My Mother Recognized My Fake Fiance From an Autumn Night Five Years Ago
She turned and walked up the stairs, her silk skirt whispering against the banister as she disappeared onto the landing.
I waited until the floorboards upstairs went quiet, then I walked back into the library. The green shaded desk lamp was still burning, casting a long shadow across the oak desk.
My father was not in the chair, but his ring of keys lay on the small side table next to his reading glasses.
I picked up the heavy brass key ring, my fingers cold against the metal. The smallest key had a square head with a tiny crown stamped into the side.
I fit the key into the center drawer of the desk and turned it. The lock gave a heavy, greasy click as the bolt slid back.
Inside the drawer sat three ledgers and a thick blue folder with the name of our family’s insurance agency printed on the tab. I pulled the folder out and set it under the green lamp.
The first three pages were standard policy renewals from five years ago, showing the premium payments for the house and the two cars.
