Manuel’s hand found hers in the dark.
Alvin waited a full two minutes before he spoke.
“The documents.
Luggage
Where are the copies?”
Manuel picked up the rusted key from the shelf.
“Safe deposit box.
Regions Bank on Bull Street.
I’ve had it since before Derek was born.” He turned the key over in his palm.
“I opened a second box eighteen months ago, just for this.
Everything is in there.
Originals and copies both.”
Shed organization systems
“Does Derek know about the box?”
“He knows about the old one.
Not the new one.”
Alvin looked at his father — really looked at him.
The man had lost weight.
The skin beneath his eyes was dark and loose.
But his grip on that key was steady.
“Dad, I need to ask you something, and I need you to tell me the truth.”
Interior design consultation
“Always.”
“Did you sign anything?
Any document Derek put in front of you?”
Manuel shook his head.
“I refused every time.
That’s why we’re in the shed.”
Carmen made a small sound — not quite a word.
Alvin turned to her.
Home security systems
“Mom.”
She kept her eyes on her hands.
“He said if your father didn’t cooperate, he would report to the bank that your father had dementia.
That he wasn’t competent to manage his own affairs.” Her voice was barely above a breath.
“He said they would appoint a conservator.
That we would lose control of everything anyway.”
The shed felt smaller suddenly.
Doors & Windows
“He threatened to have Dad declared incompetent,” Alvin said.
Carmen nodded once.
Alvin stood up and walked to the small window.
Through the trees, the main house was settling back into darkness.
Derek and Veronica’s bedroom light was still on.
He could see the shadow of someone moving behind the curtain — his curtain, the one his mother had sewn by hand twenty years ago, now hanging in a room his parents were no longer allowed to enter.
“I need you both to do exactly one thing tomorrow morning,” Alvin said, turning back.
Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
“Act completely normal.
Don’t change anything.
Don’t tell Derek I was here.”
“Alvin—”
“I mean it, Dad.
Not a word.
Not a look.” He crouched down so he was level with both of them.
“Inez is already pulling the documents.
