A Locked-up Past

The First National Bank of Sacramento. Tony had been here a hundred times, but never alone. His father had always been with him. Tony struggled with his father's death for many reasons. The most pressing was the safe deposit box key he had gotten from the lawyer. He wished his mom would have come with him. She wasn't even willing to hear the will.

Tony walks through the front door and gazes around the lobby looking a little confused. The bank manager, Mr. Anderson, approaches.

"Good morning, Mr. Jones."

"Oh! Hello, Mr. Anderson. I'm sorry for being late. I've been getting lost in my thoughts lately."

"I understand completely. Considering your current circumstances, being a little out-of-sorts is to be expected. My condolences for the loss of your father. My wife and I have been praying for you."

"Uh, thanks. Can you show me to my father's safe deposit box? I would like to get this over with."

"Certainly, right this way. You know, this is our oldest safe deposit box account. Your father started leasing it over 33 years ago. I am curious about it, I must admit. I have been here for 20 of those years. I have been involved in many of your father's financial decisions, but I have never seen him touch that box."

"I know what you mean, Mr. Anderson. I didn't even know it existed. So, he actually opened it about the time I was born?"

"That's right. Your father got a bit of a late start as a parent, didn't he."

"I suppose so. He was 37 when I was born."

When Tony entered the safe, he felt a chill come over him. It may have been that the passing of his father was still new to him; but, the safe reminded him of a morgue.

"Here we are, box number 133. Let me get the bank key out. You do have the other key?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry, here it is."

"Quite alright. I'll just open this right up for you."

As the safe deposit box slid out, Tony could not help but expect to see a tiny corpse in there.

"Ok, here you are."

"Thank you. What is this? Another key? I don't understand this!"

"Mr. Jones, people use safe deposit boxes for many reasons. Sometimes, they use them to hide things, like a key. Is there anything at his home he never touched, something stored somewhere?"

"I'm not sure. There was an old trunk that was stored in his attic. My mom said it was just full of junk from my father's first marriage and I shouldn't bother him about it."

"Really, did it have a lock on it? From the looks of that key, it would have been a rather large lock."

"Yes, as a matter of fact it did. Thank you, Mr. Anderson. I've got to be going."

"No, thank you, Mr. Jones. My wife and I will keep praying for you."

"Uh, right."

Tony turned and quickly walked out of the bank. He completely forgot about retrieving his original key.

Boy, nice guy as far as Christians go. All that prayer talk just gives me the willies.

What did my father put in that trunk? He was not the most open guy in the world, but why all this just for some junk? If it was just junk, why keep it at all? I obviously have missed something. This just doesn't make sense.

Hmm, I've got time. Getting in that attic won't be easy, but, I have got to know.