He didn’t look surprised.
He just looked completely defeated.
“I knew you’d come eventually, son,” Manuel whispered.
Alvin pointed at the key in his father’s trembling hand.
“Dad…
what does that open?”
Manuel closed his fist tightly around the metal.
“Something your brother and his wife haven’t been able to find.”.
Manuel’s hand wouldn’t stop shaking.
Alvin gently placed his own hand over his father’s fist.
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“Dad.
Talk to me.”
Manuel looked toward the house, then back at his son.
“Not here,” he whispered.
“They installed a camera.
Above the back door.”
Alvin went cold.
They slipped inside the shed.
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Carmen was still awake, sitting on the edge of her cot in the dark.
When she saw Alvin, she pressed both hands over her mouth to stop herself from making a sound.
“How long?” Alvin asked quietly.
“Eight months,” Carmen whispered.
“Derek said it was temporary.
Just until they got back on their feet.”
“And the key, Dad?”
Manuel set it on the narrow wooden shelf between the cots.
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“Before Derek moved in, I had a feeling something wasn’t right.
So I made a copy of every document in this house.
The original deed.
The insurance policies.
Your mother’s jewelry inventory.” He paused.
“And the will.”
Alvin stared at him.
“What about the will?”
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Manuel’s jaw tightened.
“Derek had your mother sign a new one.
She didn’t understand what she was signing.
He told her it was a tax form.”
Carmen looked down at her hands.
“I’m so sorry, son.
I didn’t know.”
A light clicked on in the main house.
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Someone was moving toward the back door.
Alvin pressed his back against the shed wall and held one finger to his lips.
Manuel and Carmen didn’t move.
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The back door opened.
A wedge of yellow light fell across the yard.
Footsteps crossed the porch — slow, unhurried.
Then Veronica’s voice cut through the dark.
“Manuel?
Are you out here again?”
Silence.
“I can see the shed light.” A pause.
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“I’m going to need you both to keep the light off after ten.
We have guests trying to sleep.”
The footsteps retreated.
The door clicked shut.
Carmen let out a breath so carefully it was almost silent.
