Chapter 7 - The Midnight Call
The phone continued to buzz against the wooden coffee table, casting an eerie, pulsing light over the ruined birthday cake and scattered balloons. Martha stared at the screen as if it were a venomous snake about to strike. The caller ID simply read: Unknown Private Number. In the wake of the bailiffs' chilling warning about the secondary lien and the impending seizure of their home and business, the untimely call felt like another blow in a relentless storm.
"Answer it," Iris urged quietly, stepping closer while keeping a safe distance from her aunt.
Martha swallowed hard, her thumb swiping across the screen to accept the call. She pressed the phone to her ear, her voice tight and trembling. "Hello?"
"Mrs. Hayes, I presume?" a smooth, unfamiliar voice echoed through the speaker. The acoustics in the quiet living room allowed Iris to hear every single word clearly. "I am calling on behalf of Attorney Vance. I understand you recently discovered the primary and secondary liens on the estate."
Martha’s eyes darted nervously toward the front door where the bailiffs had just departed. "Who is this? How do you know what we found?"
"Let's just say I am an interested party who wishes to see this unfortunate matter resolved without unnecessary legal bloodshed," the caller replied smoothly, maintaining an unnerving calm. "Your father-in-law was a complex man, Mrs. Hayes. He enjoyed games. The money you and your niece have been tearing the house apart to find isn't missing. It was converted into digital assets."
Iris stepped directly in front of Martha, her eyes wide with shock. "Digital assets? Crypto?"
"Ah, the young lady is perceptive," the caller chuckled softly. "Yes, Miss Iris. A significant wallet containing enough capital to clear every single debt against this property is currently locked behind a multi-factor authentication protocol. And your grandfather cleverly split the recovery keys into two distinct halves."
Martha gripped the phone with both hands, her voice rising in frustration. "Where are the keys? Tell us right now!"
"Patience, Mrs.Hayes," the caller purred. "One half is hidden inside the old family ledger in the attic. The other half... well, the other half was entrusted to someone very close to you who left the birthday party just ten minutes before the police were called."
May you like
The line clicked dead with a sharp beep, leaving Martha and Iris standing in stunned silence as they realized someone else in the family knew about the fortune all along.
---
