Chapter 11 - The Woman in the DarkRichard pushed Lily behind him.
“Stay down.”
A flashlight beam swept the nursery.
One officer moved toward the door.
The second radioed for backup.
No response.
Static.
The house’s old walls blocked reception in several rooms.
Another crash came from downstairs.
Then silence.
Richard reached for the black envelope.
Lily caught his wrist.
“Don’t.”
“What?”
“She wants us to grab it.”
He understood.
Martha had known they would come here.
Maybe she had followed them.
Maybe she had been waiting.
Richard looked at the envelope without touching it.
An officer aimed his flashlight at the cavity.
A thin wire ran behind the package.
“Everyone back.”
They moved.
The officer examined it.
“It’s attached to something.”
“What kind of something?” Richard asked.
“Could be an alarm. Could be worse.”
Lily’s skin went cold.
Martha’s voice drifted upward again.
“Richard!”
He stepped toward the hallway.
“Show yourself.”
Martha laughed.
“You never did like waiting.”
“Where are you?”
“Ask Lily’s mother.”
Lily whispered, “She’s trying to separate us.”
Richard nodded.
They stayed together.
A few seconds later, smoke began seeping beneath the nursery door.
The officer cursed.
“Fire.”
Martha had set something burning downstairs.
Richard looked at Lily.
“We’re leaving.”
“The envelope.”
“Not worth your life.”
That answer surprised her.
A year earlier, Richard might have tried to save both.
Tonight he didn’t hesitate.
They moved toward the rear staircase.
Smoke thickened.
An alarm finally began screaming as the old system woke.
One officer led.
Lily followed.
Richard stayed directly behind her.
At the landing, Martha appeared below.
No uniform now.
She wore dark pants and a gray sweater taken from the duffel bag.
Without the housekeeper uniform, she looked like a different person.
Maybe that had always been the point.
She held a small pistol.
Everyone stopped.
The officer raised his weapon.
“Drop it!”
Martha aimed at Lily.
“Lower yours.”
“Don’t do this.”
“I said lower it.”
Richard stepped sideways.
Martha moved the gun toward him.
“No heroics.”
“You want the evidence.”
“I want what Catherine stole from me.”
“You stole from her.”
“You still believe that story?”
“I saw the records.”
“You saw what she wanted you to see.”
Smoke curled around Martha.
Lily coughed.
“What’s in the envelope?” she asked.
Martha looked at her.
“You’ll never know.”
“Then why are you here?”
Martha’s eyes flickered.
Lily continued.
“If you already knew where Mom hid it, you would’ve taken it years ago.”
Martha’s jaw tightened.
“You didn’t know.”
“Lily,” Richard warned.
“No. She didn’t.”
Lily stepped slightly forward.
Martha raised the gun.
“Stop.”
“You knew there was another piece of evidence, but not where.”
“I said stop.”
“You needed me to find it.”
Martha’s breathing changed.
“You needed the key because you couldn’t open the safe. You needed Mom’s recording because you didn’t know the clue. And now you need us because you don’t know what that wire does.”
Richard saw what Lily was doing.
Keeping Martha talking.
Making her angry.
Angry people made mistakes.
Martha smiled.
“You think you’re clever.”
“I think you’re scared.”
The smile vanished.
Lily pushed once more.
“My mother scared you too.”
Martha fired.
The gunshot exploded through the hallway.
Lily screamed.
Richard grabbed her and pulled her down.
The bullet struck the wall behind them.
The officer fired back.
Martha disappeared around the corner.
“Move!”
They rushed down the rear stairs.
Smoke filled the kitchen.
Flames climbed a curtain near the back door.
Richard kicked it open.
Cold night air hit them.
Police sirens sounded in the distance.
Lily stumbled onto the lawn.
Richard followed.
The officer stayed near the doorway.
“Where’s the second officer?” Lily asked.
They turned.
He had been behind them.
Now he wasn’t.
Richard’s face tightened.
Then the officer’s radio crackled.
A strained voice came through.
“I’ve got the package.”
Richard looked toward the upstairs nursery window.
The second officer had remained behind.
He emerged at the rear door seconds later carrying the black envelope inside a plastic evidence container.
“The wire was attached to a simple contact alarm.”
Richard exhaled.
Lily stared.
“So we have it?”
The officer nodded.
Then something moved near the side of the house.
Martha burst from the darkness.
She struck the officer carrying the envelope.
The container flew.
Martha grabbed it and ran.
Richard chased her.
“MARTHA!”
She reached the tree line.
Lily followed despite everyone shouting at her to stop.
Martha disappeared between the trees.
Then came a scream.
Not Lily’s.
Martha’s.
Richard reached the edge first.
Martha lay at the bottom of a shallow ravine.
Her ankle twisted beneath her.
The black envelope had fallen several feet away.
Lily arrived behind Richard.
Martha looked up at them.
For the first time all night, she seemed defeated.
Then her gaze shifted toward the envelope.
And she began laughing.
Lily stared.
“What’s funny?”
Martha’s laughter became almost hysterical.
“You still think that envelope is evidence against me.”
Richard picked it up.
Martha smiled through the pain.
“Open it.”
Lily looked at her father.
May you like
Martha whispered:
“Find out what Catherine was really afraid of.”
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