Chapter 1: Behind the Locked Door
Chapter 1: Behind the Locked Door
Daniel Carter climbed the staircase two steps at a time.
The hallway was unusually quiet.
His mother's bedroom door was locked.
He knocked once.
"Mom?"
No answer.
The housekeeper, Maria, stood several feet behind him, twisting her apron with trembling hands.
"She... she said she didn't want anyone coming in."
Daniel frowned.
"That's not like her."
He tried the handle.
Locked.
His pulse quickened.
"Mom!"
A faint sound answered him.
Not words.
A weak thump.
Daniel stepped back and drove his shoulder against the door.
The lock splintered.
Inside, the curtains were drawn.
The room smelled of medicine.
His seventy-six-year-old mother lay on the floor beside her bed.
Her wrists were bruised.
A glass of water had spilled across the carpet.
Her phone lay shattered beneath the nightstand.
She looked up with tear-filled eyes.
"Daniel..."
He rushed to her side.
"What happened?"
She hesitated.
Then whispered,
"Your brother said I needed to stay here until I signed the papers."
Daniel froze.
"What papers?"
His mother pointed weakly toward the dresser.
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Inside the top drawer sat a folder labeled:
TRANSFER OF FAMILY ASSETS.
