Chapter 7 - The Letter Evelyn Left BehindKaylee did not open the envelope immediately.
That surprised her.
Two days earlier she would have torn into it.
Now she had learned that information could be dangerous.
Mason whispered, “Open it.”
“What if the camera sees?”
They looked up.
The office camera faced the desk.
They were crouched behind stacked storage boxes.
Kaylee slid the envelope beneath her sweater.
They returned upstairs.
In Mason’s bathroom, they locked the door and turned on the shower.
Steam began filling the room.
Kaylee opened the envelope.
The letter was addressed to Tara.
Her grandmother’s handwriting leaned slightly to the right.
Tara,
If Gerald ever tries to remove Kaylee and Mason from your care, do not assume he is doing it only because he thinks you are failing them.
Kaylee stopped.
Mason stared.
“Keep reading.”
I hope you never give him a reason to question your care. But I know my daughter, and I know my husband. You are both capable of turning fear into terrible decisions.
Kaylee’s eyes burned.
Even Evelyn had known Tara.
Not the hitting, perhaps.
But the weakness.
The dependency.
The excuses.
Gerald has been taking unreported cash from Bright Tomorrow. I believe he has also used charity funds to cover personal debts. I have documented what I can.
The detailed ledger is not in the office safe. Gerald knows that safe.
Kaylee’s heartbeat accelerated.
I placed it somewhere connected to the only part of this house Gerald never bothered to understand because he considered it beneath him.
Mason frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Kaylee continued.
If you need it, remember what I always told Kaylee when she helped me in the sewing room: every hem hides its own history.
Kaylee stopped.
A memory appeared.
Grandma Evelyn.
A sewing machine.
Fabric folded across a table.
Kaylee had been seven.
Evelyn teaching her how to find a hidden stitch.
Every hem hides its own history.
Kaylee looked down at the servant dress.
It was folded on a chair in her bedroom.
Gerald had removed it from daily use but had not thrown it away.
Her grandmother had once required household uniforms.
Or Gerald claimed she had.
Maybe the dress had belonged to someone who worked here.
Maybe Evelyn had sewn it.
Kaylee finished the letter.
Do not use the children as leverage against him. Do not let him use them against you.
If I am wrong about Gerald, I will gladly have been a suspicious old woman.
If I am right, protect them better than either of us protected you.
Mom
Tara had never received it.
Gerald’s storage boxes had swallowed it.
Maybe Evelyn had hidden it but died before sending it.
Maybe Gerald had found the box but never opened every envelope.
Kaylee folded the letter carefully.
Mason whispered, “Is the ledger in the dress?”
“I don’t know.”
They returned to Kaylee’s room.
The servant dress was plain gray cotton.
White collar.
White cuffs.
Long hem.
Kaylee ran her fingers along the bottom seam.
Nothing.
Then one section felt thicker.
She pulled gently.
A few stitches were newer than the rest.
Mason’s eyes widened.
“Kaylee.”
She found small scissors in a sewing kit inside the dresser.
One careful cut.
Then another.
Something hard shifted inside the hem.
Not a ledger.
A key.
Small.
Flat.
Brass.
Stamped with the number 214.
Mason whispered, “What does it open?”
Kaylee stared.
The office cabinet key Gerald carried looked different.
Larger.
Modern.
This one was old.
“Every hem hides its own history,” she whispered.
Footsteps sounded.
Kaylee shoved the key under the mattress.
Gerald opened the bedroom door without knocking.
His eyes moved first to Kaylee.
Then Mason.
Then the servant dress.
“What are you doing?”
“Talking.”
“In here?”
Mason nodded.
Gerald’s gaze moved to the shower steam drifting from the bathroom.
“Why is the shower running?”
Mason answered too quickly.
“I forgot.”
Gerald stared at him.
Then at Kaylee.
“You have a visitor tomorrow.”
“Who?”
“Your aunt.”
Kaylee blinked.
“Aunt Lena?”
She had not seen Lena in almost two years.
Tara’s younger sister had moved to Oregon after a huge argument with Gerald.
Tara said Lena had abandoned the family.
Evelyn used to say Lena had escaped it.
Gerald’s mouth tightened when he said her name.
“She requested contact after learning about the custody case.”
Kaylee’s hope rose.
“Can we go with her?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because she has no custody rights.”
“She’s family.”
“So am I.”
The answer landed heavily.
Gerald walked toward the servant dress.
Kaylee’s pulse surged.
He picked it up.
“Ms. Brooks wrote that this clothing concerned her.”
He smiled bitterly.
“Apparently historical household dress is now abuse.”
Kaylee said nothing.
Gerald carried it toward the door.
“What are you doing with it?”
“Throwing it away.”
“No!”
The word escaped too fast.
Gerald stopped.
Kaylee immediately tried to recover.
“It was Grandma’s.”
He studied her.
“You disliked it yesterday.”
“I still want it.”
“Why?”
Kaylee’s mind raced.
Mason answered.
“For dress-up.”
Gerald stared at him.
Kaylee almost smiled.
Gerald finally dropped the dress back onto the chair.
“Fine.”
He walked out.
Kaylee waited until the door closed.
Then grabbed the key.
The number 214.
Aunt Lena.
Tomorrow.
Maybe the first person entering the house who was not under Gerald’s control.
But Gerald had also heard Kaylee defend the dress.
He would remember.
That night, while the children slept, Gerald returned to Kaylee’s room.
He picked up the servant dress.
May you like
Ran his fingers along the hem.
And found the fresh cut.
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