It took Felix all night to reach a decision, but by the time the first rays of sunlight peeked through the neighbor’s tall trees, he knew what he had to do.
He called his mom and asked her to come over right away. Next, he went into Suzie’s room and woke her up.
“Suzie, sweetie, I need you to pack a bag as quickly as possible,” he said.
A few hours later, Felix stood at the front door with his mom and Suzie. He’d explained everything to them as best as possible, but now the time had come to say goodbye.
“Here.” Felix gave the box to Suzie.
“The first opportunity you get, I want you to take this to a pawn shop and sell it. Don’t take anything less than 100, 000 dollars for it, okay?”
Suzie nodded. “But Dad, I still don’t understand…why can’t you come with us?”
“Baby, Henry will never rest if I disappear.
Besides, I think this is the right thing to do, and the only way to get clear of this mess while still ensuring you get to live your life to the fullest. Trust me, Suzie. I didn’t reach this decision lightly.”
Felix hugged his daughter tightly and held back the tears forming in his eyes.
Saying goodbye to her was one of the hardest things he’d ever faced in his life.
“Promise me you’ll live a good life, Suzie,” he said as he looked into her eyes. “Study hard so you make something of yourself, and travel so you can see what the world has to offer you. Take care of your grandma…family is important, and the elderly deserve our respect.”
“I promise!” Suzie started to cry.
“This won’t be like this forever, Suzie.” Felix wiped the tears that trailed down his daughter’s cheeks.
“Someday, we’ll be together again and this whole mess will be behind us. But until then, I need you to be strong and make the most of every day.”
Police sirens wailed in the distance. Felix checked his watch.
It was 8:30 a.m., half an hour past the deadline Henry gave him. He couldn’t escape the suspicion that those sirens were coming for him. Felix hurried Suzie out the door and into his mom’s car.
He then hugged his mom, told her how much he loved her, and said goodbye.
He watched Mom and Suzie pull out of the driveway as the police sirens grew closer and closer. He watched them until they were out of sight and took some comfort from knowing they were clear of this mess when the cops arrested him.
Despite Henry’s confident threats, the charges he laid against Felix were not as clear-cut as he’d made them out to be. There were a couple of legal technicalities that needed to be worked through, and since the box was now missing, key parts of Henry’s case were in doubt.
The judge had granted Felix bail during the arraignment.
Since there was nobody to pay it for him, he’d spent the last four months in a holding cell awaiting his day in court.
All of that changed one day.
“Hey, Felix.” One of the prison guards banged against the bars of his cell. “Get up and get over here. Today is your lucky day.”
“What do you mean?” Felix warily rose from his bunk and approached the bars.
The guard smiled and unlocked the door.
“You’re going home. Somebody posted your bail.”
Felix was deeply confused, but he didn’t argue with the guard. He also didn’t ask any of the questions swirling through his thoughts as he followed the man to the front section of the prison.
“Dad!” Suzie hurtled toward him at full speed and threw herself into his arms.
“God, I’ve missed you so much!”
“What are you doing here?” Felix looked down at his daughter. “I don’t understand…”
Suzie grinned at him. “I’ll explain everything soon, but first, let’s get you out of here!”
It seemed to take forever for the prison officials to process his release, but eventually, Felix stepped out onto the street with his daughter at his side.
Mom was parked at the curb, waiting for them.
“Okay, Suzie, I can’t wait anymore,” Felix said as they got into the car. “What’s going on?”
“Well, I didn’t listen to you about the box.” Suzie smiled sheepishly. “I did look into places where I could sell it, but I couldn’t resist the temptation to try to open it.”
“She worked on that darn box for months!” Mom added.
“Had a little notebook and everything to record the different combinations she tried.”
“And just last week I figured it out!” Suzie continued. “The box opened and you’ll never guess what was inside.”
“Just tell me already!” Felix cried, his excitement and curiosity almost overwhelming him.
“A certificate of authentication, a letter from Mrs. McAllister’s great-great-grandfather that confirms he gave the box to her great-grandmother, and a note from Mrs.
McAllister.” Suzie gave him an earnest look then. “She really wanted you to have that box, Dad. The note said so.”
Felix frowned.
He still didn’t understand Mrs. McAllister’s insistence that he take the box, but Suzie wasn’t finished, so he didn’t get much time to mull it over.
“So I showed the note to your lawyer, and then I took the box with all the papers to an antique dealer.” Suzie grinned broadly. “He gave us enough money for it to post bail and we still have $100,000 left!”
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