Chapter 4 - The Secret Hidden in My Brother's Book
By the time I reached home, I was terrified of opening a children's novel.
Ethan sat on our worn living room couch, one leg stretched across a cushion.
He looked up from his video game.
"Mara? You're early."
I forced a smile.
"Just had a weird morning."
He studied me.
"Someone steal your tips again?"
"No."
"Did Brittany make another joke about your weight?"
I froze.
Ethan sighed.
"I heard her last week."
I sat beside him.
"It's nothing."
"It's not nothing."
He looked directly at me.
"You're beautiful, Mara. You shouldn't have to pretend those comments don't hurt."
My throat tightened.
For a seventeen-year-old boy, Ethan sometimes understood people better than most adults.
I hugged him.
Then asked, "Do you still have that book Bella gave you?"
His expression changed.
"The Secret Garden?"
"Yeah."
He pointed toward the bookshelf.
"Top shelf."
I retrieved it.
The cover was worn.
Inside, Bella had written:
For Ethan. Every locked garden has a key. Never stop looking for yours.
I turned the pages.
Nothing unusual.
Then I noticed the back cover felt thicker than it should.
I ran my fingers along the edge.
A tiny section of cardboard had been carefully resealed.
My pulse raced.
Using a butter knife, I gently lifted the paper.
A small memory card slipped out.
Ethan sat upright.
"What is that?"
"I don't know."
"That doesn't look like a bookmark."
"No kidding."
My phone rang.
Adrian.
"Did you find it?"
I stared at the memory card.
"Yes."
His voice became urgent.
"Don't connect it to anything. I'm sending someone to collect it for forensic examination."
I looked toward the window.
A dark sedan was parked across the street.
It hadn't been there an hour earlier.
"Adrian?"
"What?"
"There's a car outside."
Silence.
"Describe it."
"Black sedan. Tinted windows. Two people inside."
"Take Ethan into the bedroom. Lock the door."
My heart hammered.
"What's happening?"
"Do it now."
I grabbed Ethan's arm and helped him down the hall.
His injured leg slowed him.
"Mara, you're scaring me."
"I'm scaring myself."
Then someone knocked.
Three slow knocks.
I froze.
A woman's voice came through the front door.
"Miss Bellamy? We're from the medical assistance office."
Ethan looked at me.
"Medical assistance?"
I pressed a finger to my lips.
The woman continued.
"We need to discuss your brother's rehabilitation payments."
I didn't move.
Then she said something that made my blood turn cold.
"We know Bella gave you something."
I backed away.
Outside, a car door slammed.
A man's voice shouted.
"Step away from the entrance!"
Adrian's security team had arrived.
Within minutes, the strangers fled.
But they left something behind.
A folded paper slipped beneath our apartment door.
I opened it with trembling hands.
It contained a photograph of Ethan lying unconscious in the hospital after his accident.
May you like
Across the bottom were five words.
Your brother's accident wasn't accidental.
