My dad was a famous lawyer, but he never liked my husband, Bradd. When Dad passed away, Bradd immediately asked how much money I was getting. When I told him I wasn’t in the will, he filed for divorce within a month. He didn’t know Dad had left me something — not money, but information. After the will reading, the executor handed me a plain envelope labeled: “For Norah. Not everything of value is currency.” Inside was a key and a letter telling me to visit Storage Unit 31 and ask for a man named Maynard.
When Bradd realized there was no inheritance, he left without hesitation. I drove to the storage unit alone. Maynard led me to Unit 31, where shelves were filled with legal folders. A binder labeled Read this first revealed my dad’s secret project: investigating a wrongful conviction case involving a woman named Rita Manning — someone who had once babysat me. My dad believed she’d been framed for embezzling millions. His notes pointed to another suspect: Carl Emmerson — Bradd’s great-uncle.
Suddenly everything made sense. Dad’s distrust of Bradd wasn’t personal; it was protective. I contacted a journalist, and the case eventually reopened. Bradd’s family fell under investigation. A year later, I received a letter from Rita: the charges were being dropped after 22 years. She thanked me — and Dad — for giving her freedom.
Helping expose the truth gave me purpose. I became a paralegal and now help women like Rita rebuild their lives.
My dad didn’t leave me wealth.
He left me a mission — and that was the real inheritance.