Chapter 17 - The Room Behind The Nursery Wall
Richard searched the nursery himself.
The police arrived within minutes.
But something bothered him.
The note.
The ribbon.
The timing.
Someone wanted him to come here.
Not somewhere else.
Here.
Detective Hale examined the room.
“Something is wrong.”
Richard looked around.
“What?”
“The person who entered didn’t steal anything.”
He pointed.
Nothing was missing.
No jewelry.
No documents.
No valuables.
“They wanted you to find something.”
Richard looked at the walls.
Then remembered.
The hidden room in the old house.
The hidden recorder.
The secrets people thought were buried.
They searched the nursery again.
This time differently.
Not looking for damage.
Looking for changes.
Then Maya’s old nanny noticed something.
“Wait.”
Everyone turned.
Mrs. Gable touched the wooden wall panel.
“This wasn’t like this before.”
The officers removed the panel.
Behind it was a narrow space.
A hidden compartment.
Inside:
Old photographs.
A key.
And a letter.
The letter was from Eleanor.
Richard recognized her handwriting immediately.
His hands shook.
Richard,
If you are reading this, then I was right.
Someone close to us is hiding the truth.
But there is something you need to know.
I was not afraid of losing my life.
I was afraid of losing Maya.
Richard continued reading.
Eleanor explained that she discovered someone had been watching Maya before she died.
Not Richard.
Not Victoria.
Someone else.
Someone who believed Maya was the key to controlling the Sterling family.
The final line made Richard freeze.
The person you trust most is the person you should question first.
Everyone became silent.
Detective Hale looked at Richard.
“Who is the person you trust most?”
Richard did not answer.
Because he already knew.
And that terrified him.
That night, he checked every person connected to the family.
Staff.
Friends.
Doctors.
Partners.
Then he found something impossible.
A security badge record.
Someone had entered the estate the night Eleanor died.
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The name attached to the badge was:
Richard Sterling.
