Chapter 9 - The Blue PianoVictoria forced us back to the Grant estate.
She did not need to threaten us constantly.
The gun was enough.
The estate had been abandoned for months.
Dust covered the furniture.
The blue piano stood exactly where I remembered.
I approached it slowly.
Victoria watched.
“Open it.”
I looked at the instrument.
My father had taught me every note.
I knelt.
Under the left side of the keyboard was a tiny brass latch.
I pressed it.
A compartment clicked open.
Inside was a black metal box.
Victoria smiled.
“Finally.”
She took it.
Then she opened it.
Her smile vanished.
Empty.
“What?”
She shook the box.
Nothing.
She looked at me.
“Where is it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Liar.”
She pointed the gun toward Julian.
“Tell me.”
Julian shook his head.
“I swear.”
Victoria fired.
The bullet struck the wall beside him.
I screamed.
“Stop!”
Victoria smiled.
“Next one goes through him.”
I looked at the piano.
Something was wrong.
My father loved hiding things inside hiding places.
The compartment itself looked untouched.
Then I noticed a scratch beneath the velvet lining.
I pulled it away.
A second compartment appeared.
Inside was a small key.
And a note.
I unfolded it.
My father’s handwriting.
Lena, if you are reading this, trust nobody wearing a ring from the Whitmore family.
I looked up.
Victoria wore one.
Julian did too.
Then Victoria laughed.
“He always did love theatrics.”
I handed her the key.
She snatched it.
“Where is the ledger?”
“I don’t know.”
She pointed the gun at my mother.
My mother stepped forward.
“Stop.”
Victoria turned.
“You should have stayed dead.”
My mother’s eyes hardened.
“You should have left my daughter alone.”
Victoria sneered.
“She was always going to belong to us.”
“No.”
Julian stepped forward.
“She was never yours.”
Victoria’s expression changed.
She pointed the weapon at him.
“You.”
He froze.
“You were supposed to become a man.”
“I did.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“You became sentimental.”
I looked between them.
Then I understood.
Victoria was not merely manipulating Julian.
She had raised him.
And somewhere along the way, he had stopped obeying.
I reached into my pocket.
The recorder was still running.
I had captured everything.
Victoria turned toward me.
Her eyes narrowed.
“What are you smiling at?”
I smiled.
“Because you keep talking.”
She froze.
I held up the device.
“You just confessed to threatening Julian, manipulating the trust, and admitting you know about the forged documents.”
Her face went white.
Then the front doors opened.
Police officers entered.
Victoria screamed.
“How?”
I looked at Julian.
He nodded.
I had sent Catherine the audio earlier.
Victoria’s gun dropped.
For one glorious second, I thought it was over.
Then one officer shouted:
“Hands up!”
Julian raised his hands.
But Victoria was smiling again.
I realized something was wrong.
She looked past me.
Toward the hallway.
May you like
And whispered:
“You still haven’t found the ledger.”
