Chapter 5 - Shadows in the Mirror
Three weeks later, the estate was quiet again.
The federal prosecutors had formally indicted Brandon and Gertrude on twelve counts of federal wire fraud, corporate embezzlement, and first-degree murder. With Marcus handling the corporate restructuring, I finally had time to walk through the house without feeling like I was navigating a minefield.
It was late Friday evening when I walked back into the kitchen.
The room had been completely scrubbed of smoke damage. The burnt stove had been replaced with a sleek, modern induction cooktop, and the smart smoke detectors blinked a steady, reassuring green from every corner of the ceiling.
I stood at the marble island—the exact spot where I had been standing when the lock turned at 9:17 on a Thursday night—and poured a glass of ice water.
My reflection stared back at me from the dark glass of the back door. For weeks, every shadow in the hallway had made my pulse jump. Every unexpected noise had brought back the smell of burning oil and the sound of Brandon’s voice telling me to sign away my life.
But tonight, the fear felt different. It didn't feel paralyzing. It felt like armor.
My phone chimed on the counter. A notification from the federal marshal’s office: Inmate transfer completed. Trial date set for November 12.
I picked up the phone, swiped the notification away, and placed it face down on the marble.
May you like
I walked over to the pantry door, pulled it open, and looked inside at the old dumbwaiter shaft. The access panel was sealed tight now, screwed back into place with heavy-duty steel bolts that nothing could pry open from the inside.
I smiled to myself, turned off the kitchen lights, and walked up the grand staircase to my bedroom, leaving the shadows behind me where they belonged.
