But after she turned sixteen, everything changed. The barn went silent. And so did he—at least about whatever he kept inside. That morning, as Claire headed for the barn, both brothers trailed behind her with folded arms and sideways grins.
“Finally cracking open the vault?” Sam asked.“Just curious what Dad thought was worth hiding from us,” Bryan added. Claire didn’t reply. She reached for the old latch—where the heavy padlock used to be. It was gone now.