Chapter 6: The Workshop That Was Supposed to Be Gone
The old workshop had been my father’s favorite place in the world.
At least, that was what I used to believe.
When I was younger, I thought it was magical.
A place where broken pieces of wood became something beautiful.
A place where my father could turn simple boards into bookshelves, tables, and memories.
But according to Madison, it didn’t exist anymore.
It had burned down.
And yet Dad had just sent me there.
The message from the unknown number sat on my phone screen.
*“If you go to the workshop, you’ll learn why your father disappeared.””*
I stared at those words until they blurred.
Someone knew.
Someone knew I had the key.
Someone knew Dad was communicating with me.
And that meant someone was watching.
“Emily,” Madison whispered.
I looked up.
“What?””
“We shouldn’t go.””
I expected fear.
I expected her to back away.
Instead, she looked terrified in a way I had never seen before.
Not the fear of getting caught.
The fear of knowing something.
“You know something about that place.””
She looked down.
“I know what Mom told me.””
“What did she tell you?””
Madison hesitated.
“That your father lost everything there.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
“She said the workshop was where everything started falling apart.””
I grabbed my jacket.
“Then that’s exactly where we need to go.””
Madison stared at me.
“You’re serious?””
“Yes.””
“Emily, your dad literally warned you not to go alone.””
“I’m not alone.””
She looked surprised.
“You trust me now?””
I paused.
That question was harder than I expected.
A few hours ago, I thought Madison was my enemy.
I thought she was another person trying to take something from me.
Now she was standing in my room at three in the morning, risking her relationship with her mother to help me.
“I don’t completely trust you,” I admitted.
She nodded.
“Fair.””
“But I trust that you’re scared of the same things I am.””
For a moment, she didn’t say anything.
Then she quietly smiled.
“Your dad was right.””
“About what?””
“You notice things.””
I grabbed my backpack.
“Come on.””
Getting out of the house was harder than I expected.
Not because of locks.
Because of memories.
Every hallway felt different now.
Every picture on the wall looked fake.
The family portraits.
The holiday photos.
The smiles.
How many of them had been pretending?
When we reached the front door, I stopped.
My eyes landed on the small table beside it.
Dad’s keys were still there.
The ones he always carried.
Except now I noticed something.
There was a second key ring underneath.
Hidden.
I picked it up.
Madison leaned closer.
“What is that?””
I examined it.
A tiny metal tag was attached.
Engraved letters.
*B-17*
“What does that mean?””
Madison shook her head.
“I don’t know.””
I put it in my pocket.
Another secret.
Another piece of a puzzle Dad had left behind.
We quietly stepped outside.
The night air hit my face.
For the first time all day, I felt like I could breathe.
But only for a second.
Because a car was parked across the street.
The lights were off.
The engine was running.
Madison stopped.
“Emily.””
“I see it.””
“Do you know whose car that is?””
“No.””
The car suddenly turned on its headlights.
We both stepped back.
Then the vehicle slowly drove away.
Not toward us.
Away.
Like it had only been there to make sure we noticed.
Madison whispered:
“Someone was waiting.””
I looked at the empty road.
“I know.””
The workshop was twenty minutes away.
The entire drive was silent.
Madison sat beside me, staring out the window.
Finally, she spoke.
“My mom wasn’t always like this.””
I kept my eyes on the road.
“Like what?””
“Like someone who could lie without blinking.””
I didn’t answer.
Because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear the rest.
“She used to be different.””
“People change.””
Madison looked at me.
The same words she had used earlier.
Only now they sounded sad.
“My dad left when I was little,” she said.
I glanced at her.
“I didn’t know.””
“Mom always told me men leave eventually.””
Her voice became quieter.
“When she married your dad, I thought she finally found someone who wouldn’t.””
I gripped the steering wheel.
“She loved him.””
Madison nodded.
“I think she did.””
That surprised me.
“Then why?””
She looked down.
“Because wanting something and doing the right thing aren’t always the same.””
I didn’t know how to respond.
Because that was the most honest thing anyone had said all night.
When we reached the workshop, I almost drove past it.
Because there was nothing there.
No building.
No sign.
Just an empty piece of land surrounded by a rusted fence.
Madison was right.
It had burned down.
I got out of the car slowly.
“This can’t be it.””
Madison followed.
“Emily.””
“No.””
I looked around.
“Dad sent me here.””
“Maybe he made a mistake.””
“My dad doesn’t make mistakes.””
I walked toward the fence.
Then I saw it.
A small metal box attached to one of the posts.
Hidden behind overgrown vines.
My heart started racing.
I pulled out the brass key.
It fit.
Madison stared.
“You’ve got to be kidding.””
I turned the key.
The box opened.
Inside was a folded map.
And a small recording device.
I picked it up.
A button on the side blinked.
I pressed it.
Dad’s voice filled the empty night.
“Emily.””
My knees almost gave out.
Hearing him.
Actually hearing him.
It felt impossible.
“If you found this, then Vanessa knows about the account.””
I looked at Madison.
She looked shocked too.
Dad continued.
“I’m sorry you had to find out this way.””
The recording crackled.
“I wanted to protect you. But protecting you meant keeping you away from the truth.””
I closed my eyes.
“Your stepmother didn’t start this alone.””
Madison went completely still.
“There is someone helping her.””
The recording paused.
Then Dad said:
“Someone I trusted.””
A cold feeling spread through me.
“Someone inside our family.””
Madison looked at me.
My father’s voice continued.
“Emily, listen carefully. The person who gives you answers may not be the person who deserves your trust.””
The message ended.
Silence returned.
Madison slowly looked at me.
“That’s it?””
I stared at the device.
“No.””
I picked up the map.
“There’s more.””
The map showed the workshop.
But not the building.
The land beneath it.
A marked location.
A place underground.
My eyes followed the lines.
Then I saw the label.
*Storage Room B-17*
The same code as the key tag.
Madison whispered:
“Your dad built something underground?””
I folded the map.
“Apparently.””
Before we could move, headlights appeared in the distance.
A car.
Coming fast.
Madison grabbed my arm.
“Emily.””
“I know.””
The vehicle stopped near the fence.
The door opened.
A figure stepped out.
A man.
Tall.
Wearing a dark jacket.
Even from a distance, I knew.
It was him.
Richard.
He looked toward us.
And smiled.
Not because he was surprised.
Because he was expecting us.
“Emily,” Madison whispered.
“How does he know we’re here?””
I didn’t answer.
Because I already knew.
Someone had followed us.
Richard walked closer.
“Your father always did underestimate how curious you would become.””
My blood ran cold.
I stepped back.
“How do you know my father?””
He smiled.
“Because I was there when he discovered the truth.””
Madison moved beside me.
“What truth?””
Richard looked at her.
Then back at me.
“The truth about Vanessa.””
I tightened my grip on the recording device.
“Where is my father?””
Richard’s smile faded slightly.
Then he said the one thing I never expected.
“He’s alive.””
My heart stopped.
But before I could ask another question, Richard looked past me toward the road.
His expression changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
“They found you.””
I turned.
Another car was approaching.
Richard stepped backward.
And whispered:
“Emily, if you want your father back, you need to run.””
The car stopped.
The door opened.
And the person who stepped out made Madison gasp.
Because it wasn’t Vanessa.
It wasn’t a stranger.
It was someone who had been looking for us the entire time.
Someone who knew exactly where Dad had hidden the evidence.
Someone I thought was on my side.
May you like
My father’s voice echoed in my head.
*“The person who gives you answers may not be the person who deserves your trust.””*
