Thursday morning, I left for a business trip to Springfield. Just two days, three meetings, and nothing fancy.
Before leaving, I checked on the box one more time. It was still there… safe.
I stumbled upon Amber’s Instagram. She was grinning at some outdoor wedding reception. The late-afternoon sun caught the gold jewelry perfectly.
I recognized those pieces instantly. My wife’s necklace hung from Amber’s neck. The earrings that Susan wore on our wedding day dangled from Amber’s ears.
The bracelet that had belonged to four generations of Susan’s family was clasped around Amber’s wrist.
My hands shook as I ran to my suitcase, grabbed my keys, and drove straight home. It was the longest three hours of my life.
When I got home, I ran straight to my closet. The box was gone.
Only a dust outline remained where it used to sit. I called Luke immediately.
“Where is the jewelry?” I demanded. “Amber’s wearing it in the photos.”
Luke laughed.
“You knew?
And you took it without asking?”
“Come on, don’t be so uptight. She looks amazing in it!”
“That set is River’s inheritance. You had no right.”
“Stop being dramatic.
It’s just one night. Chill.”
The line went dead.
Tonight.”
“You’re overreacting, Jim.” Her voice dripped with fake sweetness. “It’s not like River’s wearing it right now. Why should it sit in a box when I can show it off?”
“Because it’s not yours.”
“It’s just jewelry.”
Those words broke something inside me.
Susan’s last gift to our daughter had been reduced to “just jewelry” by someone who’d stolen it.
“If you don’t bring it back tonight, I’m calling the police.”
Amber laughed. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me.” I then hung up.
Midnight came and went. But Amber and Luke never showed up and the jewelry remained stolen.
At 12:05 a.m., I filed a police report for theft.
Sunday morning arrived gray and cold.
At exactly 10 a.m., I watched a patrol car pull up to Amber’s apartment complex. Alice, Luke, and I followed in my car.
The officer knocked. Amber opened the door in her pajamas, mascara smeared, clearly hungover from the wedding reception.
“Ma’am, we’ve received a report of stolen property.
Do you have a gold jewelry set in your possession?”
Amber’s face went white. “This is ridiculous!” she screamed. “It was just BORROWED!
He’s ruining my life over some dead lady’s jewelry!”
The officer remained calm. “Ma’am, taking property without permission constitutes theft. We need the jewelry returned now.”
“DEAD LADY’S JEWELRY?” I stepped forward, my voice shaking.
“That ‘dead lady’ was my wife. She was River’s mother.”
Amber turned on me like a wild animal. “She’s DEAD, Jim!
What does she care?”
Alice gasped. Luke grabbed Amber’s arm. “Amber, stop.”
“No!
I won’t stop!” she shrieked. “This is insane! It’s just stupid jewelry sitting in a box!”
The officer’s voice cut through her tantrum.
“Ma’am, retrieve the jewelry now, or we’ll obtain a search warrant.”
Amber stomped upstairs like a toddler having a meltdown. We heard doors slamming, things crashing, and curse words that would make a sailor blush. She returned five minutes later and threw the jewelry case at the officer’s feet.
“Here!
Take it! Happy now?”
The whole neighborhood had come out to watch. Mrs.
Peterson from next door witnessed the whole thing. The college kids from upstairs had a good laugh. Everyone stared as Amber screamed about “controlling men” and “fake family.”
The officer handed me the case.
I opened it with trembling fingers. Everything was there: the necklace, earrings, and bracelet—all of it.
“Sir, do you want to press charges?”
I looked at Luke, whose face had gone ashen. I turned to Alice, who was crying quietly.
Then I faced Amber, who glared at me with pure hatred.
“Not today,” I said. “I hope that it doesn’t happen again.”
***
Luke sulked the entire drive home. “You embarrassed her, Jim.
In front of everyone.”
“She embarrassed herself.”
“It was just one night.”
“It was my wife’s jewelry. Your stepsister’s inheritance.”
Alice finally spoke up. “Luke, honey, what Amber did was wrong.
Really wrong.”Continue reading…
