Chapter 10 - THE HOUSE THAT HELD THE TRUTH
The Whitmore lake house stood behind tall iron gates on a quiet stretch of Lake Michigan.
It was beautiful.
Stone walls.
White columns.
Windows overlooking the water.
But the moment I stepped inside, I felt something strange.
As though the house had been waiting for me.
Mrs. Ellis walked beside me.
"Catherine loved this place."
I looked around.
"She lived here?"
"For several years."
Helen had come too.
She wanted to be there when I entered the home where my biological mother spent her final days.
Adrien waited near the entrance.
He hadn't insisted on accompanying me.
I'd asked him to.
That mattered.
We entered a sitting room overlooking the lake.
A grand piano stood near the window.
Family photographs lined the walls.
Then I saw her.
Catherine.
A portrait above the fireplace.
She wore a white dress and held a book.
Her smile was gentle.
My throat tightened.
"That's her."
Mrs. Ellis nodded.
I approached the portrait.
For twenty-eight years, I'd had no idea whose face I resembled.
Now I was staring at my own eyes.
My own cheekbones.
My own smile.
I began crying.
Helen wrapped an arm around me.
"She was beautiful."
I nodded.
"She was."
Then Adrien noticed something.
A small brass plate beneath the portrait.
It contained an inscription.
The truth survives where love remains.
Adrien frowned.
"Was that always there?"
Mrs. Ellis shook her head.
"I don't remember it."
He looked toward Rebecca, who had joined us with the estate administrator.
"Can we inspect the frame?"
After obtaining permission, the administrator carefully removed the portrait.
Behind it was a concealed compartment.
My heart hammered.
Inside lay a small metal case.
Mrs. Ellis covered her mouth.
"Oh, Edward."
Rebecca photographed the compartment and opened the case under the estate's legal supervision.
Inside were financial records.
A recording device.
And a handwritten note.
For Sophie.
My hands trembled.
I opened the note.
If you found this, then you're ready to know why I died.
I stopped breathing.
Catherine had hidden evidence before her death.
She'd known she was in danger.
The note continued.
Nathan isn't the only person involved.
Someone inside the Voss organization has been protecting him.
I looked toward Adrien.
His expression darkened.
Catherine listed several names.
Martin Hayes.
Evelyn Shaw.
And one more.
The name made Adrien go completely still.
Marcus Valente.
May you like
His chief security officer.
The man who'd been protecting us throughout the investigation.
