Chapter 6 - THE HOUSEKEEPER'S CONFESSION
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My father survived the night, but his doctors warned that his recovery would be slow.
I stayed beside him until morning. Dorian remained outside the intensive care unit, refusing to leave even when I told him I wanted nothing from him.
At sunrise, Margaret called.
"Mrs. Kincaid, you need to come home."
"Why?"
"Because I found something in the laundry room. Something Mrs. Sorrell left behind."
I nearly ended the call.
Then Margaret added, "It concerns the night your mother died."
I went still.
"My mother died in a hospital."
"Yes, ma'am. But the night before, she came to the estate. She was carrying a small leather case. I helped her hide it."
I closed my eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me before?"
"Because Mr. Kincaid threatened my grandson. He said if I ever spoke about your mother, the boy would lose his job and his home."
My anger softened into something heavier.
"Margaret, are you safe?"
"For now."
I returned to the mansion with a police escort.
Margaret was waiting in the laundry room, holding a small brass box. Her hands shook as she placed it on the table.
"Your mother asked me to keep this until you were ready."
I opened the box.
Inside lay a silver key, a faded photograph, and a cassette tape labeled in my mother's handwriting.
For Audra. Only when the truth becomes necessary.
"What's on the tape?" I asked.
Margaret looked toward the door.
"Your mother recorded a conversation. I never listened to it. I was too frightened."
I found an old cassette player in a storage cabinet. After several attempts, the tape began to turn.
My mother's voice filled the room.
"If anything happens to me, Audra must know that the accident was not an accident."
I stopped breathing.
A second voice answered.
A man's voice.
My father-in-law, Victor Kincaid.
"You should have stayed out of our business."
My mother's voice shook, but she continued.
"You stole from my husband. You ruined his life. And now you want to use my daughter to secure what remains."
Victor laughed coldly.
"Your daughter is already part of this family. She belongs to my son."
"She belongs to herself."
A chair scraped across the recording.
Then Victor spoke again.
"If you tell her what you've discovered, I will make sure she loses everything she loves."
The tape ended with a sharp click.
I sat frozen.
Margaret wiped her eyes.
"Your mother came here because she wanted to confront him. Mr. Victor arrived shortly afterward. I heard shouting in the east wing."
"What happened?"
"I don't know. By morning, your mother was gone. Mr. Dorian told everyone she'd been taken to the hospital."
I stared at the cassette player.
"Did Dorian hear this recording?"
Margaret nodded slowly.
"He found it years ago. He told me he had destroyed it."
A terrible thought entered my mind.
"Then why is it still here?"
Margaret looked toward the hallway.
"Because someone made a copy."
"Who?"
Before she could answer, a phone vibrated inside the brass box.
It wasn't mine.
A small, unfamiliar phone had been hidden beneath the lining.
The screen lit up with a message.
THE LEDGER IS NOT YOUR MOTHER'S ONLY SECRET. ASK DORIAN WHY HE WAS AT THE HOSPITAL THE NIGHT SHE DIED.
I read it twice.
Then I looked at Margaret.
"Who put this here?"
She shook her head.
Outside, a car door slammed.
May you like
Dorian had returned.
And judging by the sound of his footsteps, he already knew what we'd found.
