Chapter 6: The Notebook That Disappeared
For several seconds, I couldn't move.
The black notebook was gone.
I had left it on the workbench less than an hour earlier. The garage door was locked. The side entrance had a deadbolt. And the only key was in my pocket.
Rebecca walked slowly around the workbench.
“Cedric, don't touch anything else.””
I stared at the empty space where my father's notebook had been.
“Someone was here.””
“Apparently.””
“But how?””
She examined the garage door, then the small window near the ceiling.
“Do you have security cameras?””
“One above the entrance. Another facing the workbench.””
“Show me.””
I pulled out my phone and opened the camera application.
The footage from the previous hour appeared.
At 1:42 p.m., I entered the garage.
At 1:47, I walked to the workbench and picked up a wrench.
At 1:53, I received Dr. Bennett's call.
At 1:56, I left the camera's view to speak with Rebecca.
Then, at 2:03, the image went black.
Seven minutes later, it returned.
The notebook was gone.
Rebecca leaned closer.
“Can you download that footage?””
“Yes.””
“Do it. Don't send it to anyone yet.””
I saved the recording.
Then my phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
*You have something that doesn't belong to you. Return it before this becomes a bigger problem.*
I showed Rebecca.
She read it without changing her expression.
“Another threat?””
“Looks like it.””
She took a photograph of the screen.
“Cedric, we're contacting the police.””
I nodded.
But my mind was somewhere else.
My mother.
For twenty-six years, I had believed she had been a school librarian who loved gardening, old music, and handwritten letters.
My father had never mentioned her involvement in engineering.
Not once.
And now someone was apparently willing to break into my garage to steal the notebook that contained her work.
I called Aunt Margaret.
She answered quickly.
“Cedric?””
“Aunt Margaret, I need to ask you something about Mom.””
There was silence.
“What happened?””
“Did she work on Dad's braking system?””
I heard her take a breath.
“Where did you hear that?””
“Dr. Bennett.””
She didn't answer.
I closed my eyes.
“It's true, isn't it?””
Margaret's voice became quiet.
“Yes.””
I sat on the edge of the workbench.
“Why didn't anyone tell me?””
“Your mother was brilliant, Cedric. She studied mechanical engineering before she married your father.””
I stared at the concrete floor.
“She was an engineer?””
“She designed the original mechanical release mechanism. Your father developed the testing equipment and improved the system. They worked together for years.””
“Why did she stop?””
“Because of Arthur Reed.””
My jaw tightened.
Margaret continued.
“Your mother discovered that the company had been using research from independent inventors without properly recognizing their contributions. She wanted to expose them.””
“Did she?””
“She tried.””
“What happened?””
Margaret paused.
“Arthur offered your parents money to sign over the rights. Your father refused at first. Your mother wanted to take the matter to court.””
“And?””
“They received threats. Someone followed your mother home from work. Your father became frightened.””
I felt a cold pressure in my chest.
“Is that why she died?””
“No, sweetheart. Your mother died from an illness. But she spent the last months of her life worrying that someone would come after you and your father.””
I looked toward the empty workbench.
“What was in that black notebook?””
“Her original calculations. And a letter she wrote to you.””
My throat tightened.
“A letter?””
“Yes.””
“Why didn't you give it to me?””
“Your father asked me to wait until you were old enough to understand what happened.””
I rubbed my forehead.
“I'm thirty-two years old, Aunt Margaret.””
“I know.””
“Then why am I only finding out now?””
She began crying.
“Because I was afraid.””
I softened.
“Afraid of what?””
“Of losing you too.””
Rebecca arranged for the police to examine the garage.
The officer took photographs, collected the camera footage, and recorded the threatening message.
There was no obvious sign of forced entry.
That made the situation worse.
Whoever had taken the notebook had either possessed a key or found another way inside.
I knew exactly who had access.
Naomi.
She had visited the garage countless times.
She knew where I kept spare keys.
She knew the security system.
And she knew the notebook's importance.
I called her.
She answered after four rings.
“Cedric?””
“Did you take my father's notebook?””
Silence.
Then a sharp exhale.
“Why would you accuse me of that?””
“Because someone stole it.””
“That's terrible.””
“Naomi, did you take it?””
“No.””
“Did Xavier?””
“I don't know what Xavier does when I'm not around.””
I leaned against the workbench.
“Did you tell him about my mother's involvement?””
Her breathing changed.
“Your mother?””
“Yes.””
Another silence.
Then she said something that made my stomach tighten.
“Cedric, Xavier already knows about your mother.””
I closed my eyes.
“How?””
“He showed me the original patent application.””
“When?””
“Last week.””
Last week.
Before graduation.
Before the confrontation.
Before I knew any of this existed.
“What did it say?””
“He said your mother was listed as the primary inventor.””
I gripped the edge of the workbench.
“And you knew that?””
“I didn't understand what it meant.””
“Did Xavier?””
“He said the patent had been transferred to his father's company years ago.””
I lowered my voice.
“Naomi, listen carefully. If you have anything from my father's garage, anything at all, return it.””
“I don't have your notebook.””
“Then help me find it.””
She hesitated.
“Cedric, I think you should meet Xavier.””
“No.””
“He wants to make an offer.””
“I already have an offer.””
“Not from him. From his father.””
I stopped.
“Arthur Reed?””
“Yes.””
“What does he want?””
Naomi's voice dropped.
“He wants to meet you privately. Tomorrow morning.””
I laughed bitterly.
“Why doesn't he send his lawyers?””
“He says he wants to explain what happened between him and your father.””
I looked at Rebecca.
She was shaking her head.
“Tell him I'll meet him,” I said.
Rebecca's eyes widened.
“But not privately.””
I continued.
“My lawyer will be there.””
Naomi was quiet.
Then she whispered:
“Cedric, I think Xavier is afraid of his father.””
The call ended.
I stared at the phone.
For the first time, I wondered whether Xavier was the real threat.
Or merely the latest person trapped inside Arthur Reed's shadow.
That night, I returned to the garage alone.
I checked every drawer, every cabinet, and every shelf.
Nothing.
Then I noticed something strange beneath the workbench.
A small rectangular metal plate had been moved.
I crouched and pulled it away.
Behind it was a narrow compartment I had never seen before.
Inside lay a folded piece of paper.
My father's handwriting.
*If the black notebook disappears, look beneath the floor where the first engine rested.*
I read it twice.
Then I looked toward the old engine stand near the back wall.
The concrete beneath it had a different color.
I grabbed a screwdriver and began scraping away the thin layer of dust.
After several minutes, I found a small metal latch.
I pulled.
A narrow compartment opened beneath the floor.
Inside was a sealed plastic container.
And inside that container was a photograph of my parents standing beside a prototype vehicle.
My mother was holding a blueprint.
My father had one arm around her shoulders.
On the back, she had written:
*To our son. One day, you'll understand that the greatest invention isn't a machine. It's the truth we leave behind.*
Beneath the photograph lay a flash drive.
I picked it up.
My phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number appeared.
*Stop digging into your mother's past. Your father already paid the price.*
Then another message arrived.
This one contained a photograph.
It showed the entrance to my garage.
Taken less than a minute earlier.
Someone was watching me.
May you like
And beneath the photograph were six words:
*Arthur Reed knows where you are.*
