Chapter 8: The Music Box Angela Left Behind
Malik held the silver key in his palm.
It was small, slightly tarnished, and attached to a faded blue ribbon.
I looked at him.
"Son, where did you get that?""
"Mom gave it to me at the hospital.""
He swallowed.
"She told me to keep it safe.""
My mother covered her mouth.
I remembered the music box.
It was a beautiful little wooden box with carved flowers on the lid. Angela had bought it at an antique shop during one of our vacations.
After her funeral, Malik refused to let anyone touch it.
He kept it on his bedroom shelf.
For years, I assumed it was simply a sentimental gift.
Now I wondered what else Angela had hidden inside it.
"Where is the box?"" I asked.
"Upstairs.""
"Can you bring it down?""
He nodded.
As he climbed the stairs, Denise suddenly moved.
"Malik, wait.""
I stepped in front of her.
"Stay where you are.""
"That box belongs to me.""
I stared at her.
"Since when?""
"Angela gave it to the family.""
"No. She gave it to her son.""
Denise looked toward Daniel.
"You're allowing this to become completely unreasonable.""
Daniel calmly replied.
"Nobody is preventing you from leaving. But I would strongly recommend that you stop making claims about property you have no right to take.""
She sat back down.
A few minutes later, Malik returned carrying the music box.
It was about the size of a hardcover book, with dark wooden sides and a tiny brass clasp.
He placed it on the coffee table.
My mother touched the lid.
"Your mother loved this box.""
Malik nodded.
"She used to play the music for me when I couldn't sleep.""
I looked at the key.
"Have you ever opened it?""
"Yes.""
"What was inside?""
"Just the music mechanism.""
He carefully inserted the key into the small lock beneath the lid.
It turned.
A soft clicking sound followed.
The lid opened.
A delicate melody began playing.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Malik reached inside and removed a small folded piece of paper.
He looked at me.
"Mom told me not to open this until I was old enough to understand.""
I felt my throat tighten.
He handed it to me.
The paper was yellowed around the edges.
Angela's handwriting appeared across the front.
For Marcus and Malik. When the truth can no longer hurt us.
My hands trembled.
I unfolded it.
There was a short message.
Marcus, if you're reading this, then someone has tried to use the past against our family. Please don't trust appearances. The records David gave me are hidden beneath the music mechanism. I kept them because I believed they might one day protect our son.
I looked inside the box again.
The music mechanism appeared to have a false wooden base.
I carefully lifted it.
Beneath it was a small plastic sleeve containing a USB drive and several folded documents.
My mother began crying.
"Angela...""
I picked up the USB drive.
There was a label written in black ink.
*DAVID — ORIGINAL RECORDS.*
Daniel immediately stepped forward.
"Marcus, don't plug that into a personal computer.""
I nodded.
"We'll have it examined properly.""
He photographed the documents and placed everything into a protective evidence envelope.
But one folded page had already caught my attention.
It was a handwritten list of names.
Beside each name was an amount of money.
At the bottom was the name of a company I recognized.
Hayes Financial Consulting.
I looked at Daniel.
"Is that the same company?""
He examined the page.
"It appears to be.""
Anthony stepped closer.
"That's impossible.""
I turned toward him.
"Why?""
He pointed to a date.
"That company wasn't established until eight years after David died.""
Daniel examined it carefully.
"Then this may be a later addition or a reference to a successor business. We need to verify the corporate records.""
My mother sat down.
"Angela must have kept investigating.""
I looked at the papers.
"Why didn't she tell me?""
My mother shook her head.
"She was afraid.""
"Of Denise's father?""
"Of what he could do if he knew the records still existed.""
I stared at the music box.
Angela had carried that secret into her final days.
And she had trusted our eleven-year-old son to protect it.
I looked toward Malik.
"Did Denise ever ask you about this box?""
He nodded.
"Several times.""
"When?""
"After Dad married her.""
"What did she ask?""
"She wanted to know if Mom had left me anything important.""
My chest tightened.
"What did you tell her?""
"I said no.""
He looked down.
"Then she asked if I could give her the music box because it didn't match my room.""
I stared at Denise.
She was sitting very still.
"Did you know what was inside?""
She shook her head.
"I never opened it.""
"Then why were you so interested?""
She didn't answer.
Daniel placed the evidence envelope inside his briefcase.
"Marcus, I need to make some calls. These documents may relate to an old financial investigation.""
He stepped into the hallway.
Anthony remained near the sofa.
I looked at him.
"Why didn't you tell me about David's investigation years ago?""
Anthony lowered his eyes.
"Because Dad told me to forget it.""
"Why?""
"He said David had made dangerous enemies. He didn't want us reopening anything.""
"Did you know Angela had the records?""
Anthony nodded.
"Not until recently.""
I looked at him sharply.
"How recently?""
"Denise told me last summer.""
My hands tightened.
"What exactly did she tell you?""
"She said Angela had stolen confidential documents from her father's company. She wanted me to find them before someone else did.""
I shook my head.
"She told you that?""
"Yes.""
"And you believed her?""
Anthony looked devastated.
"I didn't know what to believe.""
I turned away.
I couldn't understand how my brother had allowed himself to become involved.
Then Malik spoke.
"Dad?""
I turned.
"Yes, son?""
"There's something else.""
He reached into the music box again.
This time, he removed a tiny envelope hidden beneath the false base.
It was sealed.
My name was written on it.
I carefully opened it.
Inside was a letter from Angela.
Unlike the earlier note, this one was several pages long.
I recognized the handwriting immediately.
My eyes blurred as I read the first paragraph.
My love, if you have found this letter, then I am no longer there to explain what happened. There is something I never told you because I wanted to protect you from a painful truth.
I stopped.
My mother placed a hand on my shoulder.
I continued.
David did not die because of a simple accident. Before his death, he discovered that someone had been using our family's identities to move money. He came to me because he believed the people involved were close to us.
I looked at Anthony.
He had gone pale.
I continued reading.
One of the names he discovered was someone connected to Denise's family. But the person who frightened me most wasn't her father.
My heart began pounding.
The next sentence was underlined.
It was someone I already knew. Someone Marcus trusted like a brother.
I slowly raised my eyes.
Anthony was staring at the letter.
His lips parted.
"No," he whispered.
I looked back down.
Angela's final paragraph was short.
Marcus, I never wanted you to believe your brother was involved. But if anything happens to me, please investigate the transfer made three days before David died. The money came from an account connected to Anthony.
The room fell silent.
I felt as though someone had punched me in the chest.
I looked at my younger brother.
"Anthony.""
He stepped backward.
"Marcus, listen.""
I held up the letter.
"Did you transfer money three days before David died?""
He shook his head.
"That was twenty-two years ago.""
"Did you?""
"I was young. I didn't understand what was happening.""
"Answer me!""
Anthony's eyes filled with tears.
"I moved money because David asked me to!""
I stared at him.
"Why?""
"He said it was evidence. He told me to transfer it to an account he controlled.""
"Then why did Angela think you were involved?""
Anthony covered his face.
"Because I didn't tell her what happened afterward.""
I stepped closer.
"What happened afterward?""
Anthony looked at Malik.
Then at my mother.
Finally, he looked directly at me.
"The money disappeared.""
My stomach tightened.
"How much?""
He whispered:
"Two hundred and forty thousand dollars.""
I felt my legs weaken.
That amount was almost identical to the original financial settlement my father had received after David's death.
The money we believed had gone toward legal expenses and family debts.
Anthony continued.
"I thought David had taken it. But a few days after the accident, someone came to me and told me to keep quiet.""
"Who?""
Anthony began crying.
"Your father.""
I froze.
Our father had been dead for eight years.
He couldn't answer questions.
He couldn't defend himself.
And suddenly, the story of David's death had become far more complicated than I had ever imagined.
Before I could ask another question, Daniel returned.
His phone was in his hand.
"Marcus, I just spoke with an investigator.""
I looked at him.
"What happened?""
He glanced at the letter.
Then at Anthony.
"I think we need to discuss something immediately.""
"What?""
Daniel lowered his voice.
"The company connected to David's records was investigated again last year. And one of the people named in the latest report is Martin Hayes.""
I felt cold.
"Where is he now?""
Daniel hesitated.
"He's at the police station.""
"Why?""
"Because someone filed a report accusing him of financial fraud.""
I looked toward Denise.
She was no longer sitting.
She was standing beside the front door, holding her handbag.
And she was smiling.
"What's so funny?"" I asked.
She looked at me.
Then she said:
"Because you still don't understand who started all of this.""
She opened the door.
Before I could stop her, she stepped outside.
But as she reached her car, her phone rang.
She answered.
I heard only one sentence.
"Yes. He found the box.""
Then she looked through the open doorway directly at me.
Her face changed.
May you like
And she whispered into the phone:
"Then we need to move the original before he finds it.""
