Chapter 3 – The Secret In The Collar
“Michael, no!” Gabriel shouted, stepping between his brother and the dog.
My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. I wrapped my arms around Buddy, shielding his trembling body with my own. I was just a grandmother from the South Side; I had never stared down the barrel of a gun in my life.
“Step aside, Gabe,” Michael ordered, his hand steady. “The maid is interfering in family business.”
“Put the gun down, Michael,” Gabriel said, his voice dropping back to that terrifying, calm rasp. “If you shoot her, you’ll have to shoot me.”
The security chief had his weapon drawn, aimed directly at Michael’s head. “Drop it, Michael. Now.”
For a long, agonizing moment, the only sound in the room was the rain lashing against the tall windows. Michael looked at the security chief, then at Gabriel’s unwavering stance. Slowly, he lowered the gun.
“You’re making a mistake, brother,” Michael sneered. He backed out into the hallway. “Don’t say I didn’t try to protect you from the truth.”
He turned and disappeared into the sprawling mansion. The front doors slammed shut a moment later.
Gabriel exhaled a shaky breath and knelt beside me. His hands were trembling as he reached out to Buddy. “Are you alright, Helen?”
“I’m fine, sir,” I lied, my voice quivering.
“Let me see the collar,” he said gently.
I unbuckled the thick leather strap from Buddy’s neck. The dog shook his fur, looking instantly relieved. Gabriel took a small pocketknife from his desk and carefully sliced open the thick stitching where I had felt the bulge.
He pulled out a small, tightly folded piece of wax paper.
Inside the paper was a small brass key with a set of numbers engraved on the side: 402.
“It’s a safe deposit key,” the security chief said, stepping closer. “First National Bank downtown. They use this specific stamping.”
Gabriel stared at the key. “Lucy couldn’t have opened a bank box. She was eleven.”
“No,” Mrs. Donnelly said, her voice barely a whisper. “But your wife could have. Before she died.”
Gabriel’s eyes squeezed shut. The mention of Elena was tearing him apart. “Michael said Elena faked her death. That she came back for Lucy. But if she wanted to take Lucy away… why would she burn the house down with Lucy inside it?”
“Unless,” I said quietly, surprising myself by speaking up, “someone else trapped them inside.”
Gabriel looked at me, the weight of the realization settling over him. If Elena had come back for Lucy, and Michael was there with gasoline… Michael hadn’t been putting the fire out. He had been ensuring neither of them left that house alive.
“We need to go to the bank,” Gabriel said, standing up. He looked at the clock. “It opens at eight a.m. Monday.”
“Sir,” the security chief interrupted, checking his phone. His face drained of color. “I just checked the perimeter cameras. Michael didn’t leave the property.”
Gabriel frowned. “Where is he?”
“He went around the back. To the old greenhouse. The one you ordered padlocked five years ago.”
Gabriel’s face went completely rigid. Without a word, he grabbed a heavy flashlight from his desk.
“Helen,” he said, not looking back. “Stay here and lock the door.”
But Buddy let out a sharp bark and trotted after Gabriel. I couldn’t let the old dog go out into the storm alone. I grabbed an umbrella and followed them into the dark.
TITLE: The Padlocked Greenhouse
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