The Papers They Thought Would Break Me

“The original deed?” he said.

Robert raised one hand.

“Please sit down.”

But Dad didn’t.

“That deed belongs here,” he said.

“Michael gave it to me.”

I remembered the day clearly.

I had placed the sealed envelope in the blue tin myself.

The deed had been recorded, of course, but the original closing packet had held sentimental value.

Dad had joked that he would keep it safer than a bank.

I looked inside the tin.

The closing statement was there.

The property tax records were there.

The insurance policy was there.

But the deed was missing.

So was the envelope containing my parents’ birth certificates.

Robert noticed the empty space.

“Was the deed in this box?” he asked.

“Yes,” Dad said.

“Who had access?”

My parents looked at Jessica.

She shook her head immediately.

“I didn’t take it.”

“Did Caleb ever come into the workshop?”

I asked.

“Several times,” Dad said.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *