Death In The Family

The day began like any other Luca woke up and began to get ready for work at 5am.

Everyday was the same, same morning routine,Same sad faces in the coffee shop and same old joke from Mr. Edwards, Luca laughed every time.

“Good one mr. E.” Luca says with a smile

As the work day was about to end, Luca began to clean up the store as she heard the door ding.

“Welcome in,” Luca says without looking.

“Hello,” Luca looked as she heard a familiar voice.

“Finley!” Luca say’s with excitement. “Long time no see.”

“Hey friend I know it's been over 3 years.”

Luca and Finley went to high school together and after one night they had an interaction that had ended their friendship. Luca had kissed Finley, Finley grew up in a strict catholic family. She had a hard time opening up about her true feelings for Luca. This had put a strain on the friendship and for Finley the simplest thing to do at the time was to run away from her feelings.

“What brings you back into town?”

Finley looks down to the ground and says. “My father recently passed and I have to clean out the house.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, I had no idea.”

“Thank you.” Luca grabs Finley's hand.

“Well, I’m just closing up. I'd love to come and give you a hand.” Finley gives Luca a little smile.

“That would be great thank you.”

Luca finishes closing up the shop and the girls start to head over to Finley’s family home. Finley sighs.

“I haven’t been home in over 3 years.”

Finley and Luca head into the home and begin going through all the things in the home. As the girls get up to the attic and begin going through the boxes Luca drops and box on the ground and hears a hollow sound.

“Fin, is there and opening under here?”

“I’m not sure my dad never let me come up into the attic as a kid. He always kept the door locked up.”

“huh well I think there’s something under here.”

Luca moved the box and began knocking on the floor as Finley made her way over. Luca lifted up the carpet and underneath there was a hatch.

“That’s weird, should I open it up?”

“yeah.”

Luca lifted up the hatch and pulled it open to reveal a wooden box with a lock on it.

She pulled the box up and set it on the ground.

“It’s locked.”

Finley then pulled up the chain that was hanging on her neck. Hanging on the chain was a small skeleton key. Her dad gave his lawyer strict rules to give this to Finley only after he had passed. She had asked what it was for but, all the lawyer could say was. “Your father gave me the key and the only thing he said to say was. “The book and the box are the key.” Finley had remembered Her father calling her shortly before he had passed. He ended the call saying those exact words. When she asked what he meant her father replied. “The answers will come when I go.”

Finley, took the necklace off her neck and put in the key. Perfect fit; she turned the key and in the box there was a satin bag and a little black book. Luca grabbed the bag and Finley grabbed the book. Finley opened the book to read the first page.

“These are coordinates.” Underneath was the word Dove, in he fathers handwriting.

“Only my dad called me Dove.” She said, as she ran her hand over the words.

“Fin, look at this. There is 20,000 dollars in this bag.”

“What”

“There is 20,000 dollars in this bag.”

“What the hell is this? The lawyer said this and the house is all my dad had to give.”

“Well maybe he didn’t tell him about this. Did he say anything?”

“The book and the box are the key.”

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t know Lu. I’m seeing all this as you are there’s coordinates in this book.”

“Does it say anything else.”

Finley flipped through the pages but, it seemed like all that had written was on the first page. Luca then pulled out her phone and typed in the coordinates.

“Um, looks like it's some place in Lincoln City.”

“Oregan? We had a cabin out there. He would take me out there when I was younger. I thought he sold it. We stopped going there when I was 13, I remember how sad I was.”

“If he didn’t sell it, it wouldn't have been on his will.”

“I’m not sure, the lawyer never said anything.”

“Maybe he had it under a different name.”

Finley and Luca sat in silence for a moment and then Finley rushed to her feet. She began to close the hatch and put the wooden box back inside. And began to walk towers through the attic door.

“Where are you going?”

“Lincoln City.”

“What are you talking about, you don’t know if it is safe.”

“My dad wanted me to find this, it was important to him so it’s important to me.”

Luca sat for a moment. “Ok, lets go.”

“You want to come with me?”

“If it’s important to you then it’s important to me.”