Chapter 6 - THE WOMAN WHO DIED TWICE
“EMILY, TURN OFF THE LIGHTS. SOMEONE MAY BE WATCHING YOUR WINDOW.”
Anna’s recorded warning made Emily freeze before the laptop. Rain hammered the apartment glass while Daniel immediately crossed the room and pulled the curtains shut. Margaret stared at the impossible timestamp. The video had been recorded three months after Anna’s funeral. Either the date had been manipulated—or Emily had buried an empty coffin.
Anna looked exhausted on-screen. A bruise darkened one side of her face. “The woman buried under my name wasn’t me,” she whispered. “Richard’s father arranged everything before he died. He needed the world to believe the last witness was gone.”
Emily’s hands began shaking. Daniel moved closer, but she raised one hand, forcing him to stay back. She needed to hear her mother without anyone protecting her from the truth. Anna explained that after discovering the forged letters, she attempted to contact Daniel. Someone intercepted the message before it reached him.
Then Anna said a name none of them expected.
“Margaret helped me escape.”
Emily slowly turned toward the elderly woman. Margaret’s face collapsed beneath eighteen years of guilt. “I thought she survived,” Margaret whispered. “I swear to you, Emily, I thought your mother escaped.”
The video suddenly distorted. Anna leaned toward the camera.
“If Margaret is still alive, ask her about Blackwater House.”
The screen went black.
Margaret closed her eyes.
Daniel stared at her.
“What is Blackwater House?”
May you like
Margaret’s answer came almost silently.
“The place where Anna disappeared.”
Related Stories
