Chapter 4 - The Music Box
Mara Bennett had raised Chloe since Gavin’s arrest.
She loved her niece fiercely, but grief made her cautious. She removed newspaper articles from the house, turned off television reports about the case, and avoided mentioning the execution until silence became impossible.
Chloe learned more than Mara realized.
Children at school whispered that her father was a murderer. One boy asked whether badness could be inherited. A teacher tried to comfort her by saying she was not responsible for what her parents had done.
Chloe corrected her.
“My daddy didn’t do anything.”
The teacher gave her the sad expression adults used when they believed a child was protecting herself from reality.
On the evening before the execution, Mara sat beside Chloe’s bed.
“You don’t have to visit tomorrow,” she said.
“Yes, I do.”
“It may be difficult.”
“Daddy will be alone if I don’t go.”
“He won’t be alone. His attorney will be there.”
“That isn’t the same.”
Mara looked toward the bookshelf where Laura’s music box sat between two framed photographs.
The box had been a gift from Gavin on Laura’s twenty-fifth birthday. Its lid was carved with small birds, and when opened, it played a soft melody Chloe associated with bedtime.
Mara stood and removed it.
“I think we should put this away for a while.”
“Why?”
“Because tomorrow may make some memories painful.”
Chloe held the blanket against her chest.
“Mommy wouldn’t want us to hide her things.”
“I’m not hiding it. I’m protecting you.”
Mara carried the box into the hallway.
Her phone rang downstairs.
She placed the music box on a table and went to answer.
Chloe followed quietly.
She opened the lid and watched the small metal figure turn. When the melody ended, she tried winding it again. The key resisted.
She turned the box over.
One corner of the wooden base had separated slightly from the frame.
Chloe pressed it.
A thin panel moved.
Beneath it was a folded photograph and a small brass key taped to an envelope.
Her name was written on the front.
For Chloe, if the bad people win.
Chloe’s hands trembled as she opened it.
Inside was a note.
My brave girl,
I hope you never have to read this. If you do, it means someone stopped me from telling the truth.
The photograph is important. Give it to Daddy or someone named Samuel Mitchell. Do not give it to the police officer with the silver ring.
The red door remembers everything.
I love you beyond every fear.
Mommy
Chloe studied the photograph.
She recognized her mother immediately. Laura stood beside a red door, looking frightened. A man stood several feet behind her.
Chloe had seen him before.
Detective Marcus Hale had attended the trial every day. He had worn a silver ring engraved with a bird.
The same ring was visible in the photograph.
The time printed at the bottom meant little to Chloe, but she understood her mother’s instruction.
Give it to Daddy.
Mara’s footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Chloe folded the note and photograph, slipped them into her pajama pocket, and pushed the wooden panel back into place.
“Were you touching the music box?” Mara asked.
“It stopped playing.”
“I’ll have it repaired.”
Mara placed it in a storage carton.
That night, Chloe waited until her aunt fell asleep. She moved the photograph and note into the pale-blue dress she would wear to the prison.
The brass key remained hidden beneath her mattress.
She did not know what it opened.
Before dawn, she dreamed about a red door standing alone in a field.
Her mother waited behind it.
May you like
Gavin stood on the other side.
Chloe was the only person holding a key.
