The Little Black Book Of Family Secrets

I am 20 year old Jade Ivory Ford. I was born and raised in Missouri. I am currently attending the Missouri state University. After my parents were murdered during a robbery all I could think about was becoming a doctor so I could save lives. It really dawned on me that I wasn’t able to save my parents who laid on the floor in front of me bleeding out. But who am I kidding I was a 14 year old girl who was told by her parents to hide and not to come out until they said so. My moms last words were “Jade come out and call the police now!”

My parents only left me the house after their murder, they weren’t as wealthy as our other family members. My uncle Tim took me in after they died, and he told me when I turned 18 I had to choose rather to sale the house or keep it. And of course I chose to keep it, how could I ever sale the one thing I had left to remember my parents? My Uncle Tim was pissed it was odd that he was so big on selling their home.He just kept pressing me to sale the house and get the money. He said I would need it for college. I also thought it was strange that he became so focused on my parents murder it was almost as if he was obsessed. But he’s gone now he passed away right after I left for college he was killed in a hit and run. Although I don’t currently live in my parents home, I stop by from time to time just to look at old pictures and remember all the good times I had with my parents.

It’s been 4 years since my parents were murdered. On the anniversary of their death every year my child hood friend Magen Wilson takes me out for dinner then I head over to my parents house just to sit and cry. So after leaving dinner with Megan i decided that this time I would clean out some of my parents old stuff. My therapist says it’s a great start to recovery. I began packing in their bedroom. As I’m looking around something Catches my attention. At the bottom of my moms night stand is a shiny gold box. I pick the box up and open it. Inside is a little black book. I take out the book and sit on the floor at the bottom of the bed. I never knew my life would change drastically after reading what was inside.

The first page read: My dear Jade if you are reading this then your father and I are long gone. One day you will become old enough to understand everything that happened with your father and I. Jade my love I hope that you are able to figure everything out in a timely manner. Because this book may land in the hands of someone else we must write in riddle it’s up to you to carefully put the pieces together. I love you with everything in me -Mama

Reading that first page brought me confusion. I was scared at the thought that I may have found the book a little to late. I kept reading. The second page read: Everything that goes up must come down spin around and touch the ground. I instantly stopped. That is the song from a game my mom use to play with me after every bath. We always played in the living room. I jump up and run to the living room. I looked around to try and figure out what my mom was trying to tell me. I noticed the area rug in the living. My favorite spot to play the game was on that rug. I pull the rug up and to my surprise there is a door. How did I not know there was a door there? My parents were always good at hiding things. When I opened the door there were stairs leading to another door. A voice said “please state your name” I responded “Jade Ford” the voice then says “Hello Jade welcome please enter” the second door unclocks and I walk down the remaining stairs.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing it was like a secret lab that you see on the movies. What was this place? Why did my parents bring me here? What am I supposed to do? With so many questions on my mind I start reading more of the book. The third page read: If you can’t go left then you must go right pull pull with all your might. I turn to right of me and there was a glass door. I go to open the door but it felt as if it was locked. So I pulled as hard as I could and the door opened.

As I walked into the room I noticed there was a machine with a large screen in front of it. I touch the machine and I suddenly heard a loud buzzing noice as if I got an answer wrong on a game show. What the hell is this? I thought to myself. I open the little black book in hopes to get answers. At the bottom of the third page it read: left hand left hand right hand right hand. I instantly knew what it was telling me to do. I place my left hand on the machine. I hear a loud beeping sound. I then lift my left hand and place it back down. I put my right on, lifted it back up and placed it back down. Each time I could hear the loud beeping sound. When I get done the screen turns on and a voice says “Welcome please say your 13 digit code” I open up the black book knowing that code had to be in there. I turn to the 4th page and there I read 13 numbers: 6, 8, 1,1, 4,9,7,3,7,4,6,8,5. I say the numbers out loud. The voice says “Thank you Jade you may now view all files” The screen shows a picture of my uncle Tim. “That’s weird, why is uncle Tim’s picture on this screen?” I whisper to myself. I open the black book to find more answers.

The 5th page read: They say that family are the ones you can trust but sometimes that is a lie, you can’t ignore suspicion no matter how hard you try and if you know to much someone has to die. I started shaking and I slammed the book closed. Were my parents telling me that uncle Tim had something to do with their murder? I couldn’t believe this. There is no way my favorite uncle murdered my parents! This just couldn’t be. I had to get out of there I ran fast with out looking back slamming every door shut behind me.

I made it back to my apartment. I walked in to my friend also my roommate Megan standing in the living room with ice cream and gifts for me. She always knew how to cheer me up. I sat down and told Megan everything that happened today. She grabbed the book closed it and said “Jade you are my best friend we are going to figure this out together starting tomorrow, but tonight your going to rest.” I smiled and hugged her. Megan put the book on the dinning room table and went to her room for bed. I couldn’t sleep I was anxious I needed to know the truth. I opened the book to page 6 and it read: When you know that something is wrong you always keep the proof please click on the file that reads ROOF. What is file ROOF? As I laid there thinking my eyes began to shut I was so exhausted.

Megan and I got up bright and early the next morning. On our way to my parents house we grabbed breakfast from A fast food place called Hightowns Breakfast. After eating We went straight to my parents home. Megan grabbed my hand and told me that we weren’t leaving until we got to the bottom of this. I believed her, she was like the sister I never had.

I take Megan to the spot where I left off. I read to her what I had read last night on page 6. Megan looks at me with confusion in her eyes. I say “Yea I don’t get it either.” She then says “put the 13 digit code in Jade.” I put the code in and this time a different picture of my uncle pops up. Megan walks to the screen and swipes left and another picture shows. It was the same one I saw yesterday. She swipes again and there pops up over a hundred files my parents had saved. We swiped through the files until Megan spots a file that says “ROOF” “RIGHT THERE!” Megan shouts “That one says ROOF” She clicks the file and there is a video of my parents standing on a roof. “Do you recognize where they are?” Megan asked I respond “Yes that’s my dads job, he use to take me up there at night to look at the stars” My parents looked as though they were waiting for someone. And up walks my uncle Tim.

Megan turns up the volume on the screen. Uncle Tim shakes hands with my father and hugs my mother. “Let’s cut to the chase I need to know that we have a deal I need to know you both will keep your mouths shut” Uncle Tim says in a calm voice. “Tim you stole money from the company and it’s all falling on me I just can’t let that happen” my father reply’s. Tim smirks then says “If you even mumble a word to anyone so help me God you will regret it” He nods his head, turns around, and walks off slowly. My mom hugs my father. You could see the fear in her eyes. My father kisses her forehead and says “Honey we have to tell somebody I am going to make this right.” He walks up to the camera recording the video and stops it.

“Look in the book and see if there is anything else we need to know while I look more into these files.” Megan says quickly as she starts swiping through files. On page 7 it read: Jade sometimes telling the truth is the right thing to do but when it hurts someone else you never know what they may do. I started putting pieces together. “Megan my uncle Tim begged me to sell the house when I turned 18 he even got so pissed when I told him no that he threatened to make sure I never made it to college” “And you didn’t find that creepy?” Megan questioned me as she walks over towards me. I shake my head “well of course I did but as time went on I made myself believe he was trying to do what he thought was right” i wiped the tears from my eyes. “Megan he was so obsessed with my parents murder he wouldn’t leave it alone this explains why” I say as I continue to wipe my eyes. Megan walks back to the screen and finds a file that says house cameras. “Um Jade did you know that your parents had cameras in the home?” I replied “no why?” She clicks on the file. It was the night my parents were murdered.

I slowly walked toward the screen as tears filled my eyes. It showed my mom and I sitting on the living room couch reading books for my book reports I had to turn in the next morning. My dad then walks in and says “Jade sweety go get ready for bed” He hugs and kisses me on the cheek. He then receives a phone call. It was uncle Tim I can recognize that voice from anywhere. I’m guessing my parents reported him for stealing money from the company because he sounded pissed. My dad had uncle Tim on speaker phone and I heard him say “we are brothers you son of a bitch how dare you go against me you are going to pay for this your whole family will pay!” He also says something that will forever stick with me he said “You and your wife will die and I’ll stage it like a robbery” I look at Megan and said with sadness “That’s exactly what he did” Megan hugs me “I am so sorry Jade” she says as she wipes the tears running down my face. We continued to watch the video. My uncle hangs up in the middle of my father trying to say something. My father looked at my mom and says “get all the house camera videos and put them on the computer in the lab we need proof of anything that might happen to us.

Later that night I remember my parents running upstairs telling me to hide and don’t come out until I was told to. They knew they were going to die that night. My patheic uncle got away with murder. I was furious at the fact he took me in knowing he was the reason my parents were dead. He was the reason I went through depression, and that bastard was the reason I would spend the rest of my life with out my parents. Megan could tell I becoming furious. I couldn’t stop crying. “let’s go home Jade you got the truth, your uncle got what was coming to him that hit and run was what he deserved and he’s dead now there’s nothing else you can do, your parents would want you to move on” I wipe my eyes “Thank you for helping me figure this out I couldn’t have done this with out you.” We leave my parents house and head back home.

When we returned home Megan changed her clothes, made sure I would be fine with being alone tonight, and went out with her boyfriend. I picked up the little black book my parents had left for me. As I’m reading the rest of the book I notice on one page there was a note that read: “Jade I am your farther the one who made a promise that even death couldn’t keep me from taking care of my sweet angel. I’m keeping that promise. So my dear Jade here is one last riddle for you: Baby baby go to sleep baby baby don’t make a peep baby baby it’s sleeping time I’ll wake you in the morning when the sun starts to shine. I close the book I remember my dad use rock me in our favorite rocking chair, and he would sing that song to me, but what he trying to say? I had to figure this out. So I grab my keys and run out the door

I pull up to my parents home once again walk inside and go straight to their room. I look at the rocking chair and notice something I’ve never seen before. There was a string hanging from the middle of the rocking chair. I pull the string fairly hard and the seat part of the chair pops up. Underneath was a note that said: Jade here is $20,000 your mom and I saved for when you turned 20 years old, I’m not sure when you’ll get to the money now but I sure hope it’s you reading this letter, I hope you use this money to do what you love most, but most of all I hope you take care of yourself. I love you sweetheart and don’t you ever forget that -love the best dad in the world.” I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. All this time I thought my parents only left me the house. All this time this money sat in this house and I had no knowledge to it being here. Tears filled my eyes as I put all the money into my moms favorite duffel bag. I grabbed my keys and drove straight home.

From that day forward I promised myself to never sell my parents home. I will start a family, and raise my kids in that home. They will to love it and cherish it as much as I do. As far as the $20,000 I’ll use it to open up a doctors office of my own. I will dedicate my life to saving lives, and saving family members from the heart aches and pains that I myself endured.