by Emma Easter
With Trisha back in her own house and Sienna in school, Audrey felt a little lonely now. Plus, her sisters now had at least a measure of what they both wanted. While Trisha might be ending her marriage, she was soon going to have what she had always desired—a child. Sienna, of course, was now married to the guy she was crazy about, and she and Bryan looked ecstatic when they visited. She was the only one who didn’t have her heart’s desire. The man she loved lived a million miles away.
She sighed again. The regular phone calls and video chats weren’t enough anymore. She wanted to be near him, to be married to him and to wake up beside him every day.
She heaved a sigh as she got to her house. She stepped out of her car, climbed the stairs and stepped onto her front porch. Opening her purse, she dug out her keys, unlocked the door and then jumped. In the middle of her living room was Ken on his knees, holding out a ring to her.
She covered her mouth and held back a sob. “Ken! What . . . when . . . how are you here?”
He laughed and then, ignoring her multiple questions, said solemnly, “Audrey Gardner, no, Police Chief Gardner, I love every single thing about you. Even how stubborn you can sometimes be.”
She grinned at him.
He continued. “Will you marry me, Audrey?”
She bit her lip as she looked down at him. She tried to speak, but felt too overwhelmed to say a word.
“Wow, Audrey! Have I just left you speechless?” Ken raised his hand with a triumphant smile and shouted, “I left Audrey Gardner speechless!” She shook her head at him, and he chuckled. “You still haven’t answered my question.”
She cried, “Of course I’ll marry you! I’ve been waiting forever for you to ask me!” She smiled as her heart flooded with love for him.
He chuckled. “That’s the girl I know.” He slipped the ring onto her finger, stood and kissed her.
A chorus of voices suddenly yelled, “Surprise!” and Audrey jumped again. “What . . . where did you all come from?” She smiled at all of them. Sienna and Bryan, Trisha, a bunch of people from the police department, as well as most of her friends were here.
“I invited them,” Ken said. “Trisha let us in with her keys.” He turned to them. “She said yes, everyone.”
They all hollered and clapped.
Audrey grinned and kissed Ken. “Thank you.”
He smiled and nodded.
Everyone soon separated into groups, chatting, eating and drinking. Ken had ordered snacks and drinks, which had been delivered to the house half an hour ago.
Audrey stood near the dining table, chatting with a group of police officers. She saw Sienna at the other end of the living room, tilting her face up to kiss Bryan, and she smiled. Sienna looked so happy. She didn’t look at all like the girl who had earlier in the year fled from her own wedding, frightened and confused, and almost taken her life. Bryan’s love had changed her entirely. Most of all, God’s unconditional love had transformed her life.
She turned toward the direction Trish was. She was talking to some of the guys from the police station. One of them in particular followed her every move with his eyes. She could see Frank was taken with her, but he’d loved her since they were kids. Unfortunately, she had married that idiotic Stan. Well, good riddance now.
She found Ken’s eyes from across the room and mouthed, “I love you,” and he did the same.
Her heart soared again. Finally, I’m going to marry him.
Sienna walked up to her and said, “So, Derrick is still in custody?”
“He is, but I think he’s better off in a psych ward.”
Sienna frowned. “When he was taking me to God-knows-where, he said something about Barrel’s Fortune.”
Audrey blinked in surprise. “He’s been saying it over and over again at the station.”
“He was yelling at me, saying I had to tell him what it meant.” Sienna looked up with a thoughtful expression. “At the time, I didn’t care about that; all I wanted was to escape him. But it’s been on my mind for days now. Do you know what it means?”
“It does sound familiar. Let’s ask Trish. Maybe she will know.”
They called Trish aside and asked her about it. She shook her head and said she didn’t know what it meant.
They went out and sat on the porch, still talking about it. Audrey looked into the distance and said, “Why can’t I place it? It kinda reminds me of Dad; something he said, but I just, I just can’t . . .”
She gasped as she suddenly recalled her ten-year-old self sitting on a swing outside their house, while their father pushed her higher and higher. She was giggling and he, laughing. He finally stilled the swing and told her he enjoyed their father-daughter relationship. Unfortunately, he never had one with his father, he’d said.
She asked him about his dad, and he told her that the man’s name was John Barrel. He had decided to keep his mom’s maiden name because his father didn’t care about him or his mother growing up.
She looked at Sienna and Trish and told them all she remembered.
Sienna asked, “Can you remember anything else? Derrick said Barrel’s fortune.”
Audrey pressed her lips together. “I remember Dad saying his father was wealthy so, maybe that’s what Derrick was talking about. John Barrel must have left Dad a fortune. I’ll find out more when I interrogate Derrick tomorrow.”
They went inside again.
As Audrey talked with the guests and then later drove Ken to Hattie’s Bed & Breakfast, she thought about the Barrel’s fortune mystery. When she stopped in front of Hattie’s, Ken took her in his arms. He kissed her until every single thought, except for one, fled her mind. The only thing that remained was how much she loved him.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said when he finally got out of the car.
She waved to him and drove home, feeling giddy from their kiss and the surprise engagement. As she lay in bed, she stared at the diamond ring he’d bought her until she fell asleep.
But the next day, as she drove to work, her thoughts returned to Derrick’s rant about Barrel’s fortune.
At the station, she sat in front of Derrick to interrogate him, but it was clear he was totally out of it. She started to rise, but she sat down when he mumbled something about Barrel’s fortune and another will Mr. Gardner had left before he died. When she asked him about it, she was surprised when he said, “You don’t believe me, do you? I have the will in my possession, but you have to tell me what Barrel’s fortune means.”
She wondered how much of what he was saying was real as she stared at him. His eyes were red and wild-looking. When she started to get up, he screamed at her, and she sighed. In spite of everything, she felt sorry for him.
Poor Derrick. He was so intelligent and proud, now he’s reduced to this.
She went to the detective directly in charge of the case. “Can I have those things we just recovered from the suspect’s vehicle?”
The man gave her a lot of things that were useless to her, but a brown envelope stuck out. It had the initials P.G, on it, which she guessed stood for Phillip Gardner. She took it back to her office, but decided not to open it until she got home. She would call Trish and Sienna, and they could open it together.
She sat at her desk, called each of them, and asked them to meet her at the house in the evening. Sienna promised to leave school early since she said the meeting was crucial. Trish was already planning to visit in the evening anyway.
*****
That evening, the three of them sat together on the couch in Audrey’s living room. She held the envelope in her hand while her heart drummed. She had told them already that Derrick had said something about a new will their father had left them.
She took a long, deep breath, let it out slowly and then started to open the envelope carefully.
Trisha said, “You know what this means. Dad left us a lot of money.”
Audrey shrugged. “I don’t know. Whatever is in the envelope, if we can’t remember what Barrel
’s fortune means, it’ll probably be useless.”
Once the envelope was opened, she drew out a folded letter. She unfolded it and straightened the official-looking letter. At the bottom of the letter was their father’s signature. She traced it, her heart aching. “Dad!”
Trisha and Sienna shifted closer, their hot breaths on her face as she started to read the will.
THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF PHILLIP GARDNER.
I appoint my mentee, Derrick Fisher, as executor of my will. If he is unwilling or unable to serve as executor, I appoint my daughter, Audrey Gardner, to take his place.
Audrey continued to silently read the document in tears. She could hear Trisha and Sienna sniffing beside her. And then she came to the part they’d been waiting for. She read it out loud:
. . . I give and bequeath Barrel’s fortune to my daughters, Audrey, Trisha and Sienna, and their future spouses, after my death and their mother’s. They will understand what and where Barrel’s fortune is . . .
Trisha stood. “Audrey, you have to remember more. Dad said we will, but I can’t recall him telling me anything about Barrel’s fortune.”
Sienna said, “I can’t either. Maybe because we were too young. But Audrey you should. Please try. Dad said we would know what it meant and where the fortune is. He wouldn’t say that if none of us even understands what it means.”
Audrey shut her eyes, feeling dizzy from the pressure on her to recall conversations that took place years ago. “I’ve already told you guys what I remember,” she said. “I can’t remember . . .” her eyes snapped open. “Wait!” Something was niggling at the back of her mind. She focused, trying to bring the elusive thought to light. She said, “Barrel was grandfather’s name and . . .” Her eyes widened. “Fortune was the name of the street Dad said he’d lived with his mother growing up. The number of the street was simple, so I always remembered it. Two-seven-one-seven.
Sienna suddenly sprang up. “Dad once showed me a portable safe he said his father had given him before he passed on. I was about seven.” She glanced up at the ceiling. “I think he kept it hidden somewhere in our old room, probably to divert attention from it. Maybe two-seven-one-seven are the digits that can open the combination lock.”
Audrey shook her head in astonishment. “It’s in my room? I have never seen a safe there.”
They all scrambled to Audrey’s room and opened the closet. They all started searching different parts of the closet. Audrey searched the top compartment, jam-packed with old clothes she had never bothered going through. Her hand suddenly found something hard and cold, and she pulled it out. It was a small steel safe.
“Is this it?” she asked Sienna.
Sienna nodded. “Has to be.”
They sat on the bed, and Audrey put the small safe on her lap. She tried to open the lock using the street numbers she’d remembered. Lord, please let it work.
When it suddenly snapped open, they gave a collective gasp.
Audrey held her breath as she lifted the lid. And then she blinked. There was nothing in it but a small envelope and the foam covering the bottom. She brought out the envelope and shook out its contents. A white folded paper fell out.
“That’s all?” Sienna asked, her voice heavy with disappointment.
Audrey tried to brush aside her own disappointment and picked the letter up. “A letter in Dad’s handwriting,” she said and perked up again. If their father had gone to such great lengths to keep this letter secret, then it had to be important.
She began to read it out loud:
My dearest daughters,
If you are reading this, then it means that your mother and I are gone.
A shaft of pain went through her and tears fell down her cheeks. She looked up at Sienna and Trisha. They were crying too. She continued.
I hope you are all doing well. I wanted you to only get this when your mother and I are gone because I don’t want your mother to ever know. She trusted me fully, and I am ashamed of how I betrayed her trust. I concealed what I knew, but it has been bothering me for years, and I need to get it out.
It was before you all were born. I was newly married to your mother then and only twenty-two. I had just gotten my teaching job at Rosefield High School. An opportunity to travel to Spain came through a teachers’ exchange program. Young teachers were sponsored abroad to teach students English. Since I could speak some Spanish, another teacher and I were picked to go. I was overjoyed as I had always dreamt of going to Europe. Unfortunately, your mother couldn’t go. I went without her, and there, I met a woman. One thing led to the other, and she had a child, my son.
“No . . . Dad!” Trisha cried. “It’s not true! He loved Mom so much. He couldn’t have cheated on her.”
Sienna shut her eyes and shook her head slowly.
Audrey’s hands shook as she went on reading.
. . . but I couldn’t claim him as mine because the thought of telling your mother and consequently breaking her heart was unthinkable to me. Anyway, you have a half-brother. My only desire is for you to please find him. As soon as you can!
And one more thing; your grandfather left everything he owned to me, and now I’m leaving it all to you girls and to your spouses. Remove the foam at the bottom of the safe where you found this letter. You will find all the documents you need to claim the inheritance. You will also find more information about your brother that will help in your search for him. Please use the resources available from your inheritance to find your lost brother.
I love you girls dearly,
Dad
Audrey looked up at her sisters. Their faces were wet with tears, and they looked shell-shocked, just like she felt. Not even in her wildest imagination had she ever thought her father would have a secret like this. She said to them, “Well, as heartbreaking and crazy as this is, we have to find this half-brother somehow.”
She held her breath, knowing Trish and Sienna might object. The father they had thought was without fault had had an affair and a love child. However, it wasn’t the boy’s fault, and maybe he might want to know who his father was. Plus, she felt, as she sat looking up at her sisters, a strong desire to find this long-lost brother.
Sienna nodded, but Trisha pursed her lips.
“I agree,” Sienna said. “We need to find him. It’s Dad’s last wish.”
Audrey looked at Trisha. “What do you say, Trish. Let’s find our brother. That’s what Dad wanted.”
Trisha was silent for a minute and then she sighed loudly. “Okay, then. We will start as soon as possible.”
Audrey wiped her tears and then tore out the bottom of the briefcase as their dad had instructed. Some documents were there, just as their father had said. One by one, she opened and scanned them. Her eyes grew big as she read each financial document. Trisha and Sienna were looking over her shoulders, poring over them too.
After they finished reading all the documents, they sat in silence. None of them was able to speak; Audrey knew that just like her, neither of her sisters could fathom the amount of wealth they had been left.
Trisha was the first to break the silence. She said with a teasing smile, “So, what are you guys going to do with all that money?”
Audrey found her voice and croaked out, “What else but a family trip to Europe? You heard what dad wrote in the will. We are to find our brother as soon as possible.”
Trisha said, “Well, I agree with you. If we are going to Europe, we need to go now.” She placed her hand on her belly. “Soon, I won’t be allowed to fly anymore.”
They agreed to meet on the weekend again, and Trish and Sienna left.
Shortly after, Ken came over. Audrey told him about her half-brother and also told him she might be going to Europe soon.
For a few minutes, he sat looking at her with a stunned expression. And then he gathered her in his arms. “I’ll support you through whatever you plan to do. Before you leave though, we will have our wedding.”
She looked at him like he was
crazy and then said, “First of all, that’s obvious. I can’t wait to marry you.” She smiled as he beamed at her. “Secondly, you are coming with me. Do you think I want to stay that long without seeing you?”
He shook his head. “But I can’t get off work now . . .”
She interrupted him. “You can, Ken, if you have everything you need and don’t need to work.”
He lifted his brow. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that the money dad left us is a lot . . . a whole lot.”
“How much is it?”
“About two hundred million dollars . . . for both of us. Enough to live off of without needing to work ever again.”
Ken put his hand around his neck and coughed. His eyes grew round as saucers, and then he laughed. “Okay, then. I’ll start packing right away.”
But instead of packing, he wrapped her in his arms and kissed her passionately. He drew back, and said, “You know what the best thing about this news is?”
She shook her head.
“It’s not the money. It’s the fact that we don’t have to worry anymore about being apart because of our jobs. After we get married, I might just quit and move here with you.”
Audrey beamed at him. “I was so worried about that, but I didn’t want to mention it. I love my job, but if I don’t need to work, then I’ll quit too, so I can live in the same place as you.” She snuggled closer to him and said, “I can’t wait to start my life with you, babe.”
“Neither can I,” he responded.
She shut her eyes and sighed in contentment. At the beginning of the year, she had thought she would spend the rest of her life alone and that her job would be her only companion until she grew old. Now, it was almost the end of the year, and suddenly she had all the money she could ever imagine. Best of all, she had a fiancé; a loving man who would be her true companion for life. God had given her all her heart’s desire in less than a year. She was truly blessed and loved beyond measure.
