The Locked Room
1124 Words
Chapter Six
The Hawthorne Estate was unusually quiet for a Saturday morning.
No charity meetings filled the study. No business associates wandered through the grand entrance with briefcases in hand. Even the house staff moved more softly than usual, as though everyone sensed the growing tension that had settled over the mansion.
Ava woke just after eight.
For a few seconds, she forgot where she was.
Then she opened her eyes to the high ceiling, the oversized windows overlooking the gardens, and the elegant room that still didn't feel like hers.
Her phone lay on the bedside table.
No new messages.
She let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding.
Maybe today would be different.
Maybe whoever was behind the anonymous account had decided to stop.
Deep down, she knew better.
---
Downstairs, breakfast was already being served.
Richard sat reading the morning news on his tablet while Victoria spoke quietly with a man in a navy suit Ava had never seen before.
The stranger looked to be in his forties, with neatly combed hair, rectangular glasses, and an expression that suggested he noticed everything.
Victoria stood as Ava entered.
"Good morning."
"Morning."
"I'd like you to meet Mr Adrian Wells."
The man offered a polite handshake.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ava."
"You too."
Victoria folded her arms.
"Mr Wells specialises in cybersecurity and digital investigations."
"So... you're really investigating?"
"We're taking every precaution," Victoria replied.
"We've already traced several attempts to access the estate's private network."
Richard looked up from his tablet.
"Any luck?"
Adrian sighed.
"Whoever is doing this knows how to cover their tracks."
"So you found nothing?"
"Not exactly."
He reached into his briefcase and placed a folder on the dining table.
"I found something more interesting."
Everyone looked at him.
"The anonymous posts were uploaded using several different internet connections across the city."
Lucas frowned.
"Meaning?"
"They're intentionally making themselves difficult to find."
"So they're smart," Ava said.
"Very."
Adrian hesitated.
"But there's one detail that doesn't fit."
Victoria leaned forward.
"What detail?"
"The first upload."
He opened the folder, revealing a map with several locations marked in red.
"It wasn't posted from somewhere across the city."
He tapped one location.
"It came from less than two kilometres from this estate."
Silence.
Richard blinked.
"You're saying..."
"I'm saying the person behind the account may be much closer than any of us expected."
---
The words stayed with Ava long after breakfast ended.
Someone close.
Close enough to know the family's routines.
Close enough to photograph the mansion.
Close enough to send messages when she was walking alone.
She wandered into the library, hoping a book might distract her.
Instead, she found Ethan standing by one of the tall windows, a thick history book resting unopened in his hands.
"You hide in here too?"
He smiled.
"Only when Lucas is trying to convince me to play basketball."
"I thought boys liked basketball."
"We do."
"You don't?"
"I prefer winning debates."
She laughed.
"I didn't know that was a competition."
"It is if you're stubborn enough."
For a moment, the tension eased.
Then Ethan noticed the thoughtful look on her face.
"You're thinking about what Adrian said."
She nodded.
"If the account started near the estate..."
"...then whoever's behind it has probably been watching for a while."
Ava lowered her voice.
"Do you think it's someone who works here?"
"I don't know."
"There are dozens of staff."
"And guests."
"And family friends."
Ethan closed the book.
"We shouldn't accuse anyone without proof."
"I know."
"But I can't stop wondering."
Before Ethan could answer, Lucas burst into the library.
"There you are!"
"What happened?" Ethan asked.
"Mum wants everyone downstairs."
"Why?"
Lucas looked unusually serious.
"She says something's missing."
---
The family gathered in Victoria's private office.
Housekeepers stood quietly along one wall while Adrian Wells examined a large wooden cabinet built into the far corner of the room.
Victoria looked furious.
"The cabinet was locked."
Adrian nodded.
"There are no signs of forced entry."
"It contained confidential files."
Richard frowned.
"What kind of files?"
"Business contracts."
She paused.
"And..."
Her voice faltered.
"...family documents."
Lucas exchanged a glance with Ava.
"What family documents?"
Victoria hesitated.
"Old records."
"What kind of records?" Lucas repeated.
"Nothing you need to worry about."
Lucas folded his arms.
"People keep saying that."
Victoria's patience snapped.
"Because I am trying to protect this family."
The room fell silent.
Richard stepped forward.
"Victoria..."
"No."
She took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry."
She looked around the room.
"I shouldn't have raised my voice."
Adrian cleared his throat.
"I've finished checking the lock."
Everyone turned towards him.
"It was opened with a key."
Victoria frowned.
"Only two keys exist."
"I know."
"Where's the second one?"
Victoria slowly opened a desk drawer.
It was empty.
Her face turned pale.
"It was..."
She whispered.
"It was here."
---
That afternoon, rain clouds gathered once again over the estate.
Ava wandered onto the third-floor corridor, trying to clear her head.
She had almost reached her room when she noticed something strange.
One of the portraits hanging on the wall wasn't straight.
It leaned slightly to one side.
Curious, she stepped closer.
As she adjusted the heavy frame, it shifted much farther than she expected.
Behind it...
Was a small metal panel.
Her heart skipped.
She glanced down the hallway.
Empty.
Carefully, she pulled the portrait aside.
The panel had a tiny keyhole.
No handle.
No label.
Just a keyhole.
"What are you doing?"
Ava jumped.
She turned to find Ethan standing at the end of the corridor.
"You scared me."
"Sorry."
He walked over.
"What is that?"
"I think..."
She looked back at the hidden panel.
"...it's a door."
Ethan examined the wall.
"I've been coming here for years."
"I never noticed this."
Ava smiled nervously.
"I don't think anyone was supposed to."
They stood in silence for a moment.
Then Ethan remembered something.
"The photo online."
"The silver key."
Ava looked at him.
"The caption."
Every locked door has someone desperate to keep it closed.
Neither of them spoke.
A chill ran through the hallway despite the warmth of the house.
Whatever lay behind that hidden panel...
It couldn't be a coincidence.
Somewhere else in the mansion, unseen by either of them, a security camera quietly captured the two of them standing in front of the concealed door.
In a dark room, a figure watched the footage on a monitor.
Their face remained hidden.
A gloved hand reached for a keyboard.
A new post appeared on the @ShatteredTruths account.
It contained only six words.
They're closer than they realise.
Within seconds, the post began spreading across the internet.
And inside the Hawthorne Estate, the countdown to Friday continued.
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