The Letter
Lena Carter had never believed that a single piece of paper could change someone's life.
Until she found one.
The rain had been falling since morning, tapping against the windows of the old Carter house as Lena climbed into the dusty attic. Her mother had asked her to clear out some of her father's belongings before the house was put up for sale.
Lena hated the idea.
Her father had been gone for three years, but she still couldn't bring herself to pack away the things that belonged to him.
She opened an old wooden trunk.
Inside were photographs, notebooks, a broken watch, and several envelopes.
Lena picked up the photographs first.
There were pictures of her father when he was younger, pictures of Lena as a child, and pictures of places she barely remembered.
Then she noticed a small black envelope hidden beneath an old notebook.
Her name was written across it.
LENA.
She froze.
The handwriting was unmistakable.
Her father's handwriting.
Her fingers trembled as she opened the envelope.
Inside was a single folded letter.
She unfolded it.
The first line made her heart stop.
Lena, if you're reading this, I need you to listen carefully.
She read on.
There are things about my disappearance that I never told you. Things your mother doesn't know.
Lena's breathing became shallow.
Her father hadn't disappeared.
He had died.
At least, that was what everyone had told her.
She continued reading.
I need you to find Daniel Hayes.
Lena stopped.
Daniel.
She knew that name.
Everyone in town did.
Daniel Hayes was eighteen, quiet, intelligent, and notoriously private. He had been her father's assistant during the final year of his life.
But why would her father leave a letter telling her to find him?
Lena continued.
Daniel has something that belongs to me. He may not want to give it to you, but you must convince him. Do not tell your mother about this letter.
Her heart began pounding.
Then she reached the final paragraph.
Most importantly, don't trust the person who tells you they knew me best.
Lena stared at the sentence.
Who could that mean?
Her mother?
Daniel?
Someone else?
At the bottom of the page was an address.
Daniel's address.
Lena folded the letter and slipped it into her pocket.
She was about to leave when something fell from the envelope.
A photograph.
She picked it up.
Her father stood in front of a building Lena didn't recognize.
Beside him was Daniel.
But there was someone else in the photograph.
A woman Lena had never seen before.
And written on the back were four words:
She knows what happened.
Lena stared at the photograph.
For three years, she had believed she knew the story of her father's death.
Now she wasn't sure she knew anything at all.
She grabbed her jacket and hurried downstairs.
She wasn't going to wait until tomorrow.
She was going to find Daniel Hayes.
And she was going to discover exactly what her father had been trying to hide.
