Chapter 5 - THE MUSIC BOX IN THE WALL
Matteo tried to recover his smile.
But Adrien had already seen the fear in his eyes.
“What did you do to my wife?”
Matteo lifted both hands.
“Adrien, calm down.”
“Answer me.”
“You're frightening the children.”
Evelyn stepped closer to the triplets.
They were watching their uncle with unmistakable fear.
Matteo noticed.
His expression hardened.
“Perhaps they should go upstairs.”
“No,” Lily said immediately.
Noah tightened his grip on her hand.
Oliver whispered:
“Stay.”
Evelyn nodded.
“We can stay together.”
Adrien faced his brother.
“Where's Celeste?”
Matteo hesitated.
Then laughed.
“You're losing your mind over a waitress and three traumatized children.”
Adrien's voice became deadly quiet.
“Leave them out of this.”
Before Matteo could respond, two police officers entered with a detective who identified herself as Laura Hayes.
Adrien handed over Evelyn's phone and explained the threats.
Detective Hayes examined the messages.
Then she looked at Matteo.
“Sir, we're going to need you to remain here while we investigate.”
Matteo's eyes narrowed.
“You don't understand who you're dealing with.”
Hayes didn't blink.
“I understand that a woman may be unlawfully confined somewhere in this building.”
Meanwhile, Evelyn knelt beside Oliver.
“Do you know where your mother's music box is?”
He nodded.
“Wall.”
“What wall?”
Oliver pointed toward the old fireplace.
Evelyn followed his gaze.
The painting hung directly above it.
Then she noticed a small irregularity in the wooden paneling.
A narrow brass fitting.
No larger than a fingernail.
She showed Detective Hayes.
With the manager's permission replaced by a search warrant obtained through an on-call judge, investigators examined the hidden compartment.
The brass key fit perfectly.
A panel slid open.
Inside sat a dusty mahogany music box.
Adrien made a broken sound.
“I gave that to Celeste on our wedding day.”
Evelyn lifted the lid.
A delicate melody filled the room.
Three little figures rotated beneath a glass dome.
At the bottom lay a folded letter.
Adrien opened it.
The handwriting was unmistakably Celeste's.
If my children ever find this, tell them I never abandoned them.
Adrien's hands began trembling.
He kept reading.
Then his expression collapsed.
Because the final sentence said:
The twelve million dollars were never stolen. Matteo took them to pay the people keeping me alive and hidden.
May you like
And beneath Celeste's signature was another warning.
Adrien, if you're reading this, the person who betrayed us is standing closer than you think.
