Chapter 6 - The Name On The Back
Claire did not open the envelope.
Not yet.
Instead, she placed it inside her handbag.
Linda tried to stop her.
Claire didn't listen.
Outside, Ethan was waiting.
"What happened?"
Claire showed him the envelope.
"Another secret."
Ethan looked at the handwriting.
"That's your father's."
"I know."
"Open it."
"Not here."
They drove to a quiet coffee shop.
Claire placed the envelope on the table.
Ethan studied it.
"Are you sure?"
"No."
"Then why keep it?"
"Because every time I don't trust my instincts, someone else gets to decide what I know."
She opened it.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
If you are reading this, I am gone.
Claire swallowed.
The letter continued.
You will hear many versions of what happened. Most of them will be incomplete.
Do not trust anyone who tells you the entire truth too quickly.
Claire looked at Ethan.
"That's it?"
"No."
She continued.
The person you should fear is not the person everyone blames.
Claire's hands shook.
Below that was one final sentence.
Find the second door.
Ethan frowned.
"What second door?"
Claire looked at him.
"My father's study."
They returned to the house.
The study was empty.
Claire searched the walls.
Bookshelves.
Cabinets.
Fireplace.
Nothing.
Then Ethan noticed something.
"Claire."
He pointed toward the bookcase.
One book was slightly out of place.
Claire pulled it.
The entire shelf shifted.
Behind it was a narrow doorway.
Claire stared.
"My God."
Ethan opened it.
A staircase descended into darkness.
Claire turned on the light.
Nothing happened.
She found a flashlight.
They went down.
At the bottom was a small room.
A desk.
A filing cabinet.
Three boxes.
And an old tape recorder.
Claire found a cassette.
Her father's handwriting was on it.
For Claire.
She pressed play.
Her father's voice filled the room.
"If you found this room, then Linda finally lost control."
Claire's eyes filled with tears.
Her father's voice continued.
"I need you to understand one thing."
A pause.
"I never abandoned you."
Claire covered her mouth.
Ethan looked away.
"I know what they will tell you about the night I died."
The tape crackled.
"It wasn't an accident."
Claire's heart pounded.
"My death was connected to Thomas."
She stared at Ethan.
The recording continued.
"And it was connected to the money."
The tape suddenly stopped.
Claire pressed play again.
Nothing.
The cassette had ended.
She turned it over.
There was writing on the back.
One name.
Daniel Mercer.
Claire stared at it.
May you like
Then she heard footsteps above them.
Someone had entered the house.
