Julian drove us back toward the city, his fingers gripping the wheel tighter than usual. Danielle sat in the backseat, nervously tapping her knee, while I stared out the window, my thoughts spiraling.
Daniel was alive.
Or at least, he had been when he left that note.
The idea left me shaken. For five years, I had grieved, accepted the unbearable truth, forced myself to move forward. But now, everything I thought I knew was unraveling.
"Where exactly was this estate sale?" I finally asked, breaking the silence.
Julian glanced at me. "A place on the outskirts of the city. It wasn't a big advertised auction - just a private sale, cash only, mostly old furniture and personal items. That's why I was surprised to find the ring there."
A private sale. Cash only.
That meant no records.
I swallowed. "Who ran it?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out." He tapped on his phone's screen before putting it on speaker.
It rang twice before a gruff voice answered. "Yeah?"
"Hey, it's Julian," he said, his tone more businesslike than usual. "Need a favor. That estate sale a few weeks back - who organized it?"
A pause. Then, "You sure you wanna dig into that?"
Something about his tone sent a shiver up my spine.
Julian remained calm. "Just give me a name."
A sigh crackled over the line. "Guy named Kaden. He runs underground sales - items people don't want traced. No website, no paper trails. If Daniel's stuff ended up there, someone wanted to get rid of it quietly."
Danielle stiffened in the backseat.
Julian nodded. "Where can I find him?"
"Last I heard, he's operating out of a warehouse near the docks. But watch yourself, man. Kaden doesn't like questions."
The line went dead.
I exhaled, my chest tight. "You're telling me my dead husband's belongings were sold by some underground dealer who specializes in keeping secrets?"
Julian's jaw flexed. "Looks that way."
Danielle spoke up. "Then we have to go there."
I turned to her. "And do what? Walk in and demand answers?"
"If Kaden sold Daniel's stuff, he must've gotten it from someone," she said. "Maybe they know where he is."
I hesitated. The idea of confronting a man like that made my skin crawl. But we had no other leads.
Julian met my gaze. "We go in, ask a few questions, and get out. If things feel off, we leave. Agreed?"
I nodded, even though every nerve in my body told me this was dangerous.
The docks loomed in the distance, dark and quiet beneath the early evening sky.
We were walking straight into the unknown.
And I had no idea if we would walk back out.