CHAPTER 5 – THE HOUSE WITH TOO MANY SECRETS
CHAPTER 5 – THE HOUSE WITH TOO MANY SECRETS
The gates of the Moretti estate opened without a sound.
Emily had expected extravagance.
She hadn't expected a fortress.
Stone walls stretched nearly twelve feet high, crowned with discreet security cameras that tracked every movement. Armed guards stood at intervals along the perimeter, their faces expressionless beneath the glow of floodlights.
The black SUV rolled slowly up a winding driveway lined with ancient oak trees before stopping in front of a mansion that looked more like a private museum than a family home.
Ava hadn't said a word during the entire drive.
She sat pressed against Emily's side, clutching the sleeve of her cardigan as though letting go would make the world disappear.
Inside, polished marble reflected the warm light of crystal chandeliers.
Everything was immaculate.
Everything was silent.
Too silent.
No laughter.
No music.
No signs that a child actually lived there.
Dominic noticed Emily studying the empty halls.
"My wife designed this house."
Her eyes moved toward a grand staircase.
"It's beautiful."
"It used to be."
The answer carried enough sorrow that Emily chose not to ask another question.
A silver-haired housekeeper approached nervously.
"Mr. Moretti..."
"This is Emily."
The woman forced a polite smile.
"I'm Mrs. Bennett."
She hesitated before adding quietly,
"I hope you'll have better luck than the others."
Emily frowned.
"What happened to them?"
Mrs. Bennett looked toward Dominic, then lowered her voice.
"The first nanny lasted five days."
"The second made it three."
"The last one didn't finish her first night."
"Why?"
The older woman swallowed.
"She woke up screaming that someone was standing beside her bed."
Before Emily could respond, Dominic interrupted.
"That's enough."
Mrs. Bennett immediately fell silent.
Emily noticed it.
Everyone in this house stopped talking whenever Dominic entered the room.
Not because he yelled.
Because they feared what happened when they didn't.
Later that evening, Emily helped Ava unpack a small backpack she'd carried everywhere.
Inside were only three things.
A worn stuffed rabbit.
A faded family photograph.
And a small notebook filled with drawings.
Emily flipped through it carefully.
Most children drew sunshine.
Animals.
Flowers.
Ava drew doors.
Hundreds of them.
Some were open.
Most were locked.
Behind nearly every door stood the same tall figure.
A man with no face.
Always wearing black.
Always watching.
Emily felt a chill crawl up her spine.
"Who's this?"
Ava immediately took the notebook back.
"He doesn't like people looking at him."
Emily smiled gently.
"Who doesn't?"
"The Whisper Man."
The room became very quiet.
"Who's the Whisper Man?"
Ava looked toward the bedroom window.
"He talks when everyone else is asleep."
Emily forced herself to stay calm.
"What does he say?"
The little girl whispered,
"That Daddy doesn't know who killed Mommy."
That night, Emily couldn't sleep.
The mansion creaked softly around her.
Wind rattled branches against the windows.
At nearly two in the morning...
She heard footsteps.
Tiny ones.
Emily opened her bedroom door.
Ava stood barefoot in the hallway.
Eyes closed.
Walking slowly.
"Ava?"
No response.
Sleepwalking.
Emily followed quietly as the little girl wandered through dark corridors she'd never seen before.
Past the library.
Past Dominic's office.
Down a narrow staircase hidden behind a paneled wall.
Emily stopped.
She hadn't noticed the hidden door earlier.
At the bottom of the stairs sat a single steel door.
Blue.
Her pulse quickened.
The blue room.
Ava reached out and placed one tiny hand against it.
Without opening her eyes, she whispered,
"He cries in here."
Emily felt goosebumps spread across her arms.
Then she heard it.
Not a voice.
A sound.
Very faint.
Like someone breathing on the other side.
Suddenly the hallway lights exploded on.
"What are you doing?"
Dominic's voice echoed sharply.
Emily spun around.
"I found her sleepwalking."
His eyes shifted instantly to the blue door.
For the first time since she'd met him...
Real fear crossed his face.
He picked Ava up gently.
"We're leaving."
Emily looked back toward the steel door.
"What is in there?"
Dominic answered without turning around.
"The past."
The next morning, Emily searched the mansion while Ava attended lessons with a private tutor.
She wasn't snooping for gossip.
She was looking for answers.
Inside the library she found dozens of family photographs.
Almost every picture showed Dominic and his late wife, Isabella.
Smiling.
Traveling.
Holding baby Ava.
Then the photos suddenly stopped.
Nothing newer than two years ago.
As if time itself had frozen.
Emily reached for one framed picture.
Something slipped from behind it.
A newspaper clipping.
SOCIALITE ISABELLA MORETTI KILLED IN APPARENT CAR ACCIDENT
The article called it tragic.
Unavoidable.
Open-and-shut.
But someone had circled one sentence in red ink.
"Authorities found no evidence of foul play."
Beneath it, someone had written two words by hand.
LIARS.
Emily slowly looked up.
Someone else was in the library.
Watching her.
A man in an expensive charcoal suit.
Early fifties.
Cold blue eyes.
A polite smile that never reached them.
"I wondered when you'd start asking questions."
Emily stiffened.
"And you are?"
He extended a hand.
"Victor Kane."
"My employer's attorney."
Something about him made every instinct Emily possessed scream.
Run.
Instead, Victor smiled pleasantly.
"You seem very important to Ava already."
Emily didn't answer.
May you like
His smile widened.
"I do hope nothing unfortunate happens to you."
