Chapter 5 - Elena’s Final Message
Emily took Rose’s envelope to a retired investigative reporter named Samuel Price.
Samuel had written several articles about the Lancaster disappearance before his newspaper removed him from the investigation.
He agreed to meet Emily at a quiet coffee shop.
When she showed him the photograph, he removed his glasses and leaned closer.
“That is Elena Lancaster.”
“You’re certain?”
“I interviewed her twice.”
He turned the photograph over.
A series of numbers had been written faintly along the bottom edge.
Samuel recognized them as a storage facility account.
Together, they traced the number to an old facility in Santa Monica.
The manager confirmed that the account had been paid in advance for twenty-five years.
The renter’s name was Elena Lancaster.
The unit contained only three things.
A damaged leather suitcase.
A cassette recorder.
And a metal document case protected by a combination lock.
Emily tried Rose’s birthday and her own.
Neither worked.
Then she entered the date printed on the newspaper clipping.
The day of Elena’s crash.
The case opened.
Inside were copies of financial records showing illegal transfers from Lancaster Hotels to companies controlled by Conrad Hawthorne.
There were also photographs of Conrad meeting with a mechanic beside Elena’s damaged car.
The cassette recorder held a message.
Emily found an old player in the facility office.
Static filled the room before a woman’s voice began speaking.
“My name is Elena Lancaster. If anyone finds this recording, Conrad Hawthorne has discovered that I know the truth.”
Emily gripped the edge of the desk.
“He has been stealing from my father’s company for years. When I confronted him, he threatened my daughter.”
Elena’s breathing sounded unsteady.
“I arranged to take the evidence to the police. Before I could leave, someone damaged my car. I lost control near the coast, but my daughter and I survived.”
Emily closed her eyes.
“I was injured. A nurse named Rose Carter helped us. I asked her to take Emily somewhere safe while I contacted a federal investigator.”
The recording paused.
When Elena spoke again, her voice was quieter.
“If I do not return, tell my father I am sorry. Tell him I never abandoned him.”
Arthur.
Emily realized that somewhere in Los Angeles, her grandfather might still believe she had died.
The final words were almost impossible to hear.
“The necklace will prove who Emily is. The key opens the pendant. The pendant contains something Conrad cannot replace.”
The tape ended.
Samuel looked at Emily.
“You need an attorney.”
“I need to find Arthur Lancaster.”
Samuel shook his head.
“Conrad monitors everyone who approaches him with claims about Elena.”
“Then how do I reach him?”
Samuel considered the question.
“You don’t.”
Emily’s face fell.
Samuel pointed toward the documents.
“You make him come to you.”
They planned to release part of the evidence to a trusted journalist. Before they could do it, however, the storage facility’s security alarm began ringing.
A black vehicle had entered the property.
Two men stepped out.
Samuel immediately locked the unit.
“We need to leave.”
They escaped through a service exit carrying the cassette and several documents. The metal case remained behind.
When they reached the street, Emily looked back.
One of the men was speaking on the phone.
Through the open gate, she saw Victoria Hawthorne enter the facility.
May you like
Victoria looked directly toward Emily.
Then she smiled.
