Chapter 11 - THE INVESTIGATOR AND THE HOSPITAL
I brought the lawyer into the living room.
Luca walked in a moment later, wiping his hands on a towel. When he saw David Vance, he froze.
“David,” Luca said, his voice guarded. “I haven’t seen you since the reading of the will.”
“Good morning, Luca,” David replied politely, setting his briefcase on the coffee table. “I apologize for the intrusion, but I am here on strict instructions from your late wife.”
Luca walked slowly toward the sofa. “Instructions?”
Eleanor and Emma had followed Luca from the kitchen, hovering near the doorway. Luca motioned for them to come in.
“It’s fine, come sit,” he said to them, never taking his eyes off the lawyer.
David popped the locks on his briefcase. It snapped open with a sharp click. He reached inside and pulled out a single, sealed manila envelope, much larger than the blue birthday letters.
“Nora came to my office four months before she passed,” David explained, his voice gentle. “She was putting her affairs in order. She gave me the letters for Emma, which I understand she arranged to have hidden in her music box.”
Luca nodded slowly. “We found them last night.”
“She also gave me this,” David said, handing the large envelope to Luca. “She told me that as Emma approached her eleventh birthday, you might start feeling the pressure to move on. She predicted that you might make a mistake in your grief.”
Luca flinched. The words hit him like a physical blow.
“She told me to bring this to you to remind you of what matters,” David finished. “That is all I know. Good day, Luca.”
The lawyer bowed his head to Eleanor and let himself out of the house.
Luca stood in the center of the living room, holding the thick envelope. His hands were shaking again.
“Open it, Daddy,” Emma whispered, stepping close to his side.
Luca took a deep breath. He tore the top of the envelope open.
He reached inside and pulled out a stack of papers.
But they weren’t legal documents. They weren’t wills or deeds or contracts.
They were children’s drawings.
Dozens of them. Crayon masterpieces of stick-figure families, crooked houses, and bright yellow suns.
Luca stared at them in confusion.
Then, he noticed a small, white index card clipped to the front of the stack.
He pulled it off and read it out loud.
“Luca. When you are lost in the dark, remember what we built. These are the drawings Emma made for me in the hospital when she thought I was going to get better. I kept them all. Please, do not let anyone paint over our masterpiece.”
Luca’s voice broke on the last word.
He flipped through the drawings. In every single one, Emma had drawn three people. A tall man, a woman with a yellow dress, and a little girl holding their hands.
It was their family.
At the very bottom of the envelope, there was one more thing.
It was a small, silver pocket watch.
Eleanor gasped loudly. “My God. Is that…”
Luca pulled it out. The silver was tarnished, and the glass face was cracked.
“It’s my father’s watch,” Luca whispered, staring at it in shock. “I lost this ten years ago. Right before Emma was born. I looked everywhere for it.”
Eleanor smiled through her tears. “She found it behind the dresser in the master bedroom, Luca. She was going to give it to you for your anniversary, but she got sick. She must have given it to David to hold onto.”
Luca pressed the button on the top of the watch.
The cracked glass popped open.
Inside the lid, freshly engraved in the silver, were three words:
Time is ours.
Luca closed the watch and held it tightly in his fist, pressing it over his heart. He closed his eyes, and a single tear escaped, rolling down his cheek.
But this time, it wasn’t a tear of grief. It was a tear of profound, overwhelming peace.
He opened his eyes and looked at his daughter, then at Eleanor.
“She was still taking care of us,” Luca whispered. “Even now.”
Emma hugged his waist tightly. “I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, baby.” Luca kissed her head.
He looked over at me, standing quietly by the doorway.
“Claire,” he said, his voice strong and clear.
“Yes, sir?”
“Call the carpenters. I want the guest house completely renovated. Top to bottom.”
I blinked in surprise. “Renovated? For what, sir?”
May you like
Luca turned to Eleanor and smiled.
“For Emma’s grandmother,” Luca said. “It’s time she moved in.”
