Chapter 2 - The Names Engraved Inside the Rings

Nobody touched the library door.

Alexander had locked it himself.

The party downstairs continued without them, but inside the room, the only sound was Ethan’s uneven breathing.

Elena stayed beside him.

Mrs. Whitmore stood near the window.

Alexander remained in the center of the room with Evelyn’s wedding ring in his hand.

“Start talking.”

His mother looked offended.

“About what?”

Alexander gestured toward the floor.

“About why my missing wife’s belongings were hidden inside your book.”

Mrs. Whitmore’s face remained composed.

“They are old family pieces.”

Alexander crouched beside the scattered rings.

“No.”

He picked up another.

Inside was an engraving.

L.M. — 1987.

Then another.

C.H. — 1994.

Another.

R.S. — 2002.

None carried the Whitmore crest.

None matched the family jewelry inventory.

Elena noticed something else.

“Sir.”

She held up a thin gold ring with a tiny strip of paper tied through it.

A number had been written on the paper.

17.

Alexander found three more rings with numbers attached.

6.

11.

23.

Mrs. Whitmore moved toward them.

“That is enough.”

Alexander looked up.

“Why?”

“Because you are turning sentimental objects into something sinister.”

Ethan suddenly whispered from behind Elena.

“There’s paper.”

Alexander turned.

“What paper?”

Ethan pointed at the broken book.

“In the back.”

Alexander opened the split leather cover.

The book itself was hollow.

The rings had been hidden inside a carved compartment.

But Ethan was pointing at the inside of the rear cover.

Alexander pressed his thumb against the lining.

Something shifted.

A second panel opened.

Inside was a folded sheet.

Mrs. Whitmore stepped forward.

“Alexander.”

He unfolded it.

Twenty-seven initials were written in two columns.

Each had a date.

Each had a number.

And several had a single word beside them.

SETTLED.

MOVED.

SIGNED.

CLOSED.

Alexander found Evelyn’s initials near the bottom.

E.W. — 23.

Beside them was a date.

Two days after Evelyn disappeared.

And one word.

TRANSFERRED.

His eyes lifted.

“What does transferred mean?”

Mrs. Whitmore said nothing.

Alexander looked at Ethan.

The boy was staring at the list.

“Did you see Grandmother put this in the book?”

Ethan shook his head.

“No.”

“Then how did you know the rings were there?”

Ethan looked toward his grandmother.

His face tightened again.

“She opened it when she thought I was sleeping.”

Mrs. Whitmore’s expression changed.

Alexander heard it.

Not the words.

The fear underneath them.

“When?”

Ethan swallowed.

“The night Mom went away.”

Alexander’s jaw locked.

“You were in the library?”

Ethan nodded.

“I came down because Mommy was crying.”

Alexander froze.

“Evelyn was here?”

Ethan nodded again.

Mrs. Whitmore spoke sharply.

“He was four. Children confuse dreams with memories.”

Ethan flinched.

Alexander turned on her.

“Do not speak to him.”

Silence.

Then Alexander crouched in front of his son.

“Ethan, what do you remember?”

The boy stared at the floor.

“Mommy was crying.”

“Where?”

“By the stairs.”

“Who was with her?”

Ethan looked at Mrs. Whitmore.

Then he whispered:

“Grandmother.”

Alexander felt the ring in his hand grow heavy.

“Anyone else?”

Ethan nodded.

“The man with the gray gloves.”

Elena frowned.

Alexander did not.

There was only one person who regularly wore gray leather driving gloves in the Whitmore household.

Thomas Vale.

The family chauffeur.

The man who had resigned the morning after Evelyn disappeared.

Alexander stood slowly.

For almost two years, everyone believed Thomas had left because he disliked the investigation.

Now Ethan was saying he had been inside the house the night Evelyn vanished.

Alexander looked at his mother.

“Where is Thomas Vale?”

Mrs. Whitmore’s lips parted.

Then Ethan spoke again.

“He took Mommy downstairs.”

Alexander stopped.

“Downstairs where?”

Ethan pointed toward the far end of the library.

Toward a wall lined with bookshelves.

“There.”

Elena stared at the shelves.

“There’s no staircase there.”

Ethan shook his head.

“Yes there is.”

Then he walked toward the wall.

And pressed one small hand against a carved wooden lion Alexander had seen every day since childhood.

Something clicked.

May you like

[COMPLETED] “GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY DRESS! YOU’RE NOTHING BUT AN OLD SEAM...

[COMPLETED] At the Mafia Boss's Engagement Party, I Served His Hungry So...

[COMPLETED] The Mafia Boss’s Fiancée Tried to Dismiss His Father’s Loyal...

One section of the bookshelf moved.

Behind it was a narrow staircase descending into darkness.