Chapter 9
A deed she had never seen.
And Sophia’s signature beneath her own.
When Claire returned to the apartment that afternoon, an unfamiliar black sedan was parked across the street.
She noticed it from the window.
No one got out.
Emily stood beside her.
“Do you know that car?”
“No.”
“Should we call someone?”
Claire watched the sedan remain motionless beneath the bare branches.
Then her phone chimed.
A message had arrived from an unknown number.
If you want the truth about Lake Briar House, go before Adrian knows you have the key.
Claire read the message twice.
“What key?” Emily asked.
Claire turned toward the suitcase she had left unopened near the sofa.
For reasons she could not explain, she suddenly remembered the old brass key attached to her grandmother’s recipe book—the one she had tucked into the inside pocket before leaving the mansion.
She had not checked whether it was still there.
Claire opened the suitcase, pushed aside folded clothes, and found the book wrapped in brown paper.
Her fingers trembled as she opened the back cover.
The key was gone.
In its place was a small square of paper.
On it, in Sophia Lane’s handwriting, were six words:
You were never supposed to find this.
END OF PART 2 — THE STORY CONTINUES IN PART 3. GO BACK TO THE COMMENTS AND TAP THE PART 3 LINK TO KEEP READING.
Part 3: The Key Beneath the Floorboards - 8!001
PART 3
Claire read the sentence again.
You were never supposed to find this.
The paper was thin and cream-colored, torn unevenly from a larger sheet. Sophia’s handwriting was unmistakable. Claire had seen it on thank-you notes, dinner invitations, and the little cards she left beside Adrian’s coffee whenever she visited.
Emily took the note from her.
“Are you sure this is hers?”
“Yes.”
“Could she have put it there before you left?”
Claire shook her head. “The key was in the back cover when I packed the book.”
“You’re certain?”
“I remember feeling it against my hand.”
Emily looked toward the locked apartment door. “Then someone opened your suitcase.”
The thought should have frightened Claire.
Instead, it brought a strange clarity.
Someone had entered the mansion after she left—or had access to her belongings before she reached the apartment. Either way, this was no longer about Adrian trying to persuade her to come home. Something connected to Lake Briar House had become important enough for Sophia to hide the key and leave a warning.