Chapter 4 - The Final Lesson
The agents led Marcus and Vanessa out in handcuffs.
The sound of the metal clicking was a symphony to my ears.
Marcus didn't scream this time.
He just looked at the floor, his face pale and hollow.
The relatives lingered for a moment, looking at me with a mixture of fear and awe.
They realized that I wasn't the weak link in the family.
I was the one who had been tempered by the fire.
"Elena," Uncle Raymond started, his voice soft. "We didn't know."
"I know you didn't," I said.
"But you were happy to watch him punch me."
"You were happy to believe I was the thief because it was easier than looking at him."
I looked at the door.
"Please leave."
They left.
The house was finally quiet.
Samuel Price remained, packing his briefcase.
"He was very proud of you, Elena," Samuel said.
"He told me that giving you this burden was the hardest thing he ever did."
"But he knew you were the only one strong enough to carry it."
I sat down in my father’s chair.
I felt the weight of the silver flash drive in my hand.
"There’s more, isn't there?"
Samuel nodded.
"The flash drive. It’s for you. Only you."
I waited until Samuel left before I plugged the drive into the computer.
A video file appeared on the screen.
It was my father, sitting in his hospital bed.
He looked thin, his skin translucent.
But his eyes were sharp.
"Hello, Elena," he said on the screen.
"If you're watching this, Marcus is likely on his way to a jail cell."
"I'm sorry I had to use you as the bait."
"I'm sorry you had to take that punch."
He paused, a ghost of a smile appearing on his lips.
"But I knew you wouldn't break."
"Marcus was always the storm, Elena. All noise and destruction."
"But you were the lighthouse."
"I didn't leave you two million dollars in a safe."
"Because money is what ruined your brother."
"I left you the estate, yes. But I also left you the truth."
"In the sixth folder, you'll find the deed to the mountain house."
"The one Marcus didn't know about."
"Under the floorboards in the library there, you'll find what’s left of the real inheritance."
"It’s not cash. It’s land. It’s legacy."
"Use it to build something that doesn't crumble, my daughter."
"And never apologize for being the one who survived."
The video faded to black.
I leaned back and closed my eyes.
The blood on my dress had dried, a dark stain of history.
I thought about the nights I spent in that hospital chair.
The way he would squeeze my hand when Marcus wasn't looking.
The way he would point to the clock, counting down the minutes.
He hadn't been waiting to die.
He had been waiting for justice.
May you like
And I was the one who delivered it.
***
