Chapter 8: The Storage Locker With My Name on It
The photograph kept me awake until sunrise.
Locker 1307.
The message didn't include a name, and when I tried calling the number, it went straight to voicemail.
I sent the photograph to Daniel.
He called immediately.
"Where did you get this?""
"Someone sent it to me.""
"Do you recognize the facility?""
I examined the photograph again.
There was a faded sign in the background.
"Westbridge Storage.""
Daniel was silent.
Then he said, "I know that place.""
"You do?""
"Your mother rented a unit there before she died.""
My heart started racing.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?""
"Because the account was registered under a company name. We didn't connect it to Elena until recently.""
I sat down.
"Can we go there?""
"Yes. But we'll need to verify who has legal access.""
Daniel arranged to meet me and Evelyn that afternoon.
Before leaving, I checked Vanessa's bedroom.
The door was open.
Her jewelry box sat on the dresser.
I didn't want to steal anything, but I needed to know whether the key Brianna mentioned was real.
I approached the dresser.
Inside the box were necklaces, earrings, watches, and a small collection of expensive rings.
At the bottom, beneath a velvet tray, I found a brass key.
A white plastic tag was attached.
*1307.*
My hands trembled.
I took a photograph, returned the key exactly where I found it, and left.
At three o'clock, Daniel picked me up outside Miller's Stitch.
Evelyn was already in the passenger seat.
Neither spoke much during the drive.
The storage facility was an old industrial building on the edge of town. Rows of gray metal doors stretched beneath a high concrete ceiling.
A manager named Mr. Harris met us at the reception desk.
Daniel showed him the legal authorization and explained the ownership dispute.
Mr. Harris studied the paperwork.
"Unit 1307 has been paid through the end of the month," he said.
"Who is listed as the renter?"" Daniel asked.
He checked his computer.
"Elena Carter.""
My throat tightened.
"Is there an authorized secondary contact?""
Mr. Harris typed again.
Then his expression changed.
"Yes. Vanessa Carter.""
Evelyn looked at Daniel.
"Of course.""
Mr. Harris hesitated.
"There's a note on the account.""
"What note?"" Daniel asked.
"It says the contents are not to be released without the renter's written permission.""
Daniel handed him another document.
"We aren't requesting release. We're here to inspect the contents under a court preservation order.""
The manager read the paperwork carefully.
Then he nodded.
"All right. Follow me.""
We walked down a narrow corridor.
The air smelled of dust, metal, and old cardboard.
At the end stood locker 1307.
I stared at the number.
For seventeen years, my mother had kept something here.
Something she wanted me to find.
Mr. Harris unlocked the door.
It rolled upward with a loud metallic rattle.
Inside were several boxes, two garment racks, and an old wooden trunk.
I stepped forward.
The first garment rack held six dresses covered in protective fabric.
I pulled one cover aside.
A deep-red gown shimmered beneath the fluorescent lights.
Another was midnight blue.
Another was pale gold.
They were breathtaking.
My mother had made all of them.
I touched the sleeve of the red gown.
"She made these before she died.""
Evelyn nodded.
"These are part of The Twelve Tides.""
Daniel photographed everything.
Then we opened the wooden trunk.
Inside were notebooks, old photographs, fabric samples, and several folders.
I found a stack of letters tied with blue ribbon.
The first was addressed to my mother.
The second was addressed to Evelyn.
The third had my name.
I opened it.
My sweet Nia,
If you have found this, it means someone finally opened the door I was afraid to leave unlocked.
There is something I need you to understand about Vanessa.
She did not come into our lives by accident.
I stopped reading.
My hands began to shake.
Evelyn moved closer.
"Keep going.""
I continued.
Before I became ill, I discovered that Vanessa had been copying my designs and selling them to another company. When I confronted her, she told me Marcus had already agreed to the arrangement.
I did not believe him capable of such betrayal.
But I was wrong.
My eyes filled with tears.
The letter continued.
Your father signed a document authorizing Vanessa to negotiate the sale of my collection. He claimed he did it because we needed money. But the money was never used for our family.
I later discovered that Vanessa had transferred it into a private account.
I looked at Evelyn.
"She knew.""
Evelyn nodded sadly.
I continued reading.
I tried to stop the transfer. I created a separate declaration naming you as the sole owner of my designs and placed it in a sealed archive.
The declaration must be presented when you turn eighteen.
Until then, Evelyn is responsible for protecting it.
There is one more thing.
I turned the page.
The final paragraph was written in darker ink.
Marcus knows where the original declaration is. If he tells you that he doesn't, remember that I loved him once, but love does not make a lie true.
I lowered the letter.
Daniel was studying another document.
"Nia, look at this.""
He held up a photograph.
It showed Vanessa standing beside a man in an expensive suit outside a fashion studio.
I recognized the man from the Voss Atelier website.
He was the company's former director, Richard Voss.
On the back of the photograph, my mother had written:
The meeting where they sold my future.
Evelyn opened one of the folders.
Inside were copies of invoices, licensing agreements, and bank statements.
Daniel examined them.
Then he looked up.
"This is significant.""
"What?""
"These documents show that money from the unauthorized licensing deals was transferred into an account controlled by Vanessa.""
"How much?""
He checked the final statement.
"Approximately $470,000 over three years.""
I felt sick.
"Where did all that money go?""
Daniel turned another page.
Several payments had been made to a company called VC Legacy Holdings.
The same company that had purchased my mother's collection.
It was a circular arrangement.
Vanessa had used money generated from my mother's designs to purchase the designs themselves.
"She was buying back what she had already stolen," I whispered.
Daniel nodded.
"That's one possible interpretation. We need the full financial records.""
Then Evelyn found something else.
A small black notebook.
She opened it and began reading.
Her expression changed.
"What is it?"" I asked.
She turned the notebook toward me.
There were handwritten account details and a list of dates.
One entry was circled.
*October 31 — Final transfer.*
Beneath it was a name.
*Marcus Carter.*
I stared.
"What's tomorrow?""
Daniel looked at his watch.
"October thirtieth.""
My stomach dropped.
"The transfer is scheduled for tomorrow?""
Evelyn shook her head.
"No. The note says final transfer. We need to determine what it refers to.""
Daniel photographed the page.
"We'll contact the bank and the auction house through the proper legal channels.""
I continued searching.
At the bottom of the trunk was a small envelope containing a USB drive and a handwritten note.
This time, the note wasn't from my mother.
It was from someone else.
Elena asked me to keep this safe. If Vanessa finds it first, everything is lost.
There was no signature.
I handed it to Daniel.
He looked at the drive.
"We'll have it examined.""
Then my phone rang.
Dad.
I answered.
"Hello?""
"Nia, where are you?""
"Why?""
"Come home. We need to talk.""
"I'm busy.""
"Your stepmother is upset.""
I almost laughed.
"That's not my problem.""
His voice dropped.
"Listen to me. You need to stay away from that storage facility.""
My entire body went cold.
"How do you know where I am?""
Silence.
Then he said, "Because Vanessa knows.""
I looked at Evelyn.
She had heard him.
"Did you know Mom kept things here?""
Dad exhaled.
"Yes.""
"Then why didn't you tell me?""
"Because I was trying to protect you.""
I closed my eyes.
"From what?""
"From the truth.""
I stared at the rows of dresses.
"Mom left me a letter. She said you knew where the declaration was.""
Dad said nothing.
Then I heard Vanessa's voice in the background.
"Marcus, hang up.""
He lowered his voice.
"Nia, listen carefully. Do not take anything out of that locker.""
"Why?""
"Because the original declaration isn't what you think it is.""
I gripped the phone.
"What does that mean?""
He hesitated.
Then he said:
"Your mother didn't leave you the entire collection.""
I felt the blood drain from my face.
"What?""
"She changed the ownership agreement before she died.""
I looked at Daniel.
He was already shaking his head.
Dad continued.
"And if you find the last page, you'll understand why.""
The call ended.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Daniel opened the folder again.
He examined the documents, searching for the missing page.
Finally, he looked at me.
"Nia, I think your father just made a serious mistake.""
"What?""
"The ownership agreement in this box is incomplete.""
Evelyn frowned.
"How do you know?""
Daniel pointed to the bottom of the final page.
There was a reference number.
*Supplementary Schedule — Page 14 of 14.*
But the folder contained only thirteen pages.
I looked at the empty space in the trunk.
"Where is the last page?""
Evelyn's face went pale.
Then she turned toward me.
"Vanessa.""
Before we could say anything else, Mr. Harris appeared at the entrance.
"There's someone here asking for you.""
Daniel stepped forward.
"Who?""
The manager swallowed.
"Your stepmother.""
And behind him, I heard Vanessa's voice.
May you like
"Hello, Nia.""
She was holding the brass key.
