Chapter 73 - The Family We Never KnewI stared at the photograph.
The little girl couldn't have been older than six.
Her dark hair, round cheeks, and serious expression were so familiar that I felt as though I was looking at an old childhood portrait of myself.
"Who is she?"
Eleanor sat down.
"Her name was Rebecca."
"Was?"
"She was the daughter of your father's brother, Michael."
I looked at Mom.
She seemed unable to speak.
"Does that mean I had a cousin?"
"Yes," Eleanor answered. "Your father tried to find her for years."
Michael studied the photograph.
"Why didn't he tell the family?"
"Because he couldn't find her."
Eleanor explained that Michael Bennett had died unexpectedly, leaving behind a young daughter. Her mother had moved away shortly afterward, changing addresses and eventually losing contact with the family.
Dad had searched through old records, but every lead had ended.
"Did he ever find her?" I asked.
Eleanor shook her head.
"Not before he died."
I looked down at the photograph.
"Then why was this hidden in your house?"
"Because I was the one who helped your father search."
She handed me a folder.
Inside were letters addressed to different towns, records from old schools, and newspaper notices.
One letter had been returned unopened.
The name on the envelope was Rebecca Bennett.
Michael examined the postmark.
"Where was this sent?"
Eleanor pointed to a small town several hours away.
"That's where I last heard she lived."
I felt an unexpected connection to a person I had never met.
Dad had spent years searching for someone who might have been the only surviving connection to his lost brother.
"Why does this matter now?" I asked.
Eleanor looked at me.
"Because Rebecca may know something about the original property agreement."
I frowned.
"How?"
"Her father helped your father establish the family trust. He kept copies of the original documents before Caldwell became involved."
Michael leaned forward.
"Are you certain?"
"I have a letter confirming it."
She placed another envelope on the table.
The letter was dated shortly before Michael Bennett's death.
I have kept the original records somewhere safe. If anything happens to me, Rebecca will know where to find them. The lodge must never become a weapon against the family.
I read the sentence twice.
"What happened to Rebecca's father?"
Eleanor lowered her voice.
"He died in a car accident."
The room fell silent.
Mom looked toward the photograph.
"Did your father ever suspect something?"
Eleanor nodded.
"He believed the accident might not have been accidental. But he never found evidence."
My skin went cold.
"Are you saying Caldwell was involved?"
"I'm saying that your father believed Caldwell had reasons to prevent certain documents from becoming public."
Michael stood.
"We need to find Rebecca."
I looked at the address on the returned envelope.
It was more than twenty years old.
Still, it was the only lead we had.
Before leaving, Eleanor gave me a final document.
It was a photocopy of a handwritten note.
If the original trust is ever challenged, the missing witness must be found.
Beneath it was a name.
Rebecca Bennett.
We returned to the lodge that evening.
I placed the photograph beside Dad's picture.
For the first time, I understood why he had kept so many family secrets.
He hadn't simply been hiding financial mistakes.
He had been trying to preserve a family that had been broken long before I was born.
But as I prepared to go upstairs, Michael called from the workshop.
"I found something."
He was holding an old newspaper clipping.
The headline read:
LOCAL WOMAN RETURNS AFTER TWENTY YEARS AWAY.
Beneath it was a photograph.
Rebecca.
May you like
She was alive.
And according to the article, she had returned to our town just three months earlier.
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