Chapter 14 - The Box in Lily’s Closet
Nora drove home faster than she should have.
She went directly to Lily’s closet and pulled down every box from the top shelf.
Baby clothes.
Old blankets.
Birthday cards.
A wooden music box Ethan had repaired shortly before his death.
Mason had mocked it at the funeral.
You are keeping that piece of junk?
Nora placed it on the floor and turned the tiny brass handle.
A lullaby began to play.
The bottom panel appeared unusually thick. She examined the corners and found four tiny screws hidden beneath felt pads.
Inside the false bottom was a folded document protected by waxed paper.
The certificate declared that the farmhouse, the orchard, and all underground natural resources beneath the original Hayes farm were controlled by the Hayes Community Preservation Trust.
The trust had only one beneficiary.
Lily Hayes.
Nora was her legal guardian and sole acting trustee until Lily turned twenty-five.
Meridian Crown had not purchased the water rights.
Mason could not sell them.
No construction could begin without Nora’s written approval.
Nora called Evelyn.
“We found it.”
“Do not tell anyone,” Evelyn warned. “Make copies, place the original somewhere secure, and contact an attorney.”
Nora remembered that Ethan had once introduced her to Priya Shah, an attorney who specialized in property and environmental law.
Priya agreed to meet that afternoon.
After examining the certificate, Priya did not celebrate.
Instead, she studied the paper beneath a magnifying lamp.
“The certificate is valid,” she said. “But Meridian already filed a competing document three days ago.”
Nora’s stomach tightened.
“What does their document say?”
“It says Lily is no longer the beneficiary.”
Priya turned her computer toward Nora.
A scanned guardianship transfer appeared on the screen.
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At the bottom was Nora’s signature.
She had never signed it.
