Chapter 7 - The Former Tenant
Arthur took the heavy brass key from Leo's small hand, the metal feeling icy against his palm.
"Where did you actually find this, Leo?" Arthur asked, keeping his voice gentle so as not to frighten the boy any further.
"I didn't find it by the window," Leo admitted, looking down at his sneakers in shame. "I found it inside your briefcase when I was looking for my colored pencils this afternoon."
Arthur felt the blood drain from his face. He looked from his son to Clara, whose expression had hardened into something cold and calculating.
"You went through my work case," Arthur said, his voice flat.
"He was looking for the permission slip for school, Arthur," Clara intervened, stepping protectively in front of the children. "And instead, he found a collection of documents that you've apparently been working very hard to keep hidden from this family."
"I work in corporate acquisitions, Clara," Arthur said, stepping backward as the reality of the situation closed in around him. "Documents are part of my daily life."
"These weren't corporate mergers," Clara replied, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a folded piece of heavy cardstock. "They were property deeds, medical evaluations, and police reports concerning the family who lived in this house before us—the family that allegedly vanished without a trace five years ago."
Arthur swallowed hard, his throat dry as sandpaper. He remembered the paperwork, the confidential buyout agreement he had signed when acquiring the estate at a fraction of its market value.
"That was a standard real estate transaction," Arthur insisted, though his voice lacked conviction.
May you like
"Was it?" Clara asked, unfolding the paper to reveal a faded photograph of a man who looked remarkably like Arthur, wearing the exact same dark blue suit, standing on the very front porch where this nightmare had begun.
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