Chapter 9: The Necklace That Wasn't Mine
I unclasped the necklace with shaking fingers.
The small gold pendant rested in my palm, warm from my skin. It was shaped like a teardrop, with a tiny engraved flower on the front.
My mother had given it to me on my tenth birthday.
I'd worn it to school, to interviews, to every important occasion I could remember. When I lost the chain once, Dad had searched the house for nearly an hour until he found it beneath the sofa.
I'd never questioned why it mattered so much.
Now the doctor was telling me my mother had specifically asked that I never wear it.
“Why would she say that?”” I whispered.
Dr. Reed shook his head.
“I don't know. The nurse recorded the statement because Laura repeated it several times. She was disoriented, but she appeared to be trying to communicate something important.””
Richard held out his hand.
“May I see it?””
I gave him the pendant.
He examined the front, then turned it over.
His expression changed.
“What is it?”” I asked.
“There's a seam here.””
He ran his thumbnail along the edge. The pendant opened with a tiny click.
Inside was a narrow compartment no bigger than a fingernail.
A folded piece of paper lay within it.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Richard carefully removed the paper and unfolded it on the table.
It contained a series of numbers, a date, and two initials.
V.C.
Beneath them, in my mother's handwriting, were four words.
Locker 214. Ask Evelyn.
I stared at the note.
“Who is Evelyn?””
Richard looked at Dr. Reed.
The doctor frowned.
“Evelyn Brooks?””
Helen lifted her head.
“My name is Helen Brooks.””
“No. Evelyn Brooks was a nurse at St. Catherine's eight years ago. She was working the night Laura died.””
I looked from one face to another.
“Is she still there?””
“No,” Dr. Reed said.
“She left the hospital shortly afterward. I heard she moved out of state.””
Richard's expression grew troubled.
“Laura must have hidden this message because she believed the pendant was the only place Vanessa wouldn't think to look.””
“But she told me not to wear it.””
“Perhaps she feared the pendant itself was dangerous,” Helen said.
“Or perhaps she knew you would eventually discover the compartment.””
I looked down at the open necklace.
For eight years, I had worn a warning around my neck without knowing it.
“What does Locker 214 refer to?””
Dr. Reed leaned closer to the note.
“The hospital had a staff locker room in the basement. Some lockers were reassigned after the records department moved. I don't know whether the old lockers still exist.””
Helen photographed the note.
“We'll need to establish whether Locker 214 belonged to Evelyn Brooks and whether anything remains inside.””
Richard turned toward me.
“Emily, we have to be careful. If this note identifies someone who helped your mother, it may also identify someone who has been hiding evidence for years.””
I closed my fingers around the pendant.
“Then we find Evelyn.””
Dad had been standing near the door, silent throughout the conversation.
Finally, he spoke.
“I know where she lives.””
Everyone turned toward him.
“You know Evelyn?”” I asked.
He nodded slowly.
“She contacted me a few months after your mother died. She wanted to speak about the hospital records.””
My stomach tightened.
“What did you do?””
“I agreed to meet her.””
“When?””
“About six months after the funeral.””
“And?””
Dad looked away.
“She never came.””
“Did you tell the police?””
“No.””
“Why not?””
“Because Vanessa told me Evelyn had been dismissed for stealing medication. She said the woman was trying to extort money from the family.””
Richard's jaw tightened.
“And you believed her?””
“I didn't know what to believe.””
I laughed bitterly.
“That seems to be the story of your life.””
Dad lowered his head.
“I deserved that.””
He took out his phone and searched through old messages.
“Here. This is the address she gave me.””
He showed Helen a message containing an address in a neighboring town and a phone number.
Helen immediately passed the information to the officers, who agreed to verify Evelyn's identity before arranging contact.
But before we could leave the hospital, Richard's phone rang.
His attorney had received an update from the authorities.
Vanessa's abandoned SUV had been found near a bus terminal. The vehicle contained a suitcase, several hundred dollars in cash, and a passport.
She had left the marina on foot and was believed to be traveling under her maiden name.
The officers were searching for her.
Brielle, meanwhile, had agreed to provide a statement about the conversation she overheard between Vanessa and Daniel Whitmore.
I felt no satisfaction.
I had spent years imagining what it would be like to see Vanessa lose control. I had imagined confronting her with undeniable evidence and watching her struggle to invent another excuse.
But now that the truth was beginning to surface, I felt only exhaustion.
My mother was still dead.
Nothing we found would change that.
As we left the hospital, Dad caught up with me near the entrance.
“Emily, can we talk?””
I kept walking.
“About what?””
“About the necklace.””
I stopped.
He looked at the pendant in my hand.
“Your mother gave it to you because she wanted you to have something that belonged to her family. It was made by her grandmother. She wore it for years before giving it to you.””
“Then why did she tell the doctor I shouldn't wear it?””
“I don't know.””
“Dad, if you know something, now is the time.””
He shook his head.
“I don't know what she meant. But I remember the necklace disappearing for several days before she died. Your mother accused Vanessa of taking it. Vanessa said she'd never seen it.””
I stared at him.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because I found it in your mother's jewelry box after the funeral. I assumed she'd misplaced it.””
“Did you open it?””
“No. I didn't know it opened.””
I looked at the tiny compartment.
“Neither did I.””
Dad reached toward my shoulder, then stopped himself.
“I know you don't trust me. I understand why. But I want to help you find out what happened.””
I studied his face.
“I don't need you to tell me you want to help. I need you to actually help.””
He nodded.
“Then I'll take you to Evelyn's address.””
Helen arranged for an officer to accompany us.
The drive took nearly an hour. We left the city behind and followed a narrow road through a residential neighborhood lined with old trees and small brick houses.
Evelyn's address belonged to a modest cottage with faded blue shutters.
The garden was overgrown, but someone had recently swept the front steps.
Dad knocked.
No answer.
He knocked again.
A curtain shifted in the front window.
Then a woman opened the door.
She was in her early sixties, with silver hair pulled into a loose knot and eyes that immediately settled on my necklace.
Her face went white.
“Where did you get that?”” she whispered.
I stepped forward.
“My mother gave it to me.””
The woman looked past me toward Dad.
“Robert?””
He nodded.
“Evelyn. I'm sorry it took so long.””
She opened the door wider, then stepped aside.
“Come in. Quickly.””
The house smelled of coffee and old books. A small radio played softly in the kitchen. Evelyn locked the door behind us and checked the curtains before leading us into the living room.
She sat opposite me, her hands folded tightly in her lap.
“Your mother asked me to keep you safe,” she said.
My throat tightened.
“From Vanessa?””
Evelyn looked at Dad.
“From anyone who knew what was inside that necklace.””
I placed the pendant on the table.
“What was inside it?””
Evelyn stared at the open compartment.
Then she shook her head.
“Not enough. Laura knew the necklace could be found. She told me the real evidence was hidden somewhere else.””
“Where?””
“In Locker 214.””
“We know about the locker,” I said.
“What did she hide there?””
Evelyn's eyes filled with tears.
“A recording.””
Richard leaned forward.
“What kind of recording?””
“The night Laura died, I heard Vanessa arguing with Dr. Reed. I was working in the records corridor when Vanessa told him the medication had to be administered before Robert returned.””
Dad went rigid.
Evelyn continued, her voice trembling.
“I didn't understand what she meant. I thought it was a dispute about treatment. Then Laura's condition deteriorated, and the hospital began preparing the paperwork.””
“Did you see the medication?”” Helen asked.
“No. But I heard Vanessa say something I'll never forget.””
Evelyn pressed a tissue to her mouth.
“She said, 'She was supposed to sign the papers, not die.''”
The room fell silent.
I gripped the edge of the chair.
“What papers?””
Evelyn shook her head.
“I don't know. Laura had been arguing about financial records, and I suspected the papers were connected to that. After she died, I copied a portion of the security audio before the hospital deleted the files.””
Richard leaned forward.
“You still have it?””
“I hid the recording in Locker 214. I was afraid to take it home. Two days later, someone searched my apartment. I knew then that I was in danger.””
“Why didn't you go to the police?”” I asked.
Evelyn looked at me with exhausted eyes.
“I tried. But I was told the recording was inadmissible because I had copied it without authorization. Then I was accused of stealing confidential records.
I lost my job. I was afraid I'd be arrested if I pushed further.””
Dad covered his mouth.
“Evelyn, I'm sorry.””
She looked at him.
“You should be. Laura trusted you to protect her.””
He lowered his head.
I couldn't bear to watch him suffer when there was still so much we didn't know.
“Is the recording still there?””
Evelyn nodded.
“If nobody has found it.””
Helen stood.
“Then we need to contact the authorities and arrange a lawful search of the locker.””
Evelyn rose too.
“I'll come with you.””
Before we could leave, she caught my hand.
“Emily, there's something else. Laura didn't only hide the recording. She also left a message for you.””
I stared at her.
“What message?””
Evelyn reached into a small wooden box beside the sofa and removed a folded note.
“I've kept this for eight years.””
She handed it to me.
My mother's handwriting covered the page.
Emily, if you ever discover what happened to me, don't let the truth turn you into someone who only knows how to fight.
My eyes burned.
Find the person who was supposed to receive the papers. They may be the only one who can explain why I was afraid.
At the bottom was a name.
Not Richard Vale.
Not Robert Carter.
Not Vanessa.
*Daniel Whitmore.*
I looked up.
“Daniel was supposed to receive the papers?””
Evelyn nodded.
“That's what Laura told me. She said he had been trying to warn her about his father.””
I thought about Brielle's phone call, her trembling voice, and the words she had repeated.
His father had been at the house the night she died.
If Daniel had tried to warn my mother, then he might not have been the villain I'd assumed.
But if he knew the truth, why had he spent the gala standing beside Brielle while she wore my stolen dress?
My phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number appeared.
Emily, this is Daniel Whitmore. I know you've found Evelyn.
Another message followed.
If you want to know what happened to your mother, meet me alone tonight.
Then a third.
And whatever you do, don't tell Brielle. She's the reason my father knows where the recording is.
I stared at the screen.
Across the room, Evelyn whispered something that made Richard turn sharply toward the window.
May you like
A black car had just pulled up outside the cottage.
And the man stepping out was Daniel Whitmore's father.
