“Are you sure we should be doing this?” I whispered, glancing nervously around Tessa’s father’s dark study. The room smelled of polished wood and old leather, its walls lined with shelves holding books that seemed untouched for decades. The faint glow of the moon filtered through the curtains, casting eerie shadows.
Tessa rolled her eyes as she knelt in front of the large desk, typing furiously into her father’s computer. “Relax, Lila. If you want answers, you’re going to have to grow a spine.”
I crossed my arms, resisting the urge to snap at her. I didn’t have time to feel insulted; my hands were already clammy, and my heart raced at the thought of what we might find.
“What exactly are we looking for?” I asked, my voice quieter this time.
Tessa didn’t even glance at me as she clicked through folders on the screen. “Security footage. My dad is a control freak, and he keeps everything. If something happened to Evelyn near our house, it’ll be here.”
I stepped closer, my stomach twisting with nerves. “And you’re just now telling me this? Why didn’t you look at it earlier?”
Tessa paused, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. For a moment, her confidence faltered. “Because some things are better left buried,” she admitted, her voice softer than I’d ever heard it.
Before I could respond, she shook her head, her usual sharpness returning. “But not anymore. Now we dig.”
After a few more clicks, Tessa smirked triumphantly. “Bingo.”
On the screen, a list of video files appeared, each one dated. My breath hitched when I saw the date of Evelyn’s disappearance staring back at me.
“Are you ready for this?” Tessa asked, her voice laced with both anticipation and something darker.
I nodded, though my hands trembled as I gripped the back of a chair. “Play it.”
Tessa double-clicked the file, and the grainy footage filled the screen. The camera was positioned on the outside of her house, capturing the front yard and part of the Cross mansion’s property in the distance.
At first, the video showed nothing unusual—just a quiet night with the occasional movement of tree branches in the wind. But then, a figure appeared, walking briskly toward the Cross mansion.
“It’s her,” I whispered, leaning closer.
Evelyn. Even in the poor quality of the footage, I could make out her long, dark hair and the distinct way she moved. She was carrying something in her hand—a small bag or purse—but the details were too blurry to make out.
“She’s heading to the Cross mansion,” Tessa murmured, her eyes glued to the screen.
The footage continued, showing Evelyn crossing the property line and approaching the side entrance of the mansion. She looked over her shoulder once, almost as if she sensed she was being watched, before disappearing inside.
I felt a lump rise in my throat. “She went in… but there’s no footage of her coming out, is there?”
Tessa didn’t answer. Instead, she fast-forwarded through the footage, her eyes scanning the screen for any sign of Evelyn. Minutes turned into hours, and the door remained closed.
“She never left,” Tessa said, her voice flat but heavy with implication.
I shook my head, trying to process what I was seeing. “That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe she left through another door. Or maybe—”
“Wait,” Tessa interrupted, rewinding the footage. She paused it at a specific moment, pointing at the screen. “Look.”
My blood ran cold.
A second figure appeared on the screen, stepping into view and heading toward the same door Evelyn had entered.
It was Grayson.
My heart pounded as I stared at the screen, unable to look away. His posture was tense, and his movements deliberate, like he knew exactly what he was doing.
Tessa let out a humorless laugh. “I told you they’re hiding something. What more proof do you need?”
I shook my head, refusing to jump to conclusions. “This doesn’t prove anything… yet. We don’t know why he went in there, or what happened after.”
“Come on, Lila,” Tessa said, her voice sharp. “You’re smarter than this. Grayson followed her inside. She never came out. What does that tell you?”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My mind was spinning, my heart racing as I tried to piece everything together.
As we sat there in tense silence, the sound of a click echoed through the room.
Tessa and I both froze, our eyes darting to the door.
“What was that?” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
Tessa stood slowly, her expression wary. “It sounded like the door…”
Before she could finish, the room was plunged into darkness. The glow of the computer screen was the only source of light, casting eerie shadows across Tessa’s face.
“Did the power just—” I started, but then I heard it.
The sound of footsteps outside the door.
Someone was out there.
“Tessa,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “What’s going on?”
She didn’t answer, her eyes wide as she stared at the door.
A second later, the doorknob rattled, followed by the unmistakable sound of a lock clicking into place.
“They locked us in,” Tessa said, her voice barely above a whisper.
My chest tightened as fear clawed its way through me. “Who’s out there? Who locked the door?”
Tessa didn’t reply. Instead, she moved closer to the desk, grabbing a letter opener and holding it like a weapon.
“We need to stay calm,” she said, though her voice was shaky.
Calm? How was I supposed to stay calm when someone had just locked us in a dark room with no way out?