Chapter 3 - Whispers in the Dark
The clock on the bedside table read 2:14 AM.
Daniel lay awake staring at the ceiling, listening to the rhythmic breathing of his wife beside him. Except Victoria wasn't asleep.
Her breathing was too shallow, too deliberate. A few moments later, the sheets rustled softly. Daniel kept his eyes closed, breathing evenly through his nose. Victoria slid out from beneath the duvet, her bare feet making almost no sound on the plush carpet.
Daniel counted to ten, then opened his eyes. The bedroom door was cracked open, revealing a sliver of yellow light from the home office down the corridor.
Silently, Daniel slipped out of bed. He crept down the hallway, staying close to the wall where the floorboards wouldn't creak. As he approached the slightly ajar office door, Victoria’s hushed, urgent voice cut through the silence.
"I don't care about his feelings, Marcus," Victoria was whispering into her phone. "The old man is already losing his grip. Daniel came home early tonight and made a massive scene because Arthur was on the floor."
Daniel froze outside the door, his heart pounding against his ribs.
"If Daniel starts looking into Arthur’s finances, the whole thing falls apart," Victoria continued, her voice sharp with impatience. "You told me the Power of Attorney only needed Arthur's signature and a notary. We have the notary covered. But if Arthur tells Daniel about the deed in the county registry, Daniel will contest it immediately."
There was a pause as the person on the other end—Marcus—spoke. Daniel recognized the name. Marcus Vance was an estate attorney and Victoria's longtime friend from college. Daniel had always found the man sleazy, but Victoria had insisted Marcus handle their tax filings.
"No," Victoria snapped in response. "Arthur won't sign willingly. He's stubborn. Today I had to withhold his blood pressure medication until he agreed to look at the papers, and even then, he knocked the pen out of my hand. That’s why he was on the floor, Marcus! I was punishing him. He needs to understand that he has no leverage here."
Daniel's blood ran ice-cold. *She withheld his medication?*
A wave of pure disgust washed over him. The woman he had loved for four years, the woman he had married in a lavish garden ceremony two summers ago, was an absolute monster. She was starving and neglecting his father not out of spite, but out of premeditated extortion.
"Just have the courier bring the revised conservatorship documents tomorrow afternoon," Victoria said, her tone returning to its icy composure. "Daniel has a corporate budget meeting until 6:00 PM. I’ll make Arthur sign before Daniel gets back. Once the property transfer is filed, Daniel can be as mad as he wants. The land will already be in my family’s trust."
She ended the call.
Daniel took two quiet steps back, then retreated into the darkness of the guest room across the hall. He slipped inside and stood behind the heavy oak door, listening as Victoria’s footsteps padded past and back into their master bedroom.
Inside the guest room, Arthur was sleeping peacefully on a real bed for the first time in months. The soft moonlight fell across the old man’s scarred forehead and silver hair.
Daniel walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. He clenched his fists until his fingernails bit into his palms, drawing blood.
*What deed? What property?*
Arthur had been an ironworker his entire life. As far as Daniel knew, his parents had rented a modest duplex in the industrial district until Daniel’s mother passed away eight years ago. Arthur had never owned real estate—or so Daniel had believed.
Suddenly, Arthur stirred. He opened his eyes, blinking in the darkness.
"Danny?" the old man murmured, reaching out with a trembling hand.
"I'm here, Dad," Daniel said softly, taking his father's hand. "I'm right here."
Arthur looked around the room, making sure no one else was there. Then, with sudden clarity that pierced his usual fog, he reached beneath his undershirt. Hanging around his neck on a frayed leather shoelace was a small, tarnished brass key.
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"Danny," Arthur whispered, his voice trembling with an urgency that sent chills down Daniel's spine. "She’s looking for it. She’s searched my pockets every day. You have to take it before she cuts the string."
***
