Chapter 3 - The Midnight Raid
At 1:00 AM, under the cover of a torrential Georgia downpour, I parked my car a block away from Arthur’s estate. The towering gates of the mansion were shut, but Lucy knew the code to the pedestrian side-gate.
"Stay in the car, Grandpa. It's safer," Lucy urged.
"Absolutely not," I replied, grabbing a flashlight. "We do this together."
We slipped through the shadows of the manicured lawn. The massive house was dark, save for a single light burning in the master bedroom. Through the rain, I could see two silhouettes moving behind the sheer curtains. One was Arthur. The other was Chloe, the young woman from the white van. They were already packing Rose’s clothes into heavy black trash bags. My hands shook with rage, but I forced myself to focus.
We crept toward the wooden playhouse at the edge of the property, hidden beneath the weeping willows.
Inside, the air was musty and smelled of cedar. Lucy knelt in the corner, pushing aside a miniature wooden table. She pointed to a specific plank. I used a small crowbar I had brought to gently pry the board open.
Beneath the dirt and cobwebs lay a waterproof metal box.
Using the brass key, Lucy unlocked it. Inside lay a thick, leather-bound notebook, a digital voice recorder, and a thick, wax-sealed blue envelope with my name, Charles, written on it in Rose’s elegant handwriting.
Just as I reached for the box, the bright beam of a flashlight illuminated the playhouse doorway.
"Well, well. Look at the little thieves," a cruel, familiar voice sneered.
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It was Arthur. He stood in the doorway, holding a golf club in one hand and a flashlight in the other. Beside him stood Chloe, wearing one of Rose’s expensive silk robes, a smug, mocking smile plastered on her face.
"Get out of my way, Charles," Arthur hissed, stepping into the small space. "And hand over whatever you just dug up. This is my property. Everything on this land belongs to me."
