Chapter 2
Arthur ushered the children into the master suite, locking the heavy mahogany door behind them. The room smelled faintly of lavender and expensive perfume, a scent Elena favored to mask the lingering dampness of the old Victorian structure. Clara curled into the large velvet armchair near the bay window, clutching a worn stuffed rabbit while her breathing slowly regulated from panic to quiet sniffling. Leo paced the perimeter of the room, checking the window latches and keeping a watchful eye on the hallway door.
"She knew," Leo muttered, his fingers tracing the gray zipper of his hoodie. "Ever since we found that loose seam behind the wainscoting last week, she’s been watching us like a hawk. She thought we wouldn't look closer."
"You shouldn't have gone snooping," Arthur said, though his tone lacked true reprimand. He pulled a chair up to the desk, running his hands over his tired face. "This house has dark corners, Leo. Things happened before you two were born that your mother and I agreed to bury. Literally and figuratively."
"Mom isn't the only one buried in this house, is she?" Leo stopped pacing, turning to face his father with eyes that demanded the unvarnished truth. The scratch on his cheek pulsed with dull heat. "Clara saw something. She’s been seeing her in the shadows for months. The woman in the wall isn't a ghost, Dad. It's someone we knew."
Arthur didn't answer immediately. He stood up and walked to the mirror above the dresser, staring at his own reflection. The blue suit jacket made him look like a successful corporate executive, a man in control of his destiny. But underneath the fabric, he was hollowed out by years of complicity. He remembered the night the original renovations began, the sudden disappearance of his business partner’s sister, the whispered agreements made in the dark corners of the study, and the suffocating pressure to protect the family name at all costs.
"Your mother made choices to protect our family," Arthur said carefully, choosing his words to avoid inciting another panic in Clara. "The pressures of high society in this town are vicious. One mistake, one sudden tragedy, and your entire reputation vanishes overnight. But hiding someone... hiding the truth of what happened that rainy night... that was a bridge too far."
May you like
"She’s alive, isn't she?" Leo whispered, stepping closer. "Or she was when the drywall went up."
Arthur turned slowly, his eyes heavy with sorrow. "Get your sister ready. We are going to find out tonight."
