Part 2: The Empty Safe
I reread the words several times and immediately grabbed my phone.
Daniel didn’t answer.
Then I checked my purse and saw that my wallet was still there. My cash and bank cards were inside too.
I was beginning to think I had simply frightened myself when I noticed something strange.
A small key was missing from an inner pocket.
It was the key to the safe in my apartment.
I had never told anyone about that safe except my children. Inside were my mother’s jewelry, the documents for my apartment, and cash I had been saving for years.
A chill ran through me.
But how could Daniel possibly have known about the safe?
I immediately called a taxi and rushed home.
When I reached my floor, the apartment door was closed. The lock appeared untouched.
I opened the door and hurried into the bedroom.
The safe was empty.
The money, jewelry, and several important documents were gone.
I was about to call the police when I noticed another photograph on the table.
This time, it was a picture of Daniel.
But standing beside him was someone I knew very well.
My own son.
The photograph had been taken several weeks earlier.
On the back, someone had written an address and a time, along with the words:
“Your son arranged all of this.”
I stared at the message, unable to believe it.
The most terrifying part wasn’t even that a stranger had taken advantage of my loneliness and robbed me.
Far worse was realizing that our meeting at the bar probably hadn’t been a coincidence at all.
Daniel had known who I was before he ever approached my table.
Which meant that someone very close to me had helped him stage the entire thing.
Note: This story is a work of fiction inspired by real events. Names, characters, and details have been altered. Any resemblance is coincidental. The author and publisher disclaim accuracy, liability, and responsibility for interpretations or reliance. All images are for illustration purposes only.
