The officer said, “Ma’am, step back.”
Valerie’s smile vanished.
The locksmith opened the safe.
Inside were three things.
A stack of cash.
Mom’s missing jewelry box.
And a folder labeled S.C. — Final.
S.C.
Sarah Collins.
My mother.
Grandma made a sound like she had been punched.
Adrian put on gloves before touching anything.
The jewelry box was the one Mom used to keep on her dresser. After she died, Dad told me it had been lost during “cleaning.” I had cried for two days because Mom’s pearl earrings were inside.
They were still there.
So was her gold bracelet.
So was a little silver necklace with a moon charm I had given her when I was twelve.
But beneath the jewelry tray was a sealed envelope.
My name was on it.
Chloe — only if necessary.
Adrian looked at me.
“You don’t have to open it here.”
Valerie laughed from the doorway.
“Oh, open it. Let’s all enjoy Sarah’s little ghost show.”
Grandma turned so sharply Valerie stepped back.
“You are one sentence away from leaving in handcuffs.”
Valerie raised both hands.
But she kept smiling.
I opened the envelope.
Inside was a photograph.
For a moment, I didn’t understand what I was seeing.
It was a picture of Dad and Valerie on a beach.
Not recent.
Younger.
Much younger.