Chapter 7: The Burner Phone Call
290 words
I huddled behind a stack of moving boxes in the garage, the smell of mildew thick in the air. The cheap burner phone felt like a lifeline in my palm. I dialed the number from the letterhead, my breath hitching as it rang.
"Arthur Vance," the deep, gravelly voice answered.
"Mr. Vance? It's Loretta. Loretta Miller."
His tone shifted instantly from professional to protective. "Loretta. Thank God. I’ve been trying to reach you, but your home number is disconnected."
"Richard cut the line," I said, pulling my knees to my chest. "I… I got your letter. Is it true? Is there really a settlement?"
"It’s more than a settlement, Loretta. Aether Industrial wanted to avoid a jury trial at all costs. The evidence regarding your father’s exposure was damning. They capitulated this morning."
"How much?" I asked, thinking maybe it was ten thousand. maybe twenty. Enough for a used car.
"Loretta, are you sitting down?"
Before he could say the number, a thunderous banging shook the garage door. The thin metal rattled violently in its frame.
"HEY!" Richard’s voice bellowed from the driveway, muffled but terrifying. "I know you're in there sulking! Get your ass inside! Tiffany is hungry and she wants steak!"
I gasped, nearly dropping the phone. "I have to go," I whispered to Vance.
"Loretta, listen to me," Vance’s voice was urgent. "Do not sign anything Richard gives you. Do not tell him about this call. I am overnighting the check. It will arrive via FedEx tomorrow morning. Do you understand?"
"OPEN THIS DOOR!" Richard screamed, kicking the metal again.
"I understand," I whispered, and snapped the phone shut just as the garage door rolled up, revealing Richard’s sweaty, furious face.
End of Chapter 7
