Chapter 5 - THE HOUSE OF SECRETSFour days later, discharged from the hospital with a neck brace and a heart full of cold fury, I returned to the Vance estate accompanied by four armed state troopers and Marcus.
The sprawling, multimillion-dollar glass mansion sat high on a cliff overlooking the stormy ocean. It had felt like a golden cage for five years. Today, it was a crime scene.
“We have a search warrant for all digital hardware, server racks, and physical safes,” Officer Thompson announced as he kicked open the front door.
The house was eerie. Silent.
We walked into the master study. This was where Beckett spent hours behind locked doors. I walked over to the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf. Beckett thought he was the master of control, but he had forgotten one crucial detail: I designed the smart-home architecture when we built the house.
I reached behind a copy of The Art of War, pressing a hidden mechanical release.
Click.
The entire wooden panel slid back, revealing a heavy steel biometric safe.
“He changed the codes last month,” Thompson said, pulling out a mechanical drill. “It’ll take our locksmith three hours to crack this.”
“It won't take three hours,” I said quietly.
I stepped up to the safe. Instead of using the digital keypad, I pulled off the plastic faceplate, revealing two micro-copper wires. I attached a small portable diagnostic tool from my bag, running a bypass script I’d written years ago.
Five seconds later, the heavy steel door swung open with a heavy hissed depressurization.
Inside were stacked bundles of cash, offshore passports under fake names for both Beckett and Mary, and a small black velvet box.
Thompson put on latex gloves and pulled out the box. He opened it.
Inside was a collection of small glass vials labeled with chemical symbols, alongside a handwritten notebook filled with Mary Vance’s distinct, delicate cursive handwriting.
I leaned in to read the top page. My blood ran cold.
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“Dosage schedule for Arthur: 5mg daily. Heart failure will appear natural. Dosage schedule for Clara: 10mg daily. Symptoms mimic violent bipolar mania. Final phase: ER drop-off.”
It was a step-by-step diary of murder.
