Chapter 3: The Woman Behind the Glass
The garden suddenly felt much colder.
Marcus stood beside the pool, dripping water onto the stone tiles.
“A handprint?”” he repeated.
The diver nodded.
“From the inside, sir.””
Marcus looked toward Vanessa.
She had gone pale.
Sergeant Collins noticed her expression.
“Ma'am, do you know anything about this structure?””
“No.””
“Have you ever seen it before?””
“No.””
“Have you ever been inside this property before today?””
Vanessa hesitated.
“Of course. Marcus invited me here.””
Collins wrote something in his notebook.
“That's not what I asked.””
Vanessa's jaw tightened.
Marcus barely heard their conversation.
His eyes were fixed on the water.
A glass chamber.
A sealed metal entrance.
A handprint from the inside.
He imagined Eleanor trapped in darkness, pounding against the glass while he slept in their bedroom.
He imagined Lily standing on the other side, waiting for her mother to come home.
“Can you open it?”” Marcus asked the diver.
“We're assessing the locking system.””
“How long?””
“I can't give you an exact time.””
Marcus ran both hands through his wet hair.
“She's been down there for how long?””
The diver didn't answer.
Collins stepped closer.
“Mr. Hale, we need you to stay calm. If someone is trapped, our team needs room to work.””
“That's my wife.””
“I understand.””
“No, you don't.””
Marcus pointed toward the pool.
“That's my wife down there.””
Lily wrapped both arms around his waist.
He immediately lowered himself and held her.
“Daddy, is Mommy coming home?””
Marcus closed his eyes.
He couldn't promise her something he didn't understand.
But he couldn't lie again.
“I don't know, sweetheart. But I'm going to find her.””
Lily nodded against his chest.
Then she whispered something that made him pull back.
“Mommy said you would bring the red key.””
Marcus frowned.
“What red key?””
“The one in her music box.””
He stared at her.
“What music box?””
“The little white one in my bedroom.””
Vanessa suddenly spoke.
“Lily, stop!””
Marcus looked up.
“What music box?””
Vanessa shook her head.
“It's just an old toy.””
“Where is it?””
“I don't know.””
Lily pointed toward the house.
“It's in my closet.””
Marcus stood.
“Collins, can someone stay with my daughter?””
The officer nodded.
“Of course.””
Marcus headed toward the back entrance.
Vanessa followed.
“Marcus, wait.””
He stopped without turning.
“Not another word.””
“You can't just go searching through the house.””
“It's my house.””
“There's something you need to understand.””
He turned around.
“Then explain it.””
Vanessa looked at the police officers.
“Not here.””
Marcus laughed bitterly.
“You've had eleven months.””
He walked inside.
The house smelled of fresh flowers and expensive furniture polish. Everything was arranged exactly as he had left it before the proposal.
A framed photograph of Eleanor stood on the hallway table.
She was smiling in the picture, her dark hair falling across one shoulder.
Marcus had taken it on their fifth wedding anniversary.
He stopped.
For eleven months, he had avoided looking at that photograph for too long.
Now he reached out and touched the frame.
“I'm sorry,” he whispered.
Behind him, Vanessa entered the hallway.
“Marcus.””
He turned.
She looked smaller somehow.
“I never wanted this to happen.””
He stared at her.
“What didn't you want to happen?””
Vanessa pressed her lips together.
“You have to understand that Eleanor wasn't the same person anymore.””
Marcus shook his head.
“Don't.””
“She was unstable.””
“Don't talk about her like that.””
“She was making dangerous decisions.””
Marcus stepped closer.
“What decisions?””
Vanessa looked toward the staircase.
“Ask her.””
The words hung between them.
Marcus felt his stomach tighten.
“Are you saying you knew she was alive?””
Vanessa didn't answer.
He didn't wait.
He ran upstairs.
Lily's bedroom was at the end of the corridor. He pushed open the white door and entered.
The room was decorated with pale pink curtains, stuffed animals, and small framed drawings.
He went directly to the closet.
“Where is it, sweetheart?”” he called, though Lily wasn't there.
He searched the shelves.
A box of toys.
Several folded blankets.
A collection of children's books.
Then, behind a large stuffed rabbit, he found a small white music box.
It had a delicate silver handle and a faded illustration of a ballerina on the lid.
He picked it up.
Something rattled inside.
Marcus opened it.
A tiny ballerina began turning to a familiar melody.
Beneath the velvet lining sat a small red key.
And beside it was a folded piece of paper.
His hands trembled as he unfolded it.
The handwriting was unmistakable.
Eleanor's.
Marcus,
If you're reading this, Lily finally found a way to tell you.
I knew Vanessa would try to keep you away from the pool.
Do not let her convince you that I am dead.
The red key opens the second lock.
But before you open it, you need to know who put me there.
Marcus stopped breathing.
He read the final sentence again.
The person you trusted to help bury me was standing beside you when you proposed.
He lowered the letter.
His mind raced.
Vanessa had been beside him at the funeral.
Vanessa had helped him through the grief.
Vanessa had encouraged him to move forward.
And tonight, she had worn a cream-colored dress and accepted his proposal.
A strange sound came from the doorway.
Marcus turned.
Vanessa was standing there.
Her eyes were fixed on the red key.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Marcus raised the letter.
“Tell me what this means.””
Vanessa's face crumpled.
“You weren't supposed to find that.””
Marcus felt his heart pounding.
“Who put Eleanor under my pool?””
Vanessa took a step forward.
“Marcus, listen to me.””
“WHO?””
She looked at the letter, then at the key.
Finally, she whispered:
“Your wife wasn't the only person who knew about that chamber.””
Marcus stared at her.
“What are you talking about?””
Vanessa began crying.
“Eleanor went down there willingly at first.””
Marcus shook his head.
“That's impossible.””
“She was trying to protect Lily.””
“Protect her from whom?””
Vanessa opened her mouth.
But before she could answer, Marcus's phone rang.
Sergeant Collins.
He answered immediately.
“What's happening?””
The officer's voice was urgent.
“Mr. Hale, you need to come back to the pool.””
“Did you open the chamber?””
“No. But we've found something else.””
“What?””
A pause.
Then Collins spoke more quietly.
“We found a second compartment behind the first one.””
Marcus gripped the phone.
“And?””
“And there's a camera inside.””
Marcus glanced at Vanessa.
Her crying had stopped.
Collins continued.
“Mr. Hale, we've recovered footage from the chamber. It's still working.””
Marcus felt his stomach drop.
“What does it show?””
The officer took a breath.
“Your wife isn't the only person who has been down there.””
Marcus looked at the red key in his hand.
Then he looked at Vanessa.
She whispered four words.
May you like
“Please don't watch it.””
And Marcus finally understood that the woman he had almost married might know exactly who was waiting beneath the pool.
