Chapter 4: A DEAD WALKING
603 Words
Chapter 4: A Dead Woman
The newspaper slipped from Mama Grace’s trembling hands.
It landed at the young woman’s feet.
She bent down and picked it up.
The moment her eyes met the front-page photograph, her breath caught in her throat.
It was her.
The same face.
The same smile.
The same diamond earrings she had never seen before—yet somehow recognized.
Her eyes moved to the headline.
HEIRESS ELENA ASHFORD FOUND DEAD.
“No…” she whispered.
Her hands began to shake.
“This… this can’t be me.”
Mama Grace slowly stepped closer.
“Child…”
“I don’t remember any of this.”
The young woman pressed a hand against her forehead as another wave of pain crashed through her mind.
A church bell.
A white limousine.
Someone shouting, “Run!”
Then darkness.
She cried out and collapsed to her knees.
Mama Grace wrapped her in a blanket and held her tightly until the trembling stopped.
“You don’t have to remember today,” she said softly.
“But whoever you are… someone wanted the world to believe you were dead.”
⸻
Detective Daniel Hayes stormed into police headquarters with the forensic report clutched in his hand.
Every detective in the room fell silent.
“The fingerprints don’t belong to Elena Ashford,” he announced.
Murmurs filled the room.
One detective frowned.
“That’s impossible.”
“I thought so too.”
Hayes placed the report on the table.
“The dental records were supplied by the Ashford family. We’re verifying everything again.”
Another officer leaned forward.
“So… whose body did we bury?”
No one had an answer.
Hayes looked around the room.
“From this moment on, assume Elena Ashford is alive.”
“And assume whoever buried that woman knows we’re getting close.”
⸻
Ashford Manor
Victor Ashford stared out the library window, his phone pressed to his ear.
His voice was low and controlled.
“What do you mean they reopened the investigation?”
A voice crackled through the speaker.
“The fingerprints didn’t match.”
Victor closed his eyes.
For the first time in days…
Fear crossed his face.
“Find her.”
“We’ve been looking.”
“Then look harder.”
He ended the call and turned to find Sophia standing in the doorway.
“Who were you talking to?” she asked.
“No one.”
“You’ve been lying since Elena disappeared.”
Victor’s expression hardened.
“You should be careful what you accuse your father of.”
Sophia held his gaze.
“I don’t think you’re afraid of losing your daughter.”
She paused.
“I think you’re afraid she’ll come back.”
Without another word, she walked away, leaving Victor alone with the silence.
For the first time in years…
He looked like a man whose secrets were beginning to collapse.
⸻
That night, Elena stood outside Mama Grace’s cottage, staring at the stars.
The cool breeze carried the scent of the ocean.
For a brief moment, everything felt peaceful.
Then she heard footsteps behind her.
She turned.
No one.
She took another step.
A twig snapped.
Before she could react, a gloved hand clamped over her mouth.
Another arm wrapped around her waist, dragging her toward the trees.
She fought with everything she had.
Her attacker whispered into her ear.
“You were supposed to stay dead.”
A blinding pair of headlights suddenly swept across the road.
The attacker released her and disappeared into the darkness.
Gasping for breath, Elena collapsed onto the gravel.
Whoever had tried to kill her…
Knew
- Writer
