The Time Giver

May 9th: Proposal

It was midnight when Zach tiptoed down the hallway to the office door, silently leaving his backpack at the head of the stairs. Not a sound was to be heard from Kelly's room, and Piper slept on the porch. The floorboards squeaked minimally, but he was light on his feet as he gently turned the knob in the door, then pushed it open.

Inside, he closed the door before turning on the light switch. A victorian lamp next to him clicked on, illuminating the small room in a low, warm light. The smell of ink and musty papers filled the space, and Zach noticed the opposite wall covered in book shelves. For a moment, he remembered when he first arrived at the detention center, and spent hours in the library scouring the books. His fingers itched to skim these spines, find a book he'd never read - or maybe a favorite - and just read. It would be so simple that way...

A horse outside whinnied, and his mind refocused on his goal. Against the wall in front of him was an old roll top desk like the one in his room. He clicked on a banker's lamp, the green shade keeping the glare of the bulb centered on the papers scattered across the workspace. Gently, he pushed the old, wheeled chair aside, then let his eyes take in the various documents. The pigeon holes were shadowed in the darkness; he highly doubted there be money in there, anyway. There was nothing on the surface except receipts, invoices, and a few letters. He glanced at a few of the numbers: $500, $700, $1000, $800. All of these dated within the last two weeks, with many more from earlier this month. But he saw no bank notices, so she had to have it around here somewhere. Time to open the drawers.

He started by trying the three slim drawer right at the top. The two on each side of the chair were simply extra work spaces, slabs of wood darkened with age and ink blots. The center one had pens, pencils, a small calculator, and a file. He lifted the edge manilla. Inside was a filing paper, with boxes of text and a couple seals. A photo was below it, showing Kelly holding a baby, a man smiling next to them. Perplexed, Zach found a birth certificate underneath. "Samantha" was the name, born twenty years years ago. That explained why he hadn't seen anyone else; she was an adult, and was probably living on her own. But what about the man?

"Probably divorced," Zach scowled as he shut the drawer. There was no way money was hidden in that drawer. He continued his search with the right side of the desk, fingering files. Horse profiles, owner contact information, veterinary bills; the entire side dealt with the business, yet there wasn't a dollar bill to be found. Stumped, he went to the other side. A diploma from high school, another from college, the deed to the property, and bills for electricity and water.

Frustrated, Zach closed the drawer. He scanned the desk again, searching for any sign of a stash. He even grabbed the lamp and pointed it into the pigeon holes. But there was not a single bill to be seen.

He was about to give up when he noticed a box under the desk. Laying his hand on it, he felt the cool touch of metal, and pulled out a cash box. "Jackpot," he whispered with excitement as he gently lifted the latch and opened the lid.

On the top was another photo of Kelly and Samantha, now a small child, their brown hair almost the same shade as they laughed at the camera - no doubt the man was taking the picture. Next to them stood a dark horse with a face covered in gray hairs. Picking it up, he found a description written in Kelly's slanted writing. Me, Sam, and Trigger on Samantha's third birthday. Placing the photo aside, he found a lock of dark, wiry horsehair, then a small bundle of letters addressed to Kelly from a Colton Chaparral - presumably the man. "Strange, she didn't go back to her maiden name." Next to these was a small pouch. Zach gingerly lifted it up, then pulled the strings open and tipped the bag upside down.

Bundles of bills came tumbling out, as well as checks and loose bills. His eyes wide, Zach began counting. The checks added up to seven thousand, while the bundles of money were three thousand. That left the multiple twenties, tens, and fives, which came out to six hundred. All together, the money amounted to more than $1500. Zach's gears were turning again. If he took the loose bills, that'd be enough to get him a plane ticket across the country! Quickly he snatched the money, stuffing his pockets before carefully placing the bag and its contents back in the cashbox.