CHAPTER 6 â âThe Dead Manâs Final Messageâ
That night, Eleanor sat alone in the archive room.
The entire building above her was dark.
Only one small lamp shone over her husbandâs old desk.
His name was engraved on a brass plate:
Thomas Ashford
For thirty years, Eleanor had believed he died because he slipped on the construction site during a storm.
But Richardâs final words would not leave her mind.
Ask the lawyer.
Eleanor opened a locked drawer inside the desk.
At first, there was only dust.
Then her fingers touched a small envelope.
It was sealed with her husbandâs initials.
Her hands trembled as she opened it.
Inside was a letter.
The handwriting was Thomasâs.
âMy dearest Eleanor,
If you are reading this, then the people I trusted most have already betrayed us.â
Tears filled her eyes.
The letter continued.
âI discovered Richard and Victor were moving money through fake contractors. I planned to expose them after the anniversary gala. If anything happens to me, do not trust the board. Do not trust the police report. And most of all⊠protect the girl.â
Eleanor stopped breathing.
The girl?
What girl?
At the bottom of the envelope was a photograph.
A little girl, about seven years old, standing beside Thomas outside the building.
On the back, Thomas had written:
Her name is Lily. She is the key to everything.
Eleanor stared at the photo.
Then she noticed something behind the girl.
A reflection in the glass door.
A man watching them.
Richard Lawson.
Suddenly, Eleanor understood.
Her husband had not died because of money alone.
He had died because he was protecting a child.
And somewhere in the cityâŠ
That child was now a grown woman.
Eleanor picked up the old silver key.
Her voice whispered through the empty archive room:
âFind Lily.â
May you like
Because the real secret of Ashford TowerâŠ
was only just beginning.
