Lifetime of Lies by Shannon Kaper

Author:Shannon Kaper [Kaper, Shannon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-03-05T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

CAROL AND I were both awake at dawn, watching our clocks tick by the minutes until we could justify getting up and getting ready to head toward the bank in Alanson. It wasn’t even 7:30 when I heard a quiet knock on my apartment door that leads to the restaurant. There were only a few people it could be, so I was reasonably sure it was Carol.

We enjoyed a cup of coffee on my deck while we waited. Faith tracked us down and joined us for coffee. She was intrigued by the story of Richard and was looking forward to finding out what was in the safety deposit box almost as much as we were.

When it was finally time to leave, we were both so full of anxiety we looked like two of the three stooges trying to get out the door and into the car. I had to sit for a minute and take a couple of deep breaths before I started the car. If it was this hard for me, I can’t imagine what Carol was feeling.

It’s a short drive from Indian River to Alanson, another small community in the area.

“How do you get into the safety deposit box?” I asked, having no clue how this would work.

“Usually, you have to show your key, and they check the signature card against your signature, then they take you in and wait while you get what you want,” she explained.

“This will be interesting.

Once in the bank, my stomach clenched with nervousness I hadn’t experienced in years. Why was I so nervous?

When it was Carol’s turn to speak with a teller, she said she wanted to access a safety deposit box, then placed the key on the counter. The teller asked what box number, then looked it up in a card file behind the counter. She handed Carol a card telling her to sign and date it.

Before we knew it, Carol went into the vault where the boxes are kept. “Can my friend come with me, please?” she asked the teller.

Once inside the vault, the teller asked for the key, opened box 47, placed it on the table, and moved to stand in the corner out of the way. Carol looked at me, took a deep breath, then opened the box. I think we were both afraid to look, fearing there wouldn’t be anything in it. After an understood count of three, we looked down and let out the collective breath we were holding.

Inside the safety deposit box was a single manila envelope with one word written on it: ‘Carol.’

Her hand was shaking as she reached for the envelope, as if it would bite her. Carol put the envelope in her purse; we thanked the bank teller and headed toward the car. Once inside the car, we both let out the breath we’d been holding once more.

“That was easy,” I remarked. “I didn’t think you’d get into the box.”

“I didn’t either, but I remembered something my mom used to tell me: put your shoulders back, walk tall, and act as if you belong there.

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