Chapter 2 - CLAIRE’S LOCKED ROOM
Adrian ran.
Natalie followed.
Rachel scooped Emma into her arms and hurried behind them.
At the top of the stairs, the hallway stretched dark and silent toward Claire’s old bedroom.
Adrian stopped.
Her door was open.
He had locked it that morning.
“Stay behind me.”
Natalie grabbed his arm.
“Adrian…”
“I know.”
They entered.
Claire’s room still smelled faintly of cedar and the lavender perfume she used to wear.
Nothing had changed.
Except the dressing-room door.
It was wide open.
Adrian stepped inside.
Several dresses had been pulled from the rack.
The cedar panel was exposed.
Natalie whispered, “Oh my God.”
Adrian opened it.
Empty.
No passports.
No jewelry.
No letters.
No red box.
Nothing.
Emma squirmed out of Rachel’s arms.
“It was there.”
Madison suddenly appeared in the doorway.
“So now what?”
Adrian spun around.
“How did you get up here?”
“I walked.”
“You were told to stay downstairs.”
“This is my life too!”
“No,” Natalie snapped.
“This was Claire’s life.”
Madison glared at her.
Emma pointed toward the floor.
“Red.”
Everyone looked down.
A tiny strip of red leather was caught beneath the baseboard.
Adrian picked it up.
Part of the jewelry case.
Madison stopped breathing.
Then Rachel noticed something else.
“Mr. Westwood.”
She pointed behind a chair.
A man’s cuff link.
Silver.
Engraved with two initials.
C.W.
Adrian frowned.
“Caleb Westwood.”
Natalie’s eyes widened.
Adrian’s younger brother.
Footsteps sounded in the hallway.
Caleb appeared.
He was sweating.
“Why is everyone up here?”
Adrian held up the cuff link.
Caleb’s face changed.
“Where did you get that?”
“Claire’s closet.”
Caleb looked at Madison.
Only for half a second.
But Adrian saw it.
“So you’ve been in here too?”
“No.”
“Then explain this.”
Caleb stared at the cuff link.
“I lost that years ago.”
“Convenient.”
Margaret pushed into the room.
“Stop this immediately.”
Adrian turned.
“Did you know Caleb came into Claire’s room?”
“Of course not.”
Emma suddenly walked toward the vanity.
She pointed at the mirror.
“The man hid something there.”
Caleb’s head snapped toward her.
“What man?”
Emma shrank back.
“The angry man.”
Adrian moved to the mirror.
“What did he hide?”
Emma touched her rabbit’s ear.
“A tiny black thing.”
Adrian pulled the vanity away from the wall.
Taped beneath the wooden frame was a small USB drive.
Everyone stared at it.
Caleb lunged.
Adrian shoved him backward.
“Don’t touch it.”
Caleb’s face turned gray.
“You don’t understand.”
“Then explain.”
Caleb looked toward Madison.
She silently shook her head.
Adrian saw that too.
And suddenly he realized this wasn’t just about Madison.
His brother knew something.
His mother might know something.
Maybe everyone in the room had known except him.
Adrian closed his fist around the USB drive.
“We’re watching this downstairs.”
Caleb stepped closer.
“If you plug that thing in, you’re going to regret it.”
Adrian looked straight into his brother’s eyes.
“Claire died three years ago.”
His voice broke.
“I already regret enough.”
Then Caleb whispered something only Adrian heard.
“You think Claire was the victim.”
May you like
He swallowed.
“She wasn’t the only one.”
