Chapter 11: The Garden’s Secret
The cold autumn rain beat down mercilessly on the gravel driveway as the deputies pushed Elena toward the back of the idling patrol car. The flashing red and blue lights painted the wet pavement in violent strokes of crimson and azure. Elena’s cream silk blouse was ruined, soaked through by the drizzle, and her dark trousers clung uncomfortably to her legs. Yet, despite the humiliation, her spine remained rigid as she refused to bow her head beneath the flashing lights.
“Watch your head, ma’am,” the lead deputy muttered, guiding her into the back seat of the cruiser.
The heavy door slammed shut with a definitive thud, sealing her inside the small, enclosed space of the patrol car. Through the rain-streaked window, she watched as medical personnel wheeled Clara out on a stretcher, with little Lily trudging close behind, still desperately clutching her white stuffed rabbit. Eleanor and Julian stood side-by-side on the porch, watching the procession with an eerie, unified stillness.
Elena’s thoughts returned to Julian’s parting words. Wait until the coroner finishes digging up the garden.
Her breath caught in her throat. The rose garden. When she had first acquired the estate, the southern wing of the gardens had been designated as a historical preservation site, sealed off by the previous owners. She had never inspected the soil there, trusting the initial surveyors’ reports that it was merely an old drainage field.
Could Julian have hidden something—or someone—underneath the meticulously trimmed rose bushes before he supposedly vanished?
A sharp knock on the patrol car window startled her. She turned her head to see Julian standing outside in the rain, refusing an umbrella, his dark wool coat glistening with water droplets. He leaned down, his face inches from the glass, and mouthed a single sentence that sent a freezing shriek through her veins: Father is waiting for you.
Before Elena could scream a denial, the patrol car’s engine roared to life, and the vehicle lurched forward down the long, winding driveway, leaving the grand estate behind.
As they crested the hill toward the main highway, Elena looked out the rear window. In the distance, through the sheets of rain, she saw three police SUVs turning onto the estate grounds, their shovels and heavy-duty excavation equipment flashing in the dark.
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Julian hadn't just set a trap for her; he had led the authorities straight to a mass grave, and her signature was on every single deed, permit, and land title connected to the property.
The cruiser merged onto the highway, accelerating into the stormy night as the radio crackled with an urgent dispatch from the estate: Command, we’ve struck something buried beneath the north rose bed. Requesting forensics team immediately.
