Chapter 3: The House With the Locked Room
My father's house had never felt so quiet.
It was a beautiful two-story home with white walls, dark wooden floors, and enormous windows overlooking a garden full of roses.
Daddy used to say the house was too big for just the two of us.
But he never wanted to sell it.
He said it was where my mother had been happiest.
I barely remembered my mother.
She died when I was three.
Daddy told me she had a beautiful laugh, loved strawberry ice cream, and sang badly whenever she cooked dinner.
Sometimes, when he thought I was asleep, I heard him talking to her photograph.
He never explained what he said.
Now the house stood silent.
Thomas unlocked the front door.
“Stay close to me, Lily.””
I nodded.
He stepped inside first.
The smell of Daddy's cologne still lingered in the hallway.
My little shoes made soft sounds against the wooden floor.
I looked toward the living room.
Daddy's favorite brown leather chair was still beside the fireplace.
His reading glasses rested on the side table.
A half-empty bottle of water stood beside them.
It looked as though he had simply stepped outside and would return any second.
“Uncle Thomas?””
“I'm here.””
“Can we leave everything like this?””
He looked around.
“Of course.””
“I don't want anybody moving Daddy's things.””
Thomas nodded.
“Then nobody will.””
He placed his keys on the console table.
“Do you want something to eat?””
I shook my head.
He studied my face.
“Some water?””
I nodded.
Thomas walked toward the kitchen.
I remained in the living room.
Then I noticed something strange.
The photograph on the fireplace mantel was facing backward.
It was a family picture.
Daddy stood in the middle, holding me in his arms. Thomas stood beside him, smiling.
Victoria was on the other side.
I had seen that photograph hundreds of times.
It had never been turned around.
I picked it up.
There was a small piece of paper taped to the back.
My name was written on it.
*LILY.*
My fingers trembled.
I peeled the paper away.
Inside was a short message.
If you are reading this, I wasn't able to tell you everything myself.
I stopped breathing.
The handwriting belonged to my father.
I recognized the way he wrote the letter L.
“Uncle Thomas!””
He came rushing back from the kitchen.
“What happened?””
I held up the paper.
He read the message.
His jaw tightened.
“Where did you find this?””
“Behind the picture.””
Thomas took the photograph carefully.
He examined the back, then turned it around.
A small envelope had been hidden beneath the frame.
It was sealed.
My name was written across the front.
Thomas stared at it.
“Your dad planned this.””
“Can I open it?””
He hesitated.
Then he handed it to me.
I carefully tore the envelope.
Inside was a photograph.
It showed Daddy standing outside a building I had never seen before.
Beside him was a woman.
She was wearing a long cream-colored coat.
Her face was partially hidden by sunglasses.
On the back of the photograph, Daddy had written:
*THE PERSON WHO KNOWS WHY I DIED.*
I looked at Thomas.
“Who is she?””
He studied the picture.
His fingers tightened around its edges.
“I don't know.””
“You're lying.””
He looked startled.
“Lily.””
“Daddy told me grown-ups sometimes say they don't know when they don't want to explain.””
Thomas stared at me.
Then he slowly sat on the couch.
“You're right,” he whispered.
“I think I know her.””
“Who?””
He looked at the photograph again.
“Her name is Rebecca.””
“Is she Daddy's friend?””
Thomas didn't answer immediately.
“She used to work with him.””
“Where?””
“At a company.””
“What company?””
Thomas looked toward the hallway.
Before he could respond, a car door slammed outside.
He stood up.
“Stay here.””
I watched him walk to the window.
A black sedan had stopped in front of the house.
A woman stepped out.
She was wearing a gray coat and carrying a leather handbag.
Thomas stared at her.
Then he whispered a name.
“Rebecca.””
The woman looked directly toward the window.
She raised one hand.
Thomas walked to the front door.
I followed him.
“Lily, I told you to stay here.””
“I want to see.””
He opened the door.
The woman looked exhausted.
Her eyes were red, and her hands trembled slightly.
“Thomas,” she said.
“Why are you here?””
“I heard about the funeral.””
“You shouldn't have come.””
“I had to.””
Thomas stepped outside.
“Did Victoria send you?””
Rebecca shook her head.
“No.””
“Then why now?””
“Because Daniel left something for me.””
Thomas's face hardened.
“What?””
Rebecca looked past him.
She saw me.
Her eyes widened.
“That's Lily?””
I nodded.
She crouched slightly.
“Hello, sweetheart.””
“Did you know my daddy?””
Her expression softened.
“Yes. Very well.””
“Did he die in a car accident?””
Rebecca looked at Thomas.
He closed his eyes briefly.
Then he stepped aside.
“Come inside.””
Rebecca entered the house.
She sat on the edge of the couch, placed her handbag beside her, and looked at the photograph in Thomas's hand.
“You found it,” she whispered.
Thomas frowned.
“Found what?””
Rebecca pointed toward the brass key.
“The key.””
Thomas immediately covered my hand.
“You know about this?””
Rebecca nodded.
“Daniel gave me instructions before he died.””
“What instructions?””
“He told me that if anything happened to him, I was to wait until Lily found the key.””
Thomas looked furious.
“Why didn't you contact me?””
“Because I couldn't trust you.””
The words landed heavily.
Thomas stepped closer.
“What does that mean?””
Rebecca lowered her eyes.
“I don't know who you were talking to during the final weeks of Daniel's life.””
Thomas stared at her.
“I was his brother.””
“I know.””
“I loved him.””
“I know that too.””
“Then explain yourself.””
Rebecca took a shaky breath.
“Daniel believed someone close to the family was giving Victoria information about everything he was doing.””
Thomas looked toward me.
Rebecca noticed.
“Perhaps we should talk privately.””
“No,” Thomas said.
“Lily has already been dragged into this. No more secrets.””
Rebecca looked at me.
Then she nodded.
“Your father discovered that someone had been stealing money from an account he created for you.””
I frowned.
“Money?””
Thomas's expression changed.
“What account?””
Rebecca opened her handbag and removed a thick brown envelope.
“Daniel established a trust for Lily after her mother died. It was supposed to provide for her education, medical needs, and future.””
Thomas frowned.
“How much?””
Rebecca hesitated.
“Just over four million dollars.””
The room went silent.
I didn't understand what four million dollars meant.
I only knew that it was a very large number.
Thomas looked stunned.
“Daniel never told me about that.””
“He didn't want many people knowing.””
“Who had access?””
Rebecca glanced toward the front window.
“Victoria was appointed as a temporary administrator after Daniel became concerned about his health.””
Thomas shook his head.
“That doesn't make sense.””
Rebecca opened the envelope.
Inside were several printed bank statements.
“Look at these transactions.””
Thomas examined the papers.
His expression grew darker with every page.
“Hundreds of thousands of dollars?””
Rebecca nodded.
“Transferred into accounts controlled by a company Victoria owns.””
Thomas slammed the papers onto the table.
“She stole from her own niece?””
Rebecca looked at me.
“I'm afraid so.””
I stared at the papers.
“Why would Aunt Victoria take my money?””
Nobody answered.
Then Thomas picked up the brass key.
“Where does this go?””
Rebecca leaned forward.
“Daniel told me it opened a private room in the old family property.””
Thomas frowned.
“The property on Hawthorne Road?””
Rebecca nodded.
“There's a room beneath the old study. Nobody has entered it in years.””
I looked at the key.
“Is there something inside?””
Rebecca's expression became serious.
“Your father said everything needed to prove the truth was there.””
Thomas grabbed his jacket.
“Then we're going.””
Rebecca shook her head.
“Not yet.””
“Why?””
“Because Victoria knows about the key.””
Thomas turned toward her.
“How?””
Rebecca looked directly at me.
“Because she has been searching for that room since the night Daniel died.””
My stomach tightened.
“Why?””
Rebecca took a deep breath.
“Because your father didn't die before he could expose her.””
Thomas stared at her.
“What are you saying?””
Rebecca's voice dropped.
“I'm saying Daniel had evidence that Victoria had been planning to take Lily's inheritance for years.””
Thomas looked down at the key.
Then he picked up the photograph of Daddy and the mysterious woman.
“Who is this woman?””
Rebecca's face drained of color.
“That's not the question you should be asking.””
Thomas frowned.
“Then what should I ask?””
Rebecca looked toward the hallway.
She seemed to be listening for something.
Then she whispered:
“Ask why Daniel photographed her outside the building where your mother supposedly died.””
I froze.
My mother?
I looked at the photograph again.
The woman in the cream coat stood beside my father.
But behind them, barely visible through the glass entrance of the building, was a sign.
A hospital.
I looked up.
“Uncle Thomas...””
He turned toward me.
“What's wrong, baby?””
I pointed at the picture.
“Why did Daddy write that she knows why he died?””
Thomas slowly took the photograph from my hand.
Rebecca stood up.
“Because Daniel discovered something about Lily's mother.””
Thomas stared at her.
“What?””
Rebecca's eyes filled with tears.
“Lily's mother didn't die the way Victoria told everyone she did.””
My entire body went cold.
I remembered the stories.
The accident.
The hospital.
The funeral.
The empty space in my earliest memories.
I looked at Rebecca.
“Are you saying my mommy is alive?””
She opened her mouth.
But before she could answer, Thomas's phone began vibrating.
He looked at the screen.
The caller's name appeared.
*VICTORIA HAYES.*
Thomas answered.
“What do you want?””
Victoria's voice came through loudly enough for me to hear.
“Thomas, listen carefully. You need to leave Daniel's house immediately.””
Thomas frowned.
“How do you know we're here?””
There was a pause.
Then Victoria said something that made him grip the phone tighter.
“Because I'm standing outside.””
Thomas rushed to the window.
A black luxury SUV was parked across the street.
Victoria stood beside it.
But she wasn't alone.
A tall man in a dark suit was holding a large metal case.
Victoria lifted her phone and looked directly toward the house.
Then she spoke.
“Thomas, you have something that belongs to me.””
Thomas looked at the key in my hand.
“What are you talking about?””
Victoria smiled.
“The key, of course.””
May you like
And then she added the words that made Rebecca cover her mouth in horror.
“Give it to me, or I'll tell Lily what really happened to her mother.””
