she didn’t look away. “Open it.”
My fingers shook as I lifted the lid.
Inside was a stack of cash wrapped in rubber bands.
Underneath the money was an envelope.
On top, in Rebecca’s unmistakable handwriting, were four words:
For Mother Evelyn only.
I think I stopped breathing.
With Grace watching me, I opened the envelope and unfolded several pages of paper. The letter inside was dated three days before the supposed accident.
I began to read.
If you are holding this, then things have gone very wrong—or exactly as we feared they would.
My vision blurred so badly I had to blink twice.
The letter explained everything.
Daniel had discovered that his business partner had been laundering money through their construction company. When Daniel threatened to go to the authorities, the man turned dangerous. There had been threats. Strange cars parked outside the house. Silent phone calls at night. Rebecca had become terrified for the children.
They had gone to the police once, according to the letter, but were warned that unless there was stronger evidence, there was little they could do immediately. Daniel had started gathering records secretly. He believed someone close to the business was watching them.
Then came the part that made my hands go cold.
Daniel and Rebecca had arranged to disappear.
Not forever, the letter insisted. Only long enough to turn evidence over to federal investigators working a wider case. They had been told that if word got out, the children could be used against them. Leaving all seven children with me had been the only way to keep them safe without raising suspicion. The “accident” was part of a covert protection plan coordinated through law enforcement beyond our county.
If the operation succeeded, they would return.
If it failed—or if contact became impossible—Rebecca had hidden the box for me as a last resort.
Inside were cash savings, copies of birth records, deed information, and another sealed packet marked: If ten years pass with no word, open this and look for us.
By the time I reached the end of the first letter, Grace was crying.
