Chapter 3: The Accusation
I had barely sat on my bed when Dad called me downstairs again.
His voice was different this time.
Not angry.
Worse.
Disappointed.
"Emily, come into the study.""
I stepped into the hallway and saw Vanessa waiting beside him.
She had changed into a pale blue sweater. Her hair was tied back, and she held a white envelope against her chest.
Dad stood beside his desk with his arms crossed.
"Sit down," he said.
I looked at the envelope.
"What is that?""
"Something Vanessa found in your room.""
She placed it on the desk.
Inside were several hundred-dollar bills.
I stared at them.
"Those aren't mine.""
Vanessa sighed.
"Emily, please don't make this harder than it has to be.""
I looked at Dad.
"I've never seen that money before.""
"Vanessa says she found it in your desk drawer.""
"Then she put it there!""
Her eyebrows rose.
"You're accusing me of planting money in your room?""
"Yes!""
Dad struck his palm against the desk.
"Enough!""
I flinched.
He rarely raised his voice at me. Before Vanessa, I could count the number of times on one hand.
Now it seemed every conversation ended with him shouting.
He picked up one of the bills.
"Do you understand how serious this is?""
"I'm telling you the truth.""
"Then explain where the money came from.""
"I can't explain something that isn't mine!""
Vanessa moved closer to Dad.
"Robert, I didn't want to bring this up. But I've noticed cash missing from your study over the last few months.""
I turned toward her.
"What?""
She opened her hands.
"I didn't want to believe it was Emily. But after finding this, I don't know what else to think.""
"You're insane.""
"Emily!"" Dad barked.
Vanessa lowered her head.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything.""
She sounded so reasonable that for a moment, I understood exactly how she had fooled him.
She never needed to shout.
She simply placed a lie in front of him, then stood back and let him destroy me with it.
I turned to Dad.
"Check the security cameras.""
He hesitated.
"What?""
"The cameras. You had them installed in the hallway and the study last year. If Vanessa found that money in my desk, check the footage.""
Vanessa's face tightened.
Only for a moment.
Then she smiled sadly.
"The study camera hasn't worked for weeks.""
Dad looked at her.
"Since when?""
"Since the electrician came to fix the lighting.""
I shook my head.
"That's convenient.""
Vanessa sighed.
"Robert, I think we should be careful. She's clearly becoming more hostile.""
I stepped forward.
"Show him the recording.""
She went still.
Dad frowned.
"What recording?""
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone.
"The recording from my teddy bear.""
For the first time since I had entered the study, Vanessa looked frightened.
It was subtle.
Her fingers tightened around the envelope. Her lips parted, but no words came out.
Then she recovered.
"What on earth are you talking about?""
"The teddy bear in my room. There's a recording device inside it.""
Dad stared at me.
"Why would you put a recording device in a stuffed animal?""
"Because someone kept going through my things.""
Vanessa let out a short, incredulous laugh.
"You're spying on your own family now?""
"I'm recording my room!""
"Without anyone's permission?""
"My room isn't your private office!""
Dad held up a hand.
"Stop. Both of you.""
I opened the app.
"I have recordings of Vanessa entering my bedroom. I have recordings of her talking to someone about a file. And I have a recording of a man asking whether you know what happened to Mom.""
The silence that followed was absolute.
Dad's face changed.
"What did you just say?""
Vanessa took one step toward me.
"Emily, give me your phone.""
I pulled it away.
"No.""
"Give it to me.""
"No!""
She lunged.
Dad caught her arm.
"Vanessa, what are you doing?""
She looked at him, startled.
Then her eyes filled with tears again.
"I'm trying to protect this family!""
I backed toward the door.
"Then let him listen!""
My thumb hovered over the audio file.
But before I could press play, Vanessa screamed.
"She's lying! She's making recordings and editing them to make me look guilty!""
"I haven't edited anything!""
"She's been obsessed with me for years, Robert! She's always wanted you to leave me!""
Dad turned to me.
"Emily, put the phone down.""
"Dad—"
"Put it down.""
I stared at him.
He wasn't asking because he wanted to hear the recording.
He was asking because he had already decided he didn't want to.
I lowered my phone.
Vanessa exhaled shakily.
"Thank you.""
Then she looked at me.
"And now I think it's time we discussed your living arrangements.""
My father turned.
"What does that mean?""
Vanessa folded her arms.
"She's nearly eighteen. She refuses to respect me, refuses to contribute to the household, and now she's secretly recording us. Perhaps she would be happier living somewhere else.""
I felt as though the floor had disappeared beneath my feet.
Dad looked at her for a long moment.
Then he looked at me.
"Emily, is that what you want?""
"No!""
"Because I can't keep having these fights every day.""
"Then believe me!""
He rubbed his forehead.
"I'm trying to keep this family together.""
"No, Dad. You're trying to keep Vanessa happy.""
The words came out before I could stop them.
He went completely still.
Vanessa pressed a hand against her chest.
"Robert, I can't do this anymore.""
She turned toward the door.
"I need some air.""
As she passed me, she leaned close enough that her perfume filled my nose.
"Delete the recordings," she whispered.
"Or you'll regret it.""
I watched her leave.
Dad sank into his chair.
For a moment, I saw the father who used to sit beside my bed when I had nightmares. The man who had taught me to ride a bicycle, who had held my hand at my mother's funeral, who had promised that nothing would ever happen to me while he was around.
I moved toward him.
"Dad, please.""
He didn't look up.
"I don't know what to believe anymore.""
"Then listen to the recording.""
"What if you've misunderstood it?""
"How can I misunderstand her saying that you only know what she wants you to know?""
He closed his eyes.
"Emily, I loved your mother. You know that.""
"I know.""
"And I would never allow anyone to hurt her.""
My throat tightened.
"Then why are you letting Vanessa hurt me?""
He looked at me.
There was pain in his face.
But there was something else, too.
Fear.
Not fear of me.
Fear of what I might uncover.
I took a step backward.
"Do you know that man?""
Dad frowned.
"What man?""
"The one in the recording. The man who asked Vanessa whether you knew what happened to Mom.""
He stared at me.
Then he stood so abruptly that his chair rolled backward.
"Where did you hear that?""
"In the recording.""
"What exactly did he say?""
I repeated the words as closely as I could remember them.
Dad gripped the edge of the desk.
His knuckles turned white.
"Play it.""
I hurried to unlock my phone.
But the recording app had closed.
When I opened it again, the file wouldn't load.
I tried a second time.
Nothing.
A message appeared on the screen.
*FILE UNAVAILABLE.*
I felt my stomach drop.
"No.""
I tapped another recording.
Unavailable.
Another.
Unavailable.
Every file had disappeared from the app.
I looked at Dad.
"She deleted them.""
He stared at my phone.
"How?""
"I don't know!""
I tried opening the backup folder on my laptop through the app. My password worked, but the uploaded files were missing too.
Someone had accessed the account.
Someone had deleted the copies.
I turned toward the door.
"Vanessa!""
Dad caught my arm.
"Wait.""
"She did this!""
"Emily, listen to me.""
I looked at him.
He seemed older than he had that morning.
"Do you have any other copies?""
I hesitated.
There was one recording I hadn't uploaded.
The first recording I'd played at school.
The one containing the man's voice and Vanessa's words about my mother.
I'd saved it separately on an old memory card inside my desk drawer.
Vanessa didn't know about that.
At least, I hoped she didn't.
"Yes," I whispered.
Dad let go of my arm.
"Where?""
"In my room.""
"Then we need to get it.""
We hurried upstairs.
But when I opened my bedroom door, I stopped dead.
My desk drawers were open.
My schoolbooks lay scattered across the floor. The contents of my jewelry box had been dumped onto the bed, and the small wooden box where I kept my mother's letters sat empty beside the lamp.
Someone had searched the room.
Someone had known exactly what to look for.
I rushed toward my desk.
The memory card was gone.
"No!""
I tore through the drawers, lifted the mattress, and checked beneath the rug.
Nothing.
Dad stood in the doorway, staring at the mess.
"Who did this?""
I turned toward him.
"Vanessa.""
He didn't argue.
For the first time, he didn't tell me I was being unreasonable.
He walked to the shelf and picked up my teddy bear.
"Is this where the device was?""
I nodded.
He turned the bear over, examining the little patch.
"How long have you had this?""
"Since I was four.""
His fingers paused against the faded ribbon.
Then he said something I had never expected to hear.
"Your mother used to hide things in stuffed animals, too.""
I looked up.
"What?""
Dad's expression changed as if he'd said too much.
"Nothing.""
"No, Dad. What do you mean?""
He placed the teddy bear back on the shelf.
"After your mother died, I found a few of her old notes tucked inside your toys. She used to leave them for you when she traveled.""
"Did you find anything else?""
He didn't answer.
I stepped closer.
"Dad, did you ever find anything about the accident?""
He turned away.
"That's enough for tonight.""
"Please!""
He walked toward the door.
Then he stopped.
"Lock your bedroom door. Don't let Vanessa in.""
My heart skipped.
"Why?""
He looked over his shoulder.
"Because I need to find out what she's hiding.""
He left before I could ask another question.
I stood in the middle of my destroyed bedroom, staring at the teddy bear.
The recording was gone.
The memory card was gone.
My mother's letters were gone.
But I had one thing Vanessa couldn't erase.
My memory.
I remembered the man's voice.
I remembered his exact words.
And I remembered the metallic rattle that followed him everywhere.
As I picked up the teddy bear, my fingers brushed against something hard beneath its left paw.
I turned it over.
There was a tiny silver key stitched into the lining.
I had never seen it before.
May you like
And tied to the key was a strip of paper with three words written in my mother's handwriting.
*THE BLUE BOX.*
