Chapter 21 - A Chilling Final Warning Arrives At The Estate
Peace settled over our estate as winter transitioned into a beautiful, vibrant spring across the suburban landscape. My mother was thriving, our foundation was expanding, and our marriage was stronger than it had ever been. It was a crisp Saturday afternoon, and I sat on the front porch swing reading a novel while the birds chirped.
A sleek black delivery van pulled up to our security gate, leaving a small metallic package on the pedestal. I walked down the brick pathway, punched the access code into the keypad, and retrieved the heavy parcel. There was no return address printed on the matte black packaging, only my name written in bold block letters.
I carried it inside the foyer, cutting the industrial tape with a silver letter opener on the console table. Inside rested an old, analog cassette tape and a handwritten note scrawled on yellow legal stationery.
My hands trembled as I unfolded the note and read the chilling words written in unfamiliar handwriting:
May you like
“Richard was only a lieutenant. The real architect of your mother's disappearance is still watching you from Chicago.”
Before I could process the terrifying warning, my phone buzzed with an incoming text from an unknown number containing a single audio file. I pressed play, and the tinny sound of my late father-in-law's voice echoed through the silent hallway...
