PART 2 \u2014 THE SECRET INSIDE THE CELLO
\nDad looked down at the page Grandma had placed in his hand.
\nFor the first few seconds, his expression didn\u2019t change.
\nThen all the color disappeared from his face.
\n\u201cWhat is this?\u201d he whispered.
\nGrandma Margaret folded her hands calmly in front of her.
\n\u201cYou can read, Thomas.\u201d
\nMy mother stepped closer. \u201cWhat does it say?\u201d
\nDad didn\u2019t answer.
\nRachel climbed out of her lounge chair and walked toward him, dripping pool water onto the new stone patio.
\n\u201cDad?\u201d
\nHe lowered the paper.
\nHis hand was shaking.
\nI had seen my father angry.
\nI had seen him embarrassed.
\nI had seen him defensive.
\nBut I had never seen him frightened.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Until that moment.
\nMom grabbed the page from him.
\nHer eyes moved quickly across the first paragraph.
\nThen the second.
\nBy the time she reached the signature at the bottom, her mouth had fallen open.
\n\u201cThis can\u2019t be right.\u201d
\nGrandma smiled.
\n\u201cOh, it\u2019s right.\u201d
\nEveryone around the pool had gone quiet.
\nEven Rachel\u2019s children seemed to notice something had changed, because they stopped splashing and looked toward the adults.
\nI squeezed Lucy\u2019s hand.
\n\u201cWhat is it?\u201d I asked.
\nAndrew, Grandma\u2019s lawyer, opened his folder.
\nGrandma looked at Lucy first.
\nNot at my parents.
\nNot at Rachel.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
At Lucy.
\n\u201cSweetheart,\u201d she said, \u201cthere\u2019s something about your cello I should have told you sooner.\u201d
\nLucy\u2019s fingers tightened around mine.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nGrandma took a slow breath.
\n\u201cThat cello was never simply an old family instrument.\u201d
\nRachel gave an impatient laugh.
\n\u201cWe already know it was valuable. We got eighty-seven thousand dollars for it.\u201d
\nGrandma turned toward her.
\n\u201cNo, Rachel.\u201d
\nHer voice was so calm that Rachel\u2019s smile vanished.
\n\u201cYou got eighty-seven thousand dollars because the man who bought it knew exactly what your father did not.\u201d
\nDad stared at her.
\n\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d
\nGrandma nodded toward Andrew.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
He removed several photographs from the folder.
\nThe first showed the cello lying on a velvet-covered workbench.
\nThe second was a close-up of the inside.
\nThe third showed something I couldn\u2019t understand at first\u2014a tiny handwritten inscription beneath an old repair label.
\nAndrew handed the photographs to me.
\nI looked closer.
\nThere was a date.
\nA name.
\nAnd beneath it, a symbol burned faintly into the wood.
\nGrandma touched the photograph.
\n\u201cMy father bought that cello in 1958 from the widow of a European musician who had settled in Boston after the war. For decades, our family believed it was simply a fine nineteenth-century instrument.\u201d
\nShe paused.
\n\u201cUntil twelve years ago.\u201d
\nMom\u2019s face changed.
\n\u201cYou knew?\u201d
\nGrandma nodded.
\n\u201cI had it examined.\u201d
\n\u201cExamined by whom?\u201d Dad demanded.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThree specialists.\u201d
\nAndrew pulled another document from the folder.
\n\u201cOne in Boston. One in Chicago. And one in London.\u201d
\nNobody moved.
\nGrandma continued.
\n\u201cThe cello had been altered during a restoration many decades ago. The label visible through the sound hole was not the original label.\u201d
\nI felt Lucy looking up at me.
\nI still didn\u2019t understand.
\nBut Dad apparently did.
\nHis eyes moved toward the photographs again.
\n\u201cWhat was underneath it?\u201d
\nGrandma smiled.
\n\u201cThere you are.\u201d
\nDad swallowed.
\nAndrew answered for her.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cA maker\u2019s mark.\u201d
\nRachel crossed her arms. \u201cAnd?\u201d
\nAndrew looked directly at her.
\n\u201cAnd according to the preliminary authentication completed twelve years ago, there was a substantial possibility that Lucy\u2019s cello came from the workshop of one of the most sought-after European makers of its period.\u201d
\nSilence.
\nA drop of water fell from Rachel\u2019s hair onto the patio.
\nMom whispered, \u201cHow much?\u201d
\nGrandma\u2019s smile disappeared.
\n\u201cThat was never the important part.\u201d
\n\u201cHow much, Margaret?\u201d
\nGrandma looked at her daughter for a long moment.
\n\u201cThe estimate twelve years ago ranged between four hundred thousand and six hundred thousand dollars if the attribution could be fully established.\u201d
\nRachel actually stumbled backward.
\nMy father grabbed the back of a chair.
\nI stared at Grandma.
\n\u201cHalf a million dollars?\u201d
\n\u201cTwelve years ago,\u201d Andrew said. \u201cPotentially.\u201d
\nMom\u2019s eyes immediately shot toward the pool.
\nI knew what she was calculating.
\nEighty-seven thousand.
\nConcrete.
\nLandscaping.
\nHeating system.
\nOutdoor kitchen.
\nFurniture.
\nEverything they had already spent.
\nRachel\u2019s face twisted.
\n\u201cThat collector cheated us!\u201d
\nGrandma\u2019s head snapped toward her.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nOne word.
\nSharp enough to stop everyone.
\n\u201cYou don\u2019t get to say \u2018us.\u2019\u201d
\nRachel blinked.
\nGrandma pointed toward Lucy.
\n\u201cIf anyone was cheated, it was that child.\u201d
\nLucy lowered her eyes.
\nGrandma walked over to her.
\nShe crouched slowly despite her knees and took Lucy\u2019s hands.
\n\u201cI need you to understand something,\u201d she said. \u201cI gave you that cello because you loved it before you knew what it was worth.\u201d
\nLucy\u2019s eyes filled.
\n\u201cI thought you wanted it back.\u201d
\nGrandma\u2019s expression broke for the first time.
\n\u201cOh, sweetheart.\u201d
\nShe pulled Lucy against her.
\n\u201cI would have sold every piece of jewelry I own before taking that cello away from you.\u201d
\nLucy buried her face against Grandma\u2019s shoulder.
\nI looked at my mother.
\nShe looked away.
\nAnd something inside me went cold.
\nBecause that was the part I would never forgive.
\nNot the money.
\nNot even the cello.
\nThey had let an eleven-year-old believe she had disappointed the person she adored.
\nGrandma stood again.
\nDad cleared his throat.
\n\u201cFine. We made a mistake.\u201d
\nGrandma stared at him.
\n\u201cA mistake is putting salt instead of sugar in your coffee.\u201d
\nShe pointed toward the house.
\n\u201cYou removed property belonging to a child, contacted a dealer, signed documents claiming you had authority to sell it, took the money, and spent it.\u201d
\nDad\u2019s jaw tightened.
\n\u201cYou gave it away. It was family property.\u201d
\n\u201cNo,\u201d Andrew said.
\nDad turned toward him.
\nAndrew removed another page.
\n\u201cThis is the deed of gift.\u201d
\nMy mother froze.
\n\u201cThe what?\u201d
\n\u201cThe document transferring legal ownership of the cello from Margaret to Lucy.\u201d
\nHe handed me a copy.
\nLucy\u2019s full legal name was printed across the page.
\nThere was Grandma\u2019s signature.
\nA witness.
\nA date from almost three years earlier.
\nAnd attached behind it was something else.
\nA photograph.
\nLucy at eight years old, holding the cello for the first time while Grandma stood beside her.
\nGrandma had documented everything.
\nDad stared at Andrew.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re telling me an eight-year-old owned an antique worth hundreds of thousands?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m telling you,\u201d Andrew replied, \u201cthat you sold property you did not own.\u201d
\nRachel stepped forward.
\n\u201cThen give the money back.\u201d
\nNobody answered.
\nRachel looked at Dad.
\n\u201cDad, give Lucy the eighty-seven thousand.\u201d
\nMom stared at her.
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t have it.\u201d
\nRachel\u2019s mouth opened.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cThe pool cost more than expected.\u201d
\n\u201cYou said you covered everything.\u201d
\n\u201cWe did.\u201d
\n\u201cWith what?\u201d
\nMom\u2019s silence answered.
\nRachel looked around at the pool she had spent six weeks bragging about.
\nThen she looked at her parents.
\n\u201cYou spent all of it?\u201d
\nDad slammed his hand against the table.
\n\u201cEnough!\u201d
\nLucy jumped.
\nI immediately moved in front of her.
\nDad saw me do it.
\nFor once, he lowered his voice.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ll work something out.\u201d
\nGrandma shook her head.
\n\u201cNo, Thomas. You won\u2019t.\u201d
\nDad\u2019s face hardened.
\n\u201cWhat exactly do you want?\u201d
\n\u201cI want the cello returned to Lucy.\u201d
\nHe laughed once.
\nA nervous, ugly sound.
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t have it.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cThe collector has it.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cSo what are we supposed to do?\u201d
\nGrandma glanced at Andrew.
\nThat was when I realized there was still something they hadn\u2019t told us.
\nAndrew closed the folder.
\n\u201cThe cello has already been located.\u201d
\nMy heart jumped.
\nLucy stepped around me.
\n\u201cYou found it?\u201d
\nAndrew nodded.
\nGrandma smiled at her.
\n\u201cWe found it.\u201d
\nLucy\u2019s eyes widened.
\n\u201cCan I get it back?\u201d
\nNobody answered immediately.
\nThat hesitation scared me.
\n\u201cGrandma?\u201d
\nShe looked at Andrew.
\nHe sighed.
\n\u201cThe situation is complicated.\u201d
\nOf course it was.
\nDad folded his arms.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\nAndrew looked directly at him.
\n\u201cBecause the man you sold it to was not the final buyer.\u201d
\nMom gripped the edge of the table.
\n\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d
\n\u201cHe resold it.\u201d
\nRachel cursed under her breath.
\n\u201cTo whom?\u201d I asked.
\nAndrew opened the folder again.
\n\u201cA private dealer who sent it overseas for a complete authentication.\u201d
\nGrandma looked at Lucy.
\n\u201cAnd that authentication uncovered something none of us knew.\u201d
\nMy stomach tightened.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nGrandma reached into Andrew\u2019s folder and removed one final photograph.
\nThis one was different.
\nIt showed the bottom of the cello after a section of old protective material had apparently been carefully removed.
\nThere was another mark underneath.
\nTiny.
\nAlmost invisible.
\nAndrew pointed to it.
\n\u201cThe earlier experts were wrong about the workshop.\u201d
\nDad whispered, \u201cThen it isn\u2019t valuable?\u201d
\nFor half a second, hope flashed across his face.
\nGrandma saw it.
\nSo did I.
\nAnd I think that hurt her more than anything.
\nBecause my father wasn\u2019t hoping the cello was safe.
\nHe was hoping Lucy\u2019s loss didn\u2019t matter.
\nGrandma slowly shook her head.
\n\u201cNo, Thomas.\u201d
\nShe looked at the swimming pool.
\nThen back at him.
\n\u201cThey underestimated it.\u201d
\nNobody spoke.
\nAndrew handed Dad another report.
\nDad stared at the first page.
\nHis lips moved silently.
\nThen his knees seemed to weaken.
\nHe sat down.
\nMom snatched the report.
\nRachel moved beside her.
\nI watched both their faces change.
\n\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d I demanded.
\nGrandma answered.
\n\u201cThe instrument has now been attributed to the master himself rather than merely his workshop.\u201d
\nI could hear my own heartbeat.
\n\u201cAnd what does that mean?\u201d
\nAndrew spoke carefully.
\n\u201cThe current preliminary insurance valuation is approximately 1.8 million dollars.\u201d
\nRachel screamed.
\n\u201cONE POINT EIGHT MILLION?\u201d
\nSeveral neighbors turned toward us from across the fence.
\nDad buried his face in his hands.
\nMom stared at the pool like she wanted it to disappear.
\nBut Grandma wasn\u2019t finished.
\n\u201cAnd now,\u201d she said, \u201cwe come to the part your parents should actually be afraid of.\u201d
\nDad slowly raised his head.
\n\u201cWhat part?\u201d
\nGrandma\u2019s expression became unreadable.
\n\u201cThe cello\u2019s value is not the secret I was talking about.\u201d
\nMy skin prickled.
\nAndrew pulled a sealed envelope from the bottom of his folder.
\nAcross the front were three words written in Grandma\u2019s handwriting.
\nFOR LUCY ONLY.
\nLucy stared at it.
\nGrandma held the envelope but didn\u2019t give it to her yet.
\n\u201cWhen I gave you the cello,\u201d Grandma said softly, \u201cI gave you two things.\u201d
\nLucy frowned.
\n\u201cThe cello and what?\u201d
\n\u201cA future.\u201d
\nMom stepped forward.
\n\u201cMargaret, what have you done?\u201d
\nGrandma ignored her.
\nShe looked at Lucy.
\n\u201cMy grandmother believed money revealed people faster than almost anything else. So when I decided the cello would someday belong to you, I created a trust alongside it.\u201d
\nDad went completely still.
\nRachel whispered, \u201cA trust?\u201d
\nGrandma nodded.
\n\u201cThe cello was one asset.\u201d
\nShe tapped the envelope.
\n\u201cBut it wasn\u2019t the largest.\u201d
\nNobody breathed.
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cGrandma\u2026\u201d
\nShe smiled at me.
\n\u201cThere are things I kept private for a reason.\u201d
\nDad stood again.
\n\u201cWhat does any of this have to do with us?\u201d
\nGrandma\u2019s eyes shifted toward him.
\n\u201cEverything.\u201d
\nAndrew removed a thick legal document.
\n\u201cThe trust contains a protection clause.\u201d
\nDad stared at him.
\n\u201cWhat protection clause?\u201d
\n\u201cA clause addressing interference, coercion, unauthorized sale, concealment, or conversion of property belonging to the beneficiary.\u201d
\nRachel looked confused.
\nMom didn\u2019t.
\nMom understood immediately.
\n\u201cWhat happens if someone violates it?\u201d I asked.
\nAndrew looked toward Grandma.
\nShe answered herself.
\n\u201cTheir inheritance is revoked.\u201d
\nDad\u2019s face emptied.
\nMom whispered, \u201cNo.\u201d
\nGrandma nodded.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nRachel stared at her.
\n\u201cYou can\u2019t do that.\u201d
\n\u201cI already did.\u201d
\n\u201cYou\u2019re punishing all of us over a cello?\u201d
\nGrandma\u2019s voice rose for the first time.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nEveryone went silent.
\n\u201cI am protecting a child because the adults around her decided her possessions, her feelings, and her future mattered less than a swimming pool.\u201d
\nRachel looked toward her children.
\n\u201cThis pool was for my kids.\u201d
\nGrandma pointed at Lucy.
\n\u201cAnd whose child is she?\u201d
\nRachel had no answer.
\nDad stepped toward Grandma.
\n\u201cMother, listen to me.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cYou don\u2019t understand what this means.\u201d
\n\u201cI understand perfectly.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019ve spent thirty years helping you.\u201d
\nGrandma laughed softly.
\n\u201cHelping me?\u201d
\nShe looked at Andrew.
\n\u201cWould you like to show him the bank records?\u201d
\nDad froze.
\nAnd suddenly I understood there was another layer.
\nAndrew\u2019s expression changed.
\nDad shook his head.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d
\nGrandma stared at him.
\nMom looked between them.
\n\u201cThomas?\u201d
\n\u201cMom, don\u2019t do this.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat bank records?\u201d I asked.
\nNobody answered.
\nThen Grandma said the sentence that changed the entire afternoon.
\n\u201cThe cello wasn\u2019t the first thing your father sold that belonged to me.\u201d
\nMy mother\u2019s face turned white.
\nRachel whispered, \u201cWhat?\u201d
\nDad took one step backward.
\nGrandma continued.
\n\u201cFor almost four years, small pieces disappeared from my home. Jewelry. Silver. Two paintings. My father\u2019s watch.\u201d
\nMom stared at Dad.
\n\u201cYou told me she donated those.\u201d
\nDad said nothing.
\nGrandma looked at me.
\n\u201cI thought I was becoming forgetful.\u201d
\nMy chest tightened.
\n\u201cI thought perhaps I had misplaced things. I even asked my doctor whether memory loss could begin that way.\u201d
\nDad\u2019s eyes dropped.
\nGrandma\u2019s voice trembled now.
\nNot from weakness.
\nFrom anger.
\n\u201cThen Andrew helped me investigate.\u201d
\nAndrew opened another section of the folder.
\n\u201cSeveral items were traced to auction houses and private dealers.\u201d
\nMom stepped away from Dad.
\n\u201cYou sold her things?\u201d
\nHe snapped, \u201cWe needed money!\u201d
\n\u201cFor what?\u201d
\nDad looked toward Rachel.
\nRachel\u2019s face changed.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nDad said nothing.
\n\u201cDad.\u201d
\nStill nothing.
\nRachel looked at the pool.
\nThen at the renovated patio.
\nThen toward the enormous addition being built on the back of the house.
\nHer voice became very quiet.
\n\u201cHow much money have you given me?\u201d
\nMom covered her mouth.
\nAnd I suddenly realized something horrifying.
\nRachel hadn\u2019t known.
\nShe had been selfish.
\nEntitled.
\nCruel about Lucy\u2019s cello.
\nBut even she hadn\u2019t known where all the money was coming from.
\nGrandma walked toward my father.
\n\u201cYou convinced everyone I was getting confused so nobody would question missing property.\u201d
\nDad whispered, \u201cI was going to replace it.\u201d
\n\u201cWith what?\u201d
\nSilence.
\nGrandma shook her head.
\n\u201cYou even let me question my own mind.\u201d
\nDad looked around at everyone watching him.
\nThen his embarrassment became anger.
\n\u201cYou have plenty!\u201d
\nThere it was.
\nThe sentence underneath everything.
\nGrandma\u2019s face became perfectly calm.
\n\u201cAnd therefore you believed you were entitled to take it.\u201d
\nDad pointed toward Lucy.
\n\u201cShe didn\u2019t need a million-dollar cello!\u201d
\nLucy flinched.
\nGrandma stepped directly between them.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nHer voice was quiet.
\n\u201cShe needed adults who understood that something does not become theirs simply because they want it.\u201d
\nAndrew reached for his phone.
\nDad noticed.
\n\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d
\n\u201cNothing yet.\u201d
\n\u201cYet?\u201d
\nAndrew glanced toward the driveway.
\nThen we heard it.
\nA car door closing.
\nThen another.
\nDad walked quickly toward the side gate.
\nTwo people were coming up the path.
\nA woman in a dark suit.
\nAnd a man carrying a hard black case.
\nGrandma looked at Lucy.
\nLucy stared at the case.
\nHer mouth opened.
\n\u201cNo way.\u201d
\nThe man stopped in front of her.
\n\u201cLucy Carter?\u201d
\nShe nodded.
\nHe placed the case carefully on the patio.
\nThen he opened it.
\nLucy screamed.
\nNot in fear.
\nIn joy.
\nInside, wrapped safely in dark velvet, was her cello.
\nShe dropped to her knees.
\n\u201cOh my God.\u201d
\nHer hands hovered over it.
\nShe didn\u2019t touch it at first.
\n\u201cIs it really mine?\u201d
\nGrandma knelt beside her.
\n\u201cIt always was.\u201d
\nLucy touched the neck.
\nThen the body.
\nThen she began crying.
\nI couldn\u2019t stop myself.
\nI cried too.
\nGrandma put one arm around her.
\nFor perhaps ten beautiful seconds, the pool, the money, the betrayal\u2014everything disappeared.
\nThere was only an eleven-year-old girl reunited with the instrument she loved.
\nThen the woman in the dark suit stepped toward my father.
\n\u201cThomas Carter?\u201d
\nDad looked at her.
\n\u201cYes?\u201d
\nShe held out an envelope.
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve been served.\u201d
\nMom gasped.
\nDad stared at the papers.
\n\u201cFor what?\u201d
\nAndrew answered.
\n\u201cCivil action concerning the unauthorized sale of Lucy\u2019s property and the other assets taken from Margaret.\u201d
\nDad turned toward Grandma.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re suing your own son?\u201d
\nGrandma looked at Lucy, who was still holding her cello.
\nThen she looked back at him.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nHer voice was almost gentle.
\n\u201cI\u2019m teaching my son something I should have taught him a very long time ago.\u201d
\nDad ripped open the envelope.
\nHis eyes raced across the pages.
\nThen he stopped.
\n\u201cWhat is this amount?\u201d
\nAndrew said nothing.
\nDad looked at Grandma.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re demanding repayment for everything?\u201d
\n\u201cEverything we can document.\u201d
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t have that kind of money!\u201d
\nGrandma glanced toward the sparkling blue pool.
\n\u201cThat sounds like a problem for someone who spent money that wasn\u2019t his.\u201d
\nRachel suddenly stepped forward.
\n\u201cWait.\u201d
\nEveryone turned.
\nHer face was pale.
\n\u201cI need to know something.\u201d
\nShe looked at Dad.
\n\u201cYou said the pool was paid for.\u201d
\nDad nodded slowly.
\nRachel pointed toward the house.
\n\u201cAnd the renovation?\u201d
\nMom closed her eyes.
\nRachel\u2019s voice cracked.
\n\u201cDad, how did you pay for the renovation?\u201d
\nNobody answered.
\n\u201cHOW?\u201d
\nDad finally whispered, \u201cA loan.\u201d
\nRachel stared at him.
\n\u201cAgainst what?\u201d
\nSilence.
\nThen Grandma\u2019s lawyer slowly pulled another document from his folder.
\nDad\u2019s eyes widened.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nAndrew looked at Rachel.
\n\u201cAgainst a property he claimed he had authority to pledge.\u201d
\nRachel frowned.
\n\u201cWhat property?\u201d
\nAndrew turned the document around.
\nI recognized the address immediately.
\nSo did Grandma.
\nSo did my mother.
\nIt was Grandma Margaret\u2019s house.
\nThe house she had lived in for forty-six years.
\nRachel whispered, \u201cOh my God.\u201d
\nGrandma didn\u2019t look surprised.
\nShe already knew.
\nThat was why she had smiled six weeks earlier.
\nThat was why Andrew had been investigating.
\nThat was why the cello had become something much larger than a stolen instrument.
\nDad had believed selling Lucy\u2019s cello was one selfish decision.
\nBut it had exposed everything.
\nGrandma looked at him.
\n\u201cYou should have left the cello alone, Thomas.\u201d
\nDad sank into the patio chair.
\nLucy looked up from her instrument.
\n\u201cGreat-Grandma?\u201d
\n\u201cYes, sweetheart?\u201d
\n\u201cCan I ask you something?\u201d
\n\u201cAnything.\u201d
\nLucy looked toward my father.
\nThen toward the pool.
\nThen back at Grandma.
\n\u201cAre they going to lose their house?\u201d
\nNobody spoke.
\nGrandma looked at Andrew.
\nAndrew closed the folder.
\n\u201cThat,\u201d he said quietly, \u201cdepends on what we discover Monday morning.\u201d
\nDad\u2019s head snapped up.
\n\u201cWhat happens Monday?\u201d
\nAndrew looked straight at him.
\n\u201cWe meet with the bank.\u201d
\nDad stood so fast the chair toppled backward.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nGrandma\u2019s eyes narrowed.
\nAnd for the first time all afternoon, my father looked genuinely terrified.
\nNot angry.
\nNot embarrassed.
\nTerrified.
\nGrandma noticed.
\n\u201cSo there is something else.\u201d
\nDad said nothing.
\nMom stared at him.
\n\u201cThomas.\u201d
\nHe backed toward the house.
\n\u201cThomas, what did you do?\u201d
\nHe turned and walked inside without answering.
\nMom followed him.
\nRachel followed Mom.
\nI remained beside Grandma and Lucy.
\nThen Grandma looked at Andrew.
\n\u201cYou saw his face.\u201d
\nAndrew nodded.
\n\u201cHe\u2019s hiding something.\u201d
\nI felt my stomach drop.
\n\u201cWorse than selling the cello?\u201d
\nAndrew stared toward the house.
\n\u201cPossibly.\u201d
\nA few seconds later, we heard my mother scream from inside.
\nNot an angry scream.
\nA frightened one.
\n\u201cTHOMAS, WHERE IS IT?\u201d
\nGrandma and I looked at each other.
\nThen Dad shouted something I couldn\u2019t understand.
\nA door slammed.
\nRachel screamed.
\nI started toward the house.
\nBut Andrew caught my arm.
\n\u201cEmily.\u201d
\nI stopped.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nHe pointed toward the driveway.
\nMy father\u2019s car was reversing out so quickly its tires scraped the curb.
\nDad didn\u2019t look back.
\nMom ran through the front door holding a piece of paper.
\n\u201cSTOP HIM!\u201d
\nBut he was already gone.
\nRachel came out behind her, crying.
\nI stared at Mom.
\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d
\nShe held out the paper.
\nHer hand shook so badly I could barely read it.
\nIt was a bank statement.
\nGrandma stepped beside me.
\nAnd when she saw the account balance, even she went silent.
\nI looked at Mom.
\n\u201cWhat am I looking at?\u201d
\nHer lips trembled.
\n\u201cThe account where Thomas was supposed to keep the money from refinancing the house.\u201d
\n\u201cHow much?\u201d
\nMom swallowed.
\n\u201cFour hundred and sixty thousand dollars.\u201d
\nI looked at the balance again.
\n$312.47.
\nLucy hugged her cello tighter.
\nGrandma slowly raised her eyes toward the road where my father had disappeared.
\nAnd Andrew said the words that turned our family dispute into something none of us had expected.
\n\u201cCall the bank now.\u201d
\nMom stared at him.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause if Thomas moved that money without your knowledge,\u201d Andrew said, reaching for his phone, \u201cthe cello may be the smallest thing he stole.\u201d
\nAnd somewhere down the road, my father was running.
\nBut on Monday morning, we were going to find out exactly what he was running from…………….<\/p>\n
PART 2 \u2014 THE SECRET INSIDE THE CELLO Dad looked down at the page Grandma had placed in his hand. For the first few seconds, his expression didn\u2019t change. Then … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5199,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6788"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6788\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6795,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6788\/revisions\/6795"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}