I immediately called the police. Ethan told officers that a man had been waiting near his school, showing him photographs of Ryan and sharing stories that only someone close to him would know. The stranger called himself “Uncle Derek,” Ryan’s estranged older brother. Before Ryan died, he had made me promise to keep Derek away from Ethan, but I had always assumed their problems were nothing more than an old family feud.
Police searched our home and discovered a small locked case hidden near the front door. The black disc behind Ethan’s ear was actually an electronic key used to open it. Inside were financial documents and a flash drive suggesting Ryan had stolen money from a family business. But investigators quickly noticed that one document was dated during a period when Ryan was hospitalized and unable to sign anything, revealing that the evidence had been forged and deliberately planted.
Investigators eventually discovered that Ryan had actually uncovered Derek stealing money from the family and had kept evidence against him. Afraid those records might someday be found, Derek manipulated Ethan into helping him plant false documents among Ryan’s belongings. Derek was arrested, and afterward I realized Ethan needed to know more about his father instead of being protected from every painful memory. Together we went through Ryan’s belongings, sharing stories, laughing, and crying, determined that no one would ever use his memory against Ethan again.
