False Beginning - S01 E03

Story 6 days ago

False Beginning - S01 E03

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 3

Episode 3: False Beginning

The golden key felt hot in Sarah’s pocket as she walked into Tom’s empty office the next morning. It was not really hot like a fire, but it felt like it was burning a hole in her clothes. It was there to remind her of the secret. The sun was coming up, but it was not a bright and happy sun. The sky was a pale, tired gray. Sarah had not slept much at all. Her eyes felt heavy and itchy. She had spent the whole night at the hospital, watching the machine go beep, beep, beep. Now, she was at the place where Tom worked. She had his office keys in her hand. She felt like a stranger walking into a place where she did not belong.

The office building was in the middle of the town. It was a tall building with many windows. Usually, this place was full of people. There would be people talking and people walking fast with papers. But today, it was very early. The building was very quiet. The lobby was empty. The man at the front desk gave her a small nod. He knew Sarah. He knew Tom was a hero. He looked at her with sad eyes. Sarah did not want to see his sad eyes. She just wanted to find out the truth. She got into the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor. The elevator moved up slowly. It made a humming sound that made her head hurt.

When the elevator door opened, the hallway was dark. Sarah walked to the end of the hall to Tom’s door. On the door, there was a sign that said, "Tom Miller, Law Office." Under his name, it said, "Helping Those in Need." Every time Sarah saw that sign, she felt so proud. She thought about how many people Tom had helped in this room. She put the silver key into the lock and turned it. The door opened with a soft click. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. She stood there for a minute, just breathing.

The room smelled like old books and expensive coffee. It was a smell Sarah knew very well. It was the smell of Tom. It was a comforting smell, but today it made her feel uneasy. There were tall shelves full of thick, heavy books about laws. There was a big window that looked out at the street. The rain from the night before had left spots on the glass. There was a small coffee machine in the corner. It was turned off, but the smell of the dark beans was still in the air. Sarah looked at the room and felt very sad. This was Tom’s world. She felt like she was looking at a part of him that was now frozen in time.

Sarah knew she had to look at Tom’s papers. She told herself she was doing it to help. She thought, "Tom is asleep in the hospital. He has many clients who need help. I should see if there is anything important I need to tell his helper." She wanted to be a good wife. She wanted to keep his business running while he was sick. But deep down, she also wanted to know about the golden key. She wanted to know why a man who helped poor people for free would have a secret key with a bird on it.

She sat at his big wooden desk. The desk was made of dark, heavy wood. It was very big and very smooth. She felt very small sitting in his large leather chair. It was the chair where Tom sat when he made big decisions. Sarah looked at the things on top of the desk. There was a picture of her and Tom on their wedding day. They were both laughing in the picture. There was a small lamp that gave off a warm light. There were many files in neat piles. Sarah began to look through them.

Everything looked normal at first. She saw files for people who were having trouble with their houses. She saw files for people who did not have enough money to pay for their food. These were the poor people Tom helped for free. Sarah read the notes. Tom was very kind in his writing. He wrote about how he wanted to make sure every child had a bed to sleep in. He wrote about how he wanted to make sure every family had enough to eat. Sarah felt tears in her eyes. "He really is a hero," she thought. She felt bad for even thinking he had a secret.

But as she looked, she felt the golden key in her pocket again. It was still there, waiting. She looked at the desk again. She looked at the sides and the front. She looked at all the drawers. There were three drawers on the right and three drawers on the left. She opened them all. They were full of pens, paper, and more legal files. Everything was exactly where it should be. There was nothing strange. There was nothing that needed a small golden key.

Sarah was about to give up. She thought maybe the key was for something at home that she had forgotten about. Maybe it was for an old jewelry box or a diary. She started to stand up, but then her foot hit something. It was at the very bottom of the desk, near the floor. She knelt down on the soft rug and looked under the desk. There, hidden behind a piece of wood, she saw a small drawer. It was very tiny, and it was tucked away where no one would see it unless they were looking on the floor.

Her heart began to beat very fast, like a trapped bird. Her chest felt tight. She reached out her hand and touched the small drawer. It had a tiny hole in the middle. The hole was the same size as her new key. Sarah took the golden key out of her pocket. Her fingers were shaking so much she almost dropped it. She took a deep breath. She told herself to be brave. She put the key into the tiny hole. It fit perfectly.

Sarah turned the key. Click. The sound was very loud in the quiet office. It was the sound of a secret being opened. The drawer slid open slowly, as if it had not been opened in a long time. Sarah pulled it out all the way. She expected to see more papers or maybe a letter. But what she saw made her breath catch in her throat.

Inside, there were no papers about helping poor people. Instead, there were stacks of cash. There was so much money. It was tied together with rubber bands. Sarah had never seen that much money in one place in her whole life. These were big bills, and there were many, many piles of them. How could Tom have all this money? He was a lawyer for poor people. He did not make much money. They lived in a nice house, but they were not rich. This money did not make sense.

Under the piles of money, Sarah found a black notebook. It was a small book with a leather cover. It looked old and well-used. Sarah picked it up. Her hands were still trembling. She opened the notebook to the first page. She saw a list of names written in Tom’s neat handwriting. But as she read the names, she felt a chill go through her body.

These were not the names of the people Tom helped. These were not the names of good people. Sarah knew some of these names from the news. They were the names of very bad men who hurt others. They were men who stole things and men who were mean to the town. Beside each name was a very large amount of money. Some of the numbers were bigger than the cost of their house.

Sarah turned the pages. There were dates and notes. The notes were about meetings in dark places. They were about secrets and about keeping things hidden from the police. Sarah felt like she did not know the man in the hospital bed anymore. Was Tom not a hero? Was he working with these bad men? Was the money a gift for doing bad things? Her head was spinning. She felt like she was going to be sick. She looked at the picture of them on the desk. The laughing Tom in the picture felt like a lie.

She thought about the accident again. Was it really an accident? Maybe one of these bad men was angry with Tom. Maybe the black car was one of them. She looked at the names again. One name was circled in red. Under the name, it said, "He knows too much." Sarah felt a wave of horror. Was Tom in danger? Was she in danger? She wanted to run out of the office and never come back. She wanted to go back to the hospital and wake Tom up so he could tell her this was all a mistake.

She held the notebook close to her chest. She had to take it with her. She had to find out what it all meant. She started to close the small drawer. She wanted to hide everything and pretend she never saw it. But she knew she couldn't. Her life had changed forever in just a few minutes. The man she loved for ten years was a stranger. Her happy marriage was a false beginning.

Just as she was about to stand up, the quiet of the office was broken. Sarah froze. She held her breath and listened.

Sarah heard a floorboard creak loudly behind her.

The sound came from the doorway. Someone was in the office with her. Someone had walked in very quietly while she was looking at the secret drawer. Sarah was still on her knees on the floor. She was trapped behind the big desk. She could not see the door from where she was. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it would explode. She stayed very, very still. She hoped that maybe it was just the building making noise. But then, she heard the sound of someone breathing. It was a slow, heavy breath.

Sarah gripped the black notebook tight. She felt the cold metal of the golden key in the lock. She was terrified to look up. She was terrified to see who was standing there. Was it the man in the dark suit with the mean eyes? Was it someone from the list in the notebook? The office that had felt so safe and warm just a few minutes ago now felt like a cage. The shadows in the corners seemed to grow longer. The silence was heavy and scary.

The person behind her did not say a word. They just stood there, watching her. Sarah knew she had to move. She had to see who it was. She slowly started to turn her head. She could feel the skin on her neck prickle. Her eyes were wide with fear. As she turned, she saw a shadow on the wall. It was the shadow of a tall person. The shadow was moving closer. Sarah wanted to scream, but no sound came out of her mouth. She was stuck in a nightmare, and the secret in the drawer was only the beginning of the darkness.

Who do you think is standing behind Sarah in the office? Is it a friend or an enemy?

Why do you think Tom, a "hero" lawyer, had a list of bad men and so much hidden money?

What should Sarah do with the black notebook? Should she hide it, or should she take it to the police?

If you found a secret drawer in someone’s desk, would you open it or leave it alone?