Arthur's Passing

The train car rocked gently, a soothing rhythm that contrasted sharply with the turmoil in my mind. Maya was asleep against my shoulder, her breathing steady and deep. She was safe. We were safe.

My phone buzzed.

I ignored it. It was probably Richard. Or the police. Or James.

It buzzed again. And again.

I pulled it out.

The caller ID was blocked.

I debated answering. I should throw the phone away. I should break the SIM card.

But curiosity, that fatal flaw of the Vance family, got the better of me.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Vance," a voice said. It wasn't Richard. It wasn't James.

It was a woman.

"Who is this?"

"This is Nurse Ratched," the voice said, a hint of dry humor in the tone. "Or, more accurately, the nurse who was attending to Arthur Vance."

"Is he...?"

"He's gone, Mrs. Vance. He passed away ten minutes ago."

I closed my eyes, a single tear slipping out. Arthur. The man who had been my jailer, my tormentor, and finally, my savior.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"Don't be," the nurse said. "He went peacefully. He said he was ready to pay the tuition."

She paused.

"Before he died, he gave me something. For you."

"What is it?"

"It's a napkin," she said. "He wrote on it. He made me witness it. He said it was his new will."

A will.

Written on a napkin.

"What does it say?"

"It leaves everything to you, Mrs. Vance. The estate. The accounts. The... assets."

"There are no assets," I said. "The house is gone. The accounts are frozen."

"He said to tell you about the emeralds," the nurse said.

"The emeralds?"

"He said they're in the safe. Not the wall safe. The floor safe."

"The floor safe... in the library?"

"No," she said. "In the mausoleum."

I nearly dropped the phone.

The mausoleum was gone. Exploded.

"He said you'd know where to look," the nurse continued. "He said... check the urn."

The urn.

Julian's urn. Or rather, the empty urn that was supposed to hold Julian's ashes.

It was in the niche next to Arthur's designated spot.

If the explosion hadn't destroyed it...

"Thank you," I said.

"One more thing," the nurse said. "He wanted me to tell you... he knew about the baby."

"The baby?"

"Sarah's baby," she said. "He knew it wasn't Julian's. He knew it was Richard's. And he knew you knew."

I was silent.

"He said... he was proud of you. For protecting her."

The line went dead.

I looked at Maya.

She stirred, opening her eyes.

"Mom?"

"It's okay, baby," I said, smoothing her hair. "It's okay."

Arthur was gone. But he had left me one last gift.

The emeralds.

The Vance family jewels. Worth millions.

And they were sitting in a pile of rubble in a destroyed cemetery.

James knew about the Swiss account. He knew about the key.

But he didn't know about the emeralds.

I looked out the window. The train was speeding through the countryside, putting miles between us and the city.

But Switzerland could wait.

I had to go back.

I had to get the emeralds.

Not for the money. But because if I didn't, Richard would find them. Or James.

And they would use them to hunt us down.

I pressed the stop button.

"We're getting off," I told Maya.

"Why?"

"We forgot something," I said.

We got off at the next station. A small, rural town in the middle of nowhere.

I rented a car. A nondescript sedan.

I drove back. back toward the estate. Back toward the fire.

It was madness. It was suicide.

But it was necessary.

Because Arthur was right.

Tuition was due.

And I was going to pay it in full.

By burying the past.

And taking the future.