Mark walked Sarah upstairs to her bedroom and set her on the bed.
He handed her a cup of water from the nightstand drawer.
The little girl took a slow drink while wiping her face dry.
Mark: Tell me what happened before I got home today.
Sarah: I was looking for my missing drawing book in the study.
Mark: Did Elena yell at you for looking around in there?
Sarah: She had a big metal box open on the bottom desk shelf.
Mark sat beside her and took both of her cold small hands.
Mark: What kind of metal box was she holding, sweetheart?
Sarah: It had shiny legal papers and an old black wallet inside.
Mark felt a cold chill run down the back of his neck.
He remembered his late wife had kept special files before she passed away.
Sarah: When she saw me looking, she grabbed my wrist real tight.
Mark: She had no right to put her hands on you at all.
Sarah: She told me if I said anything, you would send me away.
Mark closed his eyes for a short second to calm his rising temper.
He squeezed Sarah's hands gently to let her know he was listening.
Mark: Nobody is ever sending you away from this house, Sarah.
Sarah: Momma's original papers were inside that box, Daddy.
Mark stood up from the bed and paced across the soft carpet.
Mark: Stay in this room until I come back upstairs for you.
He walked out into the hallway and shut her door carefully.
The quiet house felt heavy with secrets that needed to be exposed.
He walked straight down the stairs toward the dark study at the back.