Chapter 5 - The Envelope on the Glass
Marcus unlocked the heavy deadbolt and pulled the front door inward. A chilling gust of wind swept into the boutique, carrying with it a discarded brown envelope that skidded across the parquet floor and came to a stop right at Mina’s feet.
Mina looked down at it, her expression shifting from boredom to sudden, sharp suspicion. She bent over and picked it up. Across the front, written in hurried, blocky capital letters, were the words: FOR THE HEAD OF THE HOUSEHOLD.
"What is that?" Arthur asked, stepping away from the fitting room threshold and striding toward Mina, his hand outstretched. "Give me that."
Mina hesitated, her thumb sliding under the adhesive flap of the envelope. Instead of handing it over, she ripped it open and pulled out a single sheet of heavy, cream-colored cardstock. As her eyes scanned the handwritten lines, the color completely drained from her face. Her breathing hitched, and the defiant smirk vanished, replaced by a look of sheer, unadulterated terror.
"Mina," their mother warned, stepping forward and reaching for the paper. "Give it here right now."
"No," Mina breathed, her voice trembling violently as she backed away toward the racks of satin gowns. "This… this isn't real. This is a joke. Dad, someone is playing a trick on us."
Arthur didn't wait. He closed the distance between them in two long strides, snatching the paper from her trembling fingers. Marcus watched from the doorway, his brow furrowed in deep concern. Under the warm glow of the overhead chandelier, Arthur’s eyes scanned the note. As he read, the rigid posture he had maintained all night seemed to crumble, the color draining from his face until he looked nearly as pale as his youngest daughter.
"Where did this come from?" Arthur whispered, his voice dangerously low as he looked up at Marcus.
"I don't know," Marcus replied, genuinely rattled. "When I opened the shop five minutes ago, nothing was there. Someone must have dropped it right as you pulled up."
Maya parted the velvet fitting-room curtain, stepping out halfway in the stunning midnight-blue gown, the crystals sparkling against the dark silk. She looked at her parents, confused by the sudden, suffocating shift in the room's atmosphere. "Dad? What's wrong? What does the letter say?"
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Arthur lowered the paper slowly, his hands shaking. He didn't look at Maya. Instead, he looked directly at his wife, his voice cracking on the words. "It’s about the fire at the old family estate twelve years ago. The one the police ruled an accidental electrical fault."
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