Chapter 2: The Locked Compartment
For several seconds, I couldn't hear anything except the faint music playing in the lobby.
Guests were pretending not to watch us.
A woman near the fireplace had stopped stirring her coffee. A businessman stood beside the elevator with his phone halfway raised.
Vanessa seemed to notice the attention.
She straightened her dress and forced a smile.
“Richard, can we please discuss this privately?””
I looked at Thomas.
“Where is the key?””
Thomas hesitated.
“Mr. Bennett, the compartment has a mechanical lock. The original key was placed in the hotel's secure archive.””
“Then take us there.””
Vanessa grabbed my arm.
“Absolutely not.””
I looked down at her hand.
“Let go.””
She released me.
“Think about Lily,” she said sharply.
“Do you really want to expose her to whatever Clara left behind?””
I turned toward my daughter.
Lily was holding the photograph against her chest.
“Dad, I want to see Mommy's room.””
That settled it.
“Thomas, take us upstairs.””
He nodded.
Vanessa stepped between us and the elevators.
“You cannot enter Suite 1704.””
I stared at her.
“Move.””
“Richard, I am your wife.””
“And Lily is Clara's daughter.””
Something flashed across Vanessa's face.
“Don't use that little girl against me.””
I felt my jaw tighten.
“I'm taking my daughter to see the room her mother designed. Nothing more.””
Vanessa looked at Daniel.
“Stop them.””
The guard remained motionless.
“Ma'am, I don't think that's appropriate.””
Her eyes widened.
“Do you want to lose your job?””
Daniel looked at me.
I gave him a small nod.
“You won't be punished for following company policy.””
Vanessa's expression changed.
She understood that the man standing in front of her was not going to retreat.
Thomas led us toward the private elevator.
The doors opened with a soft chime.
As Lily stepped inside, she turned around.
“Are you coming, Vanessa?””
My wife blinked.
“What?””
“Mommy made the room. You can come see it too.””
For the first time that afternoon, Vanessa looked genuinely uncomfortable.
“No, sweetheart. I have work to do.””
Lily nodded politely.
“Okay.””
The elevator doors closed.
Thomas pressed the seventeenth-floor button.
I watched the numbers illuminate.
“Thomas, how long have you known about the compartment?””
He looked uncomfortable.
“Since Mrs. Bennett passed away.””
“Why wasn't I told?””
“Because the restriction was accompanied by a signed legal instruction.””
“Signed by whom?””
“Your wife.””
I frowned.
“Vanessa had no authority to restrict access to my property.””
Thomas shifted his weight.
“She presented a document showing that Mrs. Bennett had authorized her to manage certain personal effects after her death.””
I stared at him.
“Clara signed something giving Vanessa control over her belongings?””
“That was what the document appeared to say.””
The elevator slowed.
“Did you verify it?””
Thomas looked down.
“No, sir. I trusted the legal department's approval.””
The doors opened.
Suite 1704 stood at the end of a quiet hallway.
A brass number plate reflected the warm ceiling lights.
I remembered standing there with Clara during the hotel's construction. She had been pregnant with Lily, and she had laughed when I complained about the cost of the blue glass wall.
“Richard,” she had said, “some things are worth building even if they cost more than you planned.””
I had kissed her forehead.
Now I stood outside that same door with our daughter.
Thomas entered a security code.
The lock clicked.
He pushed the door open.
Lily gasped.
The suite was beautiful.
The ocean-blue glass wall stretched from floor to ceiling, reflecting the afternoon sunlight. Pale oak floors led toward a curved reading nook filled with cushions. Hundreds of tiny lights decorated the ceiling, creating the illusion of a night sky.
Clara's room.
Exactly as I remembered it.
Lily ran toward the window.
“Daddy! It looks like the ocean!””
I smiled.
“Your mom wanted you to feel like you were sleeping beside the sea.””
Lily placed her little hand against the glass.
“Can we stay here tonight?””
“Maybe someday, sweetheart.””
Thomas remained near the entrance.
I noticed that he was watching the reading nook.
“Show me.””
He nodded.
We walked toward the curved wooden structure.
At first glance, it looked ordinary. Shelves held children's books, small decorative boats, and a collection of framed photographs.
Then Thomas knelt beside the lowest shelf.
He pressed a small wooden panel.
A narrow section moved inward.
Behind it was a dark metal compartment.
Lily leaned closer.
“That's Mommy's secret drawer?””
“Yes,” I whispered.
Thomas examined the lock.
“The key is in the archive. But there's another problem.””
“What?””
He pointed toward a tiny red indicator.
“Someone has opened this compartment recently.””
My stomach tightened.
“How recently?””
“According to the security record, yesterday evening.””
I turned toward him.
“Who accessed it?””
Thomas checked the small electronic panel.
“Mrs. Bennett.””
Vanessa.
She had been here yesterday.
I stared at the compartment.
“What's inside?””
Thomas shook his head.
“I don't know.””
Lily reached for my hand.
“Daddy, maybe Mommy left me something.””
I squeezed her fingers.
“Maybe she did.””
Then I noticed a small white envelope tucked behind one of the books.
It wasn't part of the original design.
Someone had placed it there recently.
My name was written across the front in Clara's handwriting.
*Richard.*
I recognized every curve of every letter.
My hands began to shake.
I carefully opened the envelope.
Inside was a photograph of Clara holding newborn Lily.
On the back, she had written six words.
If Vanessa has taken control, find Daniel.
I read it twice.
Then I looked at Thomas.
“Who is Daniel?””
Thomas went pale.
He slowly closed the door behind us.
“Mr. Bennett,” he whispered, “there was a Daniel working here when Mrs. Bennett died.””
“What happened to him?””
Thomas swallowed.
“He disappeared three days after her funeral.””
Before I could ask another question, my phone vibrated.
A message had arrived from an unknown number.
*Don't trust Thomas. Vanessa knows you're in the suite. Get Lily out now.*
May you like
I looked toward the door.
And at that exact moment, someone tried the handle from the other side.
