Chapter 1 - The Hidden Ledger
The cheap motel room smelled of stale cigarettes and damp carpet.
Emily sat on the edge of the lumpy mattress holding a blood-soaked towel to her bandaged head.
Lily was crying quietly in the corner because she had left her favorite stuffed rabbit at my mother’s house.
I knew going back there was a terrible idea.
But my daughter had just watched her grandmother assault her mother, and I needed to give her some comfort.
I told Emily to lock the door and not let anyone inside.
I drove back to the sprawling estate, parking two blocks away to avoid detection.
The house was entirely dark when I slipped through the unlocked kitchen window.
I crept up the carpeted stairs toward the guest bedroom where Lily had been sleeping.
As I passed my sister-in-law Vanessa’s room, I heard the faint sound of hushed voices.
I pressed my ear against the heavy oak door.
Vanessa’s husband, Greg, was pacing the floor and whispering frantically into his cell phone.
He was telling someone that the paperwork needed to be finalized before I realized the money was gone.
My heart pounded against my ribs.
I waited until Greg walked into the adjoining bathroom and turned on the shower.
I slowly opened the bedroom door and slipped inside.
Vanessa’s massive walk-in closet was filled with designer clothes bought with money she claimed they earned at the dental practice.
I noticed a loose floorboard beneath a row of expensive leather boots.
I knelt down and pried the wood up with my bare hands.
Inside the hidden cavity sat a small steel lockbox with the key still in the keyhole.
I turned the key and lifted the lid.
Inside was a thick black ledger and a stack of life insurance documents.
I opened the folder and felt the blood drain completely from my face.
Vanessa and Greg had taken out a five million dollar life insurance policy.
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The insured person on the document was my wife, Emily.
And the policy included a massive bonus payout if Emily died in a tragic accident before the end of the year.
