Chapter 27 - The Lakehouse Trap
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While Victor remained held without bail in federal custody, one final administrative task remained: retrieving my mother’s private locked heirlooms and original birth documents from Victor’s secluded mountain lakehouse.
The property was under court-ordered liquidation, but Samuel had secured a four-hour window for me to collect my personal property accompanied by a court officer.
The lakehouse was quiet and eerie, surrounded by dense pine trees and the stillness of the dark water. The autumn wind whistled through the high wooden beams as I walked through the dusty living room with Officer Davis, a burly police escort.
“I’ll check the upper floor master bedroom for the small safe, Officer Davis,” I said, pointing up the spiral staircase.
“Alright, Ms. Hayes. I’ll clear the lower level storage rooms,” he replied, unclipping his flashlight.
I walked into the master suite, the familiar scent of Victor’s cologne still lingering faint and sickly in the air. I walked to the walk-in closet, pulled back a secret panel near the floor, and dragged out my mother’s heavy oak jewelry chest.
Suddenly, a loud, heavy thud echoed from the floor below, followed by the sound of glass shattering.
“Officer Davis?” I called out, stepping out onto the hallway balcony.
Silence.
“Officer Davis, is everything okay?” I asked, my hand instinctively dropping to my pocket for my phone.
A dark figure stepped out from the shadows near the bottom of the stairs. It wasn't Officer Davis.
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It was Helena Vance. Her hair was wild, her eyes bloodshot, and in her gloved right hand, she held a heavy brass fireplace poker stained with fresh blood.
“You destroyed my boy, Emily,” Helena whispered, her voice distorted by pure madness as she began ascending the stairs toward me. “You took my home. You took my son. You took my life.”
