Chapter 3: The Will They Tried to Bury
Chapter 3: The Will They Tried to Bury
No one spoke.
The detective's words seemed to hang in the air long after he finished.
One hundred million dollars.
The number echoed through the ballroom, replacing every whisper with stunned silence.
Lily, still wrapped in Amelia's arms, blinked in confusion.
She had no idea what any of it meant.
Money had never been part of her world.
Fear had.
Cold bedrooms.
Locked doors.
Harsh voices.
Long nights spent wondering what she had done wrong.
She looked up at Amelia.
"Am... am I in trouble?"
Amelia gently brushed a strand of hair away from Lily's tear-stained face.
"No, sweetheart."
"You didn't do anything wrong."
Lily nodded slowly, though years of living in fear made it difficult for her to believe anyone.
Across the room, Vivian Crawford forced a smile.
"This is ridiculous."
She laughed once, but it sounded strained.
"My brother left debts, not fortunes."
Detective Laura Bennett stepped forward, holding a tablet.
"We've already confirmed the documents with the probate court."
Vivian's smile vanished.
"The estate wasn't empty."
"It was placed into a protected trust."
Daniel frowned.
"A trust?"
Laura nodded.
"Created six months before Richard Crawford died."
She looked directly at Vivian.
"The trust names Lily Crawford as the sole beneficiary."
Murmurs spread through the ballroom.
One guest whispered, "Then why has nobody ever heard about it?"
Another answered quietly, "Because someone didn't want them to."
Daniel's heartbeat quickened.
He remembered his uncle Richard.
Kind.
Soft-spoken.
Always carrying books instead of business reports.
The complete opposite of Vivian.
Years ago, Richard had quietly left the Crawford family empire to build his own technology company.
Everyone believed it had failed.
Apparently...
It hadn't.
Detective Bennett continued.
"Richard sold his company shortly before his death."
She turned the tablet toward Daniel.
"The acquisition was worth approximately one hundred and twelve million dollars."
Daniel stared at the screen.
"I never knew."
"Neither did most people."
"But someone did."
Her eyes shifted toward Vivian.
Vivian folded her arms.
"So?"
"My brother left money."
"That doesn't prove anything."
"It proves you became guardian of the richest child in this city."
One of the officers approached carrying a small cardboard box.
"We found these in the bridal suite hallway."
He placed it on a nearby table.
Inside were several torn drawings.
Crayons.
A stuffed rabbit.
And a tiny pink notebook.
Lily's notebook.
Amelia looked down.
"Lily..."
The little girl immediately reached for it.
"My diary."
Detective Bennett hesitated.
"Would it be okay if I looked at it?"
Lily froze.
Her fingers tightened around the notebook.
Vivian suddenly spoke.
"It's just childish nonsense."
That sentence alone made Detective Bennett suspicious.
She knelt beside Lily.
"You don't have to if you don't want to."
Lily looked at Amelia.
Amelia smiled gently.
"It's your choice."
After several long seconds...
Lily slowly handed over the notebook.
The first pages contained childish drawings.
Flowers.
Clouds.
A smiling man labeled Daddy.
A woman with bright yellow hair.
Then...
The drawings changed.
The sun disappeared.
The people stopped smiling.
Dark black crayon covered entire pages.
One drawing showed a little girl crying inside a bedroom.
Outside the door stood a tall woman.
Another page simply read in shaky handwriting:
Please don't let her be mad today.
The detective swallowed hard.
She continued turning pages.
Every entry was dated.
Every page painted the same picture.
She locked me in my room again.
She said Daddy loved money more than me.
I wasn't allowed to eat dinner.
I said sorry even though I don't know why.
Several guests quietly wiped away tears.
One elderly man removed his glasses, unable to continue watching.
Then Detective Bennett reached the final page.
The handwriting shook so badly it was barely readable.
If something happens to me...
Please tell somebody Aunt Vivian did it.
I don't want to disappear too.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even the officers looked shaken.
Amelia pulled Lily closer.
Daniel slowly closed his eyes.
Vivian, however, remained expressionless.
"Children imagine things."
Nobody answered.
Because nobody believed her anymore.
Detective Reeves approached Vivian.
"I need you to come with us."
Vivian looked offended.
"Am I under arrest?"
"Not at this moment."
"Then I'm leaving."
She reached for her designer handbag.
An officer stepped in front of her.
"I'm afraid you can't."
"You have no authority to stop me."
Before Reeves could respond, another detective hurried into the ballroom.
"We've got something."
He carried a thick envelope marked with the logo of a prestigious law firm.
"It was delivered ten minutes ago."
"Delivered by whom?" Reeves asked.
"The firm's senior partner."
Daniel frowned.
"Why now?"
The detective opened the envelope.
"There was a delayed-release instruction."
He removed a sealed letter.
The outside read:
To be opened only if my daughter is ever found in danger.
Signed:
Richard Crawford.
A chill swept through the room.
Even Vivian's confident posture faltered.
Detective Reeves carefully broke the seal.
Inside was a handwritten letter.
He began reading aloud.
"If you're hearing this..."
"Then I have failed to protect Lily."
Amelia felt Lily grip her hand.
The detective continued.
"I know my sister Vivian better than anyone."
Vivian's breathing quickened.
"If I die unexpectedly, she will try to control everything."
Guests exchanged stunned looks.
"That is why I created a secret trust beyond her reach."
Daniel stared at the letter in disbelief.
"But money isn't what worries me."
"Lily is."
The detective paused before continuing.
"If Vivian ever becomes Lily's guardian..."
"Please investigate immediately."
"Because if she has custody..."
"My daughter is not safe."
Gasps erupted across the ballroom.
Someone whispered,
"He knew..."
Another said,
"He predicted all of this."
Vivian suddenly shouted,
"That's fake!"
Detective Reeves looked up.
"You've barely heard half of it."
"It isn't his handwriting!"
Daniel interrupted.
"It is."
Everyone looked at him.
"I've seen Uncle Richard's journals."
"I'd recognize his handwriting anywhere."
Vivian glared at him.
"You're making a mistake."
"No."
Daniel's voice remained calm.
"I think we've been making the same mistake for years."
The detective turned to the final page.
"There appears to be one more instruction."
He unfolded another sheet.
His expression changed instantly.
"What is it?" Amelia asked.
The detective looked directly at Daniel.
"Richard appointed a backup guardian."
Daniel blinked.
"A backup guardian?"
"In case Vivian ever obtained custody."
The detective looked around the room.
Then slowly read the name.
For a moment...
Nobody breathed.
Not Amelia.
Not Daniel.
Not even Vivian.
Because the name written on Richard Crawford's final instruction was someone every person in that ballroom believed had died three years earlier.
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And according to the document...
That person was still alive.
