Chapter 5 - Whispers in the Dark
Eleanor couldn't sleep. The rain lashed against the bedroom window, masking the sounds of the massive house. Richard was asleep beside her, his chest rising and falling in a steady, calm rhythm.
She carefully slipped out from under the covers, grabbing her silk robe. She needed to know.
Tiptoeing down the grand staircase, she made her way to Richard’s private study. He always kept it locked, but Eleanor knew where he hid the spare key—inside a hollowed-out book on the hallway shelf.
Her hands shook as she unlocked the heavy oak door and slipped inside, turning on only a small desk lamp. She went straight to his filing cabinets. Locked.
Desperation fueled her. She grabbed a heavy brass letter opener and jammed it into the lock of the bottom drawer, twisting with all her might until the metal snapped and the drawer slid open.
Inside were standard business files. But beneath a false bottom, she found a manila envelope.
Eleanor’s heart hammered against her ribs as she pulled the papers out. They were bank statements from five years ago—exactly when Julian disappeared. Richard’s real estate company had been millions of dollars in debt. He was on the verge of total bankruptcy.
And then, a second document. A legal draft. It stated that in the event of Julian’s death or permanent disappearance, Eleanor’s massive trust fund—which was legally tied to Julian until his 18th birthday—would fall entirely under the control of her spouse.
"Oh my god," Eleanor gasped, covering her mouth to muffle a sob.
She pulled out one last item from the envelope. It was a polaroid picture. A picture of a five-year-old Julian, crying, holding today’s newspaper. It was the proof-of-life photo the kidnappers had sent to the police. The police never found the original.
Because Richard had taken it.
May you like
"You shouldn't be in here, Eleanor."
Eleanor spun around. Richard was standing in the doorway, the silver lighter tossing in his hand. Clink. Clink.
