Chapter 4: A Voice from the Grave
The darkness in the dining room felt alive, pressing against Clara’s skin like a wet blanket. She stood frozen near the shattered remains of her chair, her heart hammering against her ribs. The slow, heavy footsteps continued to advance from the foyer, moving past the spot where the bodyguards had just vanished. A sharp metallic click echoed—someone had just cocked the hammer of a heavy revolver just outside the doorway.
“Victor,” a raspy voice called out from the shadows, dripping with a haunting familiarity. “You left the front door unlocked. You always were careless with your security.”
Victor froze, his hand tightening around the brass key in his pocket. The color drained completely from his face, leaving him looking older and far more vulnerable than his fifty years. He took a staggering step forward, squinting into the gloom where the dim emergency lights cast long, distorted shadows.
“That’s impossible,” Victor whispered, his voice cracking. “You died in the fire. I identified the body myself.”
Eleanor chuckled in the dark, a low, venomous sound. “Bodies can be replaced, Victor. Just like identities. Just like children.”
Clara gasped, pressing her back against the dining table as a tall figure stepped over the threshold into the faint red glow. The intruder wore a heavy trench coat, the collar turned up high, obscuring the lower half of their face. But the eyes—pale, piercing, and unmistakably familiar—caught the red light. They were Clara’s eyes.
“Hello, brother,” the figure said, stepping closer and lowering the revolver to their side. “Did you really think you could bury the truth under a pile of diamond necklaces and quiet dinners?”
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Victor stumbled back, hitting the edge of the buffet table. Silverware rattled against porcelain. “Sarah… it’s you.”
Before Sarah could take another step, a bright flash of light illuminated the French doors leading to the garden. A heavy object struck the glass from the outside, shattering it inward and sending shards flying across the polished floor.
