I unfolded the letter with trembling hands and began to read.

“Dear Plum, if you’ve found this cabin, then your father has made a terrible mistake. There are things about your mother’s death that nobody has ever told you.”

I stopped breathing for a moment.

My mother had died when I was twelve. Dad always told me it was an accident, and whenever I asked questions, he changed the subject.

The letter continued.

“Your mother knew Sandra was not the woman she pretended to be. Before she died, she discovered that Sandra had been stealing money that belonged to you. Your mother hid the evidence somewhere safe, hoping you would find it when you were old enough.”

I looked toward the locked iron strongbox.

Could the evidence be inside?

I searched the metal container again and discovered a small brass key taped beneath its lid.

My fingers shook as I unlocked the strongbox.

Inside were bank documents, photographs, and a second envelope bearing my mother’s handwriting.

But one photograph made my stomach turn.

It showed Sandra standing beside my mother in a hospital corridor, several days before her death. On the back, Mom had written six words:

“If anything happens to me, investigate Sandra.”

Suddenly, Dutch began barking furiously at the front door.

A car had stopped outside.

I rushed to the window and saw my father climbing out. Sandra followed him, her face pale as she stared at the cabin.

They had come back.

Dad knocked once.

“Open the door,” he called. “We need to talk.”

I slipped the documents into my jacket and kept the strongbox behind me.

Sandra stepped forward, her voice suddenly sweet.

“Sweetheart, we made a mistake. Come home with us.”

For the first time in my life, I saw through her lies.

“No,” I answered.

Dad’s expression changed when he noticed the open trapdoor.

Then he whispered something that made my blood run cold.

“You weren’t supposed to find that.”

I stared at him, tears burning my eyes.

“What happened to Mom?”

He lowered his head.

And before he could answer, Sandra grabbed his arm and screamed, “Don’t you dare tell her!”

That’s when I realized the truth was even darker than I had imagined.

My mother’s death wasn’t the only secret they had buried.