CHAPTER 3 The Stranger in the Hallway
CHAPTER 3 The Stranger in the Hallway
Adrian Westwood stared at the empty hallway.
His mind struggled to process what had just happened.
One second, someone had been standing there.
The next second, they were gone.
The old mansion suddenly felt different.
The same walls that once represented wealth and security now felt like they were hiding something dangerous.
“Who was that?”
Natalie’s voice broke the silence.
Nobody answered.
Adrian slowly walked toward the hallway.
“Stay here.”
Rachel immediately grabbed Emma’s hand.
“Mr. Westwood, maybe we should leave.”
Adrian looked back at her.
“No one leaves.”
The firmness in his voice surprised everyone.
Even himself.
Three years of unanswered questions had finally reached this moment.
He was done letting people tell him what to believe.
He stepped into the hallway.
The wooden floor creaked beneath his shoes.
Every sound seemed louder than normal.
The person who had been watching them knew about Claire’s letter.
They knew about the hidden compartment.
They knew someone inside the house could be responsible for Claire’s death.
That meant one thing.
They were close.
Very close.
Adrian reached the end of the hallway.
Nothing.
Only shadows.
He checked the nearby rooms.
Empty.
The guest bedroom.
Empty.
The library.
Empty.
The small sitting room.
Empty.
Whoever was there had disappeared quickly.
Or they knew the house better than him.
That thought bothered him.
Behind him, Natalie walked closer.
“Adrian.”
He turned.
Her face was filled with fear.
“Someone knew about this.”
Adrian nodded.
“Yes.”
“And that person could have been here all night.”
Another nod.
Natalie looked toward Claire’s bedroom.
“My sister trusted too many people.”
Adrian looked at her.
“What do you mean?”
Natalie hesitated.
For years, she had protected Claire’s memory.
But now the truth was forcing itself into the open.
“Claire was investigating something before she died.”
Adrian froze.
“What?”
Natalie looked surprised.
“You didn’t know?”
“No.”
“She never told you?”
Adrian shook his head.
A painful feeling moved through his chest.
Claire had always told him everything.
At least, he thought she had.
Natalie lowered her voice.
“She called me two days before the crash.”
Adrian stepped closer.
“What did she say?”
Natalie looked down.
“She said she was afraid.”
The room became quiet.
“What was she afraid of?”
Natalie swallowed.
“She said someone close to her was pretending to be her friend.”
Adrian immediately thought of Madison.
But he said nothing.
Natalie continued.
“Claire wanted proof before accusing anyone.”
“Why didn’t she tell me?”
Natalie’s eyes filled with sadness.
“Because she thought you would not believe her.”
That sentence hurt more than Adrian expected.
He looked back toward the bedroom.
He spent three years believing Claire left him without warning.
Without giving him answers.
But maybe she had tried.
Maybe she had been trying to protect him.
A sudden noise came from downstairs.
Everyone froze.
A loud crash.
Like something falling.
Adrian immediately moved.
“Stay here.”
He rushed toward the staircase.
When he reached the ballroom, he stopped.
The engagement party was no longer a celebration.
Guests stood in confused groups.
Security guards searched the room.
The atmosphere was chaos.
“What happened?” Adrian asked.
One of the guards approached.
“Mr. Westwood, we found this near the entrance.”
The guard handed him a small envelope.
Adrian looked at it.
His name was written on the front.
Not printed.
Handwritten.
The handwriting looked familiar.
His heart dropped.
“Where did you find this?”
“Outside the main doors.”
Adrian opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
His hands immediately tightened.
It was a picture of Claire.
Taken the night she died.
But something was wrong.
The photo showed Claire standing beside her car before the accident.
And beside her…
Was Madison.
Adrian stared.
His breathing became uneven.
Because the police report said Claire was alone.
The official investigation stated nobody else was near the vehicle.
Nobody.
But the photograph proved otherwise.
Natalie came downstairs behind him.
When she saw the image, she stopped.
“No…”
Adrian looked at her.
“You knew?”
Natalie shook her head.
“I’ve never seen that before.”
Madison appeared at the top of the stairs.
“Adrian?”
Everyone turned.
She saw the photograph in his hand.
Her face immediately changed.
A small reaction.
Almost invisible.
But Adrian noticed.
Again.
“You were there.”
Madison froze.
“What?”
“You were with Claire that night.”
“No.”
“You knew she was leaving.”
Madison stepped back.
“Adrian, this is crazy.”
He held up the picture.
“Then explain this.”
Madison looked at the photograph.
Her eyes moved quickly.
Too quickly.
Like she was searching for a way out.
“I don’t know where that came from.”
Adrian laughed quietly.
A painful laugh.
“Three years.”
Madison stared at him.
“Three years, I thought I lost my wife because of a storm.”
His voice became colder.
“But now I find her ring hidden in her closet.”
He held up the photograph.
“And now I find proof you were with her before she died.”
The guests watched silently.
Nobody knew what to say.
Madison’s voice became emotional.
“You really think I killed Claire?”
Adrian looked at her.
“I don’t know what to think anymore.”
Then suddenly, Emma spoke.
Everyone looked down.
The little girl was staring at the photograph.
Her small fingers pointed toward Madison.
“That’s the lady.”
Rachel immediately looked at her.
“Emma…”
“No.”
The child shook her head.
“That’s the lady from the closet.”
The room went silent.
Adrian crouched down.
“What lady?”
Emma looked at the picture.
Then at Madison.
“The lady who was crying.”
Madison’s face changed.
Adrian noticed.
“Crying?”
Emma nodded.
“She said she didn’t mean to hurt Mrs. Westwood.”
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Because now the question was no longer whether Madison knew something.
The question was…
What exactly happened between Madison and Claire the night she died?
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And why was a four-year-old girl the only person brave enough to tell the truth?
TO BE CONTINUED…
