Chapter 118 The Day It Began
DAVID
The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting long shadows over the winding road as I drove us back to the mansion. The air inside the car was heavy, weighed down by the unspoken truths that seemed to hang between us. Janet sat beside me, her hands clasped tightly in her lap, her knuckles white. She stared out the window, but I knew her mind was far from the passing scenery.
“I know what you’re thinking,” I said quietly, glancing at her from the corner of my eye.
Her gaze didn’t waver. “Do you?”
“You want to tell the world that your father didn’t die by accident,” I replied. “That he was murdered. Just like mine.”
Janet turned to me, her eyes wide, her lips trembling with words she couldn’t bring herself to say. I reached over, briefly covering her hand with mine. “We’ll figure it out,” I assured her. “With your drawing of the truck driver and the old newspaper clippings, we’re getting closer to the truth.”
Her fingers relaxed under mine, and a faint smile tugged at her lips. “We’d better,” she murmured.
As we pulled into the driveway, Bella was waiting outside, her arms folded across her chest, her silhouette sharp against the fading light. She looked impatient but determined, her chin tilted slightly upward as if bracing herself for the confrontation ahead.
I stepped out of the car and walked toward her. “Are you ready?”
She nodded. “I am.”
I pulled a small recorder from my pocket and slipped it into her wristwatch. “This will pick up everything you and Elowen talk about,” I explained, fastening the strap securely around her wrist. My fingers lingered for a moment, and I caught her gaze. “Be careful,” I said softly.
Her eyes didn’t waver. “I will.”
Janet joined us as we piled back into the car. The drive to Elowen’s apartment was silent, the tension in the air thick enough to cut with a knife. Bella fidgeted with her watch, her movements restless. Janet stared straight ahead, her face an unreadable mask.
When we arrived, I leaned toward Bella. “Don’t forget to ask about the pendant,” I reminded her. “Let’s see what she says.”
Bella nodded, then stepped out of the car. I watched as she squared her shoulders and approached the door, her movements calm and composed despite the storm of emotions she must have been feeling.
Through the recorder, I heard the door open and Elowen’s voice, warm but laced with something I couldn’t quite place.
“I thought you weren’t coming,” she said.
“Why wouldn’t I? When my friend says she needs me urgently, I show up,” Bella replied, her tone light but measured.
“I need to talk to you,” Elowen said. “It’s about your life. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
My grip on the steering wheel tightened as I listened.
“Who would want to hurt me?” Bella asked, her voice steady.
Elowen hesitated. “Please, Bella, stay away from Mrs. Williams. I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“Why would you say that?”
“It’s for your safety,” Elowen insisted. “She’s not who you think she is. Just trust me on this.”
I leaned back in my seat, my jaw tightening. So now Elowen was painting Mrs. Williams as the villain.
Bella’s voice came through again, calm and curious. “Do you remember the pendant my dad found on me when I was a baby?”
“Yes,” Elowen replied, her tone cautious.
“Well, I gave it to Jasper,” Bella said. “You told me my parents were dead, so I didn’t want to hold onto it.”
Elowen’s silence was telling.
“And Mrs. Williams mentioned she has something like it,” Bella continued. “She asked where I got it.”
“What did you tell her?” Elowen’s voice was sharp now, her worry palpable.
“I said it was from my dad,” Bella replied. “Why? Is something wrong?”
“Just stay away from her, Bella,” Elowen urged. “She’s dangerous. She could destroy you.”
I exhaled slowly, piecing things together. Elowen’s desperation reeked of guilt. Was she hiding something about Bella’s parents? If Mrs. Williams was Bella’s biological mother, why had they been separated? And why was Elowen so determined to keep them apart?
Through the car mirror, I saw Bella emerging from the apartment. She and Elowen exchanged a quick hug before Bella walked back to us, her expression unreadable.
When she climbed into the car, I turned to her. “Did you find anything suspicious?”
She tilted her head. “What do you think?”
“I think Elowen knows more than she’s letting on,” I said. “Especially about your biological parents.”
Bella’s fingers fidgeted with the hem of her jacket. “Do you think Mrs. Williams knows the truth about me?”
I reached over, taking her hand in mine. “I’m not sure,” I said. “But we’ll find out.”
Back at the mansion, we gathered in my office. Janet spread out her sketches on the desk, her movements purposeful. She held up a drawing of the truck driver who had killed her parents. Bella stared at it, her brow furrowed.
“This man looks familiar,” she said slowly. “I think I’ve seen him before.”
Janet and I exchanged a glance.
“You know him?” I asked.
Bella nodded. “He used to visit my dad when I was a kid. He worked at the factory where my father found me.”
I leaned forward. “Do you remember the day your father found you?”
Bella hesitated, her eyes distant. “He told me I was an infant, and it was December 26th. But I don’t know the year.”
My mind raced. December 26th. The same day my uncle died. Was it a coincidence? Or had my uncle discovered something about Bella’s past and paid the ultimate price for it?
The pieces were starting to come together, but the picture they formed was far more complex than I’d anticipated.