Chapter 4 - The Key in the Bouquet

I drove straight to the wedding venue. Roses still hung beneath the arch, and our names remained on a sign.

The night manager let me into the locked bridal suite. "Her mother took most of the bags," he said. "A man came for the flowers. Told us to throw the rest away."

I found Harper's bouquet in a trash bin outside the service elevator. I tore apart the ribbon with shaking hands. A small silver key fell into my palm.

It had a stamped number: 614.

Jonah photographed it before I touched anything else. He was good at stopping my worst impulses.

"We don't go breaking into rooms," he said. "We take this to the police."

"And while they wait for Monday, somebody empties my mother's files?"

"Then we find out what it opens legally."

At home, Dad was sitting beside Mom's battered leather purse on the kitchen table. He'd gone there to pick up her phone charger. I showed him the key. His face drained.

"Where did you get that?"

"Harper's bouquet."

He opened a drawer and removed an old brass tag. The number was the same.

"It's the key to the document cage at the foundry," he said. "Only three people were supposed to have one. Your mother, me, and our plant manager."

"You gave Harper access to the plant?"

"No. I gave her access to our wedding binder. She said you wanted all the family documents in one place for a surprise video. I should've checked."

I wanted to blame him. It would've been easier than accepting that the woman I loved might have planned the entire fall.

Dad went to the sink and stared out into the dark yard. "The original deed isn't enough to sell the place," he said. "Helen owns the controlling share through the family trust. She'd have to approve any transfer."

"Mom said Harper had her signature."

"She can forge a signature. But she needs the trust's approval certificate and its seal to make the paperwork look convincing."

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The plant manager called as Dad was speaking. His voice came through the phone in a rush.

"Mr. Mercer, the document cage is open. And the trust seal is gone."