Chapter 6 - The Midnight Intruder
That night, I couldn't sleep. The adrenaline from the confrontation with Aunt Linda was still rushing through my veins.
I sat in the dark kitchen, staring out at the empty street.
At 2:00 AM, a pair of headlights swept across the living room wall.
A dark sedan pulled up slowly to the curb and cut its engine.
I held my breath. I crept toward the window and peered through the edge of the curtains.
A tall figure stepped out of the car. Even in the shadows, I recognized the way he walked.
It was my father.
He didn't come to the front door. Instead, he slipped through the side gate, heading toward the backyard.
I quickly grabbed my phone and dialed Mr. Sterling's emergency number.
"Maya?" Sterling's voice was groggy but alert.
"My dad is here," I whispered. "He's sneaking around the backyard."
"Don't confront him alone," Sterling ordered. "I'm calling the police right now. Stay inside and lock the back door."
I tiptoed to the back hallway. The kitchen door was securely deadbolted.
Suddenly, I heard a faint scratching sound coming from Grandma's home office.
My heart dropped. The office had a sliding glass door that led to the patio. The lock on that door had been broken for months. My father knew that.
I grabbed a heavy iron fireplace poker from the living room and crept down the hall.
Through the crack in the office door, I saw the beam of a small flashlight darting across Grandma's filing cabinets.
He was looking for something.
"Looking for the original deed, Dad?" I said loudly, flipping on the main light switch.
My father spun around, dropping the flashlight. He looked wild, his hair messy and his eyes bloodshot.
"Maya," he breathed heavily. "Put that metal bar down. I just need to get some of my old papers."
"Liar," I gripped the poker tighter. "You're looking for Grandma's property deed, aren't you?"
He took a step toward me. "This is none of your business. You don't understand how much trouble I'm in."
"I know exactly how much trouble you're in," I countered. "Linda told us everything."
His face twisted in rage. "Linda is an idiot! She doesn't know how to handle business."
"And you do?" I scoffed. "By stealing from your own mother?"
"It's my inheritance anyway!" he shouted, throwing his hands in the air. "She’s going to die eventually! I just took my cut early!"
The sound of a sharp gasp made us both turn.
May you like
Grandma Hazel was standing at the end of the hallway, clutching her robe.
She had heard everything.
