Part 2: The Legacy of Shadows
Two months after Jason’s sentencing, Emily was clearing out the attic of the house that had become her fortress. She had donated most of Jason’s belongings to charity, but there were boxes of Lily’s journals and old photos she hadn’t yet found the courage to touch.
At the bottom of a cedar chest, she found a locked jewelry box. There was no key, but inside the lining of Lily’s old maternity coat, Emily found a small, silver locket with a hidden compartment. Inside was a tiny key.
The jewelry box didn’t contain diamonds. It contained a second flash drive and a series of hand-written ledgers.
As Emily plugged the drive into her laptop, her breath hitched. It wasn’t more footage of the stairs. It was a series of recorded phone calls between Jason and a man named Marcus Vane—a high-profile developer in town.
