Dad’s Rolex was all he left me. Mom and her new husband sold it for my stepbrother’s startup—then the pawn shop called: “Ma’am, you need to see what was hidden inside.”

It started with a call on a quiet Tuesday afternoon.

The number was local but unfamiliar. Normally, I’d let it go to voicemail, but something urged me to pick up.

“Is this Amelia Chin?” came a deep, professional voice.

“Yes. Who’s this?”

“My name’s Frank DeMarco. I run DeMarco’s Pawn & Gold on Riverside. I believe I have something that …