Letting Go (Chapter-31)

Serena

“You look nice today, Serena,” Agent Keene said as Serena approached her in the brightly lit hallway. Serena looked down at her black dress and red heels, then at Agent Keene’s navy blue pantsuit. She felt slightly overdressed but was too frazzled and tired to care - she was running on little to no sleep, quit her job only an hour before, and had rushed to the LA County Law office after frantically packing up her old workspace. She was relieved to have made it there on time.

When she and Agent Keene walked into a small office at the end of the hall, they were greeted by a large, pale woman with wide-rimmed glasses perched on her round nose. “Good morning Agent Keene, Ms. Moore. Please take a seat.”

Serena sat in one of two empty chairs placed before the attorney’s black desk, located in the center of the empty, bare-walled room. She wondered if this was where the attorney actually worked, or if it was reserved only for meetings such as this one.

“I’m Attorney Alice Clark, Executor of Michelle Wilkes’ will,” she spoke quickly, almost too quickly for Serena to follow what she was saying, “Agent Keene and I have discussed the terms of the will and feel it necessary that the Federal Bureau of Investigation be involved, considering the current situation regarding your affiliation with the late Ms. Wilkes.”

Serena nodded and leaned forward, hoping to catch every word that was said.

The attorney cleared her throat and opened a manila folder on the desk. “We’ll make this quick and easy. In reviewing the Last Will and Testament of Ms. Michelle Wilkes you, Serena Moore, were listed as the primary beneficiary.”

Serena glanced at Agent Keene who was staring forward with a stern, almost grim, expression, then back at Attorney Clark, unsure exactly what being the “primary beneficiary” implied.

“Sixteen years ago Ms. Wilkes opened a Certificate of Deposit,” the attorney turned to a second page, “It is stated here that the Testator, Michelle Wilkes, has declared that upon her death the Primary Beneficiary, Serena Moore, shall inherit all funds from the C.D.”

Serena’s eyes widened. She understood now why Agent Keene’s expression seemed so tense.

The attorney closed the folder and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk.

“Serena, you’ve inherited ninety-five thousand dollars.”

Serena couldn’t help her jaw from dropping. She looked at Agent Keene, then Attorney Clark, then back at Agent Keene.

“That’s… a lot,” was all Serena said, more as a whisper to herself. There was a brief silence, which was quickly broken by Keene’s rigid voice.

“Serena, we think it best that this information stays in this room until Edmond Rowen is found.”

When Serena turned to face Agent Keene, she was taken aback by the level of intensity - and almost fear - in the agent’s eyes.

“I… I don’t know if I want to accept this money,” Serena shifted her gaze to the attorney, “Do I have to?”

“There are two ways to go about this,” the attorney said, “you can accept the inheritance, or disclaim it. If you choose the latter, the money would go to the alternate beneficiaries.”

“And if you choose to accept,” Agent Keene added, “we advise that the money not be transferred to your account immediately. The money would be yours, of course, but we need to take every precaution to ensure that you don’t become more of a target than you already are.”

Serena looked back at the agent, confused. “Why would having the money make me even more of a target? Edmond Rowen isn’t listed anywhere on the will, so the money wouldn’t do him any good.”

Attorney Clark spoke up, “The alternate beneficiary is listed as Michelle Wilkes’ parents. This means that if something were to happen to you, they would be next in line to inherit the money. Michelle Wilkes did state in her letter of intent that she prefers the primary beneficiary to remain anonymous.”

“So, what’s the danger then?” Serena pressed.

“You could remain anonymous if you had no known connection to Michelle Wilkes,” Agent Keene interceded, “but with the recent events that have transpired, it would be safest if no one knew Michelle’s intentions upon her death.”

The agent paused, glanced at Attorney Clark, then turned back to Serena. “I’ve seen people do horrible things for way less money, Serena. Disclaiming the inheritance would eliminate this threat completely. My job is to keep you safe, not only from Edmond Rowen, but from anyone else who could do you harm... but it’s up to you. Ultimately it’s you who have the final say.”

Serena took a deep breath in, preparing to speak, but exhaled without saying a word. Keeping the money would make things worse, she thought, and complicated. The money doesn’t belong to me, anyway. I’ve done nothing to deserve it… and if it’s going to put me and my family in more danger...

“Before you make up your mind,” Attorney Clark broke Serena’s train of thought when she spoke, pushing her glasses closer to her face, “Ms. Wilkes left this for you.” She pulled a sealed envelope from the folder and handed it across the desk to Serena.

The envelope was sealed with Serena Moore’s name written in cursive on both the front and the back. She held it in her hands for a moment, placed it in her lap, and looked up at the attorney.

“Can I read it later, at home?” Serena was not in a mental place to read the letter - she had too much on her mind. “I’d like some time to read it alone.”

“I’m sorry, Serena. But that letter cannot leave this office. Now would be the time to read it, unless you want to come back another day.”

That’s the last thing I want to do, Serena thought. She gently tore open the short side of the envelope, taking care not to rip what was inside, and pulled out a single paged letter written in black ink. On the top right corner of the letter was the date July 2, 2003. Two-thousand three, Serena thought, she wrote this four years ago.

July 2, 2003

Dear Serena,

I’ve just been diagnosed with cancer. It’s Stage 2, and the doctors say it isn’t terminal, but we all know they’re lying to make me feel better. You’re reading this because I’ve died, probably from the cancer. I’m writing you this letter to tell you my deepest, darkest secret - one that I wish I had gathered the courage to tell you in person, before now.

The name of the man who abducted you sixteen years ago is Edmond Rowen. At the time of your abduction, I hate to admit, I was his wife - though I had nothing to do with your kidnapping. The only thing I’m guilty of is allowing him to abuse and keep you captive for as long as he did. I wish I had had the strength to get you out of there sooner, to call the police, or kill Edmond myself. But if there’s one honest thing Edmond ever told me, it’s that I’m a coward. God knows how I was able to help you escape - I think some maternal extinct took over… that aside, I could never gain the courage to call 911, let alone kill him, but maybe you’ll be able to pass along this information to someone who can.

What you do with this information is up to you. Turning Edmond in would be a serious risk for you, and your family. You think you know what he is capable of… but I assure you he’s even more clever and vicious than you realize. Edmond is a psychopathic mastermind. If he sees you as a threat, he will do everything in his power to find you, the way he found me before and after our marriage had ended. And when he finds you, he’ll do everything he can to destroy you.

I hate myself everyday for not turning him in. It’s been years of regret that have led me to write this letter, in the hopes that I’ll be able to sleep soundly for the first time since Edmond locked you in our closet. Maybe I’ll grow to be brave before I die, and end up turning Edmond in after all. But if that doesn’t happen, at least the truth exists in this letter.

The year Edmond abducted you my grandparents died and left me an inheritance of $95,000. I put the money in a Certificate of Deposit without telling Edmond, knowing a time would come when I’d know how the money needed to be spent. The year I helped you escape was the year I decided that the money would go to you.

Today you will be given the option of dismissing or accepting the inheritance I’ve left you. It’s ridiculous for me to ask you for anything at this point, but if I had one wish before I die, it would be that you agree to keep the money. I am not asking for your forgiveness - I know I don’t deserve that. But I am asking for your acceptance of a gift that will allow me to die thinking that I may have done something right.

Be safe, Serena.

Michelle Wilkes

Serena didn’t know why, but it wasn’t until she’d read the letter that she realized Michelle was just as much a victim of Edmond as she was. Even when she heard Edmond abusing Michelle, Serena felt more fear for her own life than for the woman screaming in agony on the other side of the closet. She had thought of Michelle as one of her captors, not a woman who was in just as much danger - or more - than herself.

A tremendous weight of guilt followed this realization. Serena’s terror and sense of self preservation had stopped her from feeling any sympathy for Michelle, even after she’d helped her escape. And beyond that, Serena realized that days ago Michelle had turned Edmond Rowen in, knowing that she was risking her life to do so.

Serena didn’t want to accept the inheritance. Having the money made things more complicated than they needed to be. But this woman had risked her own life twice to save her, so Serena knew she didn’t have a choice. She looked up from the letter, sensing the impatience emanating from both Agent Keene and Attorney Clark as they waited for her verdict. Placing the letter on her lap, Serena spoke with a voice that sounded too high-pitched, too feeble, to be her own.

“I’ll accept it.”