THE LAST WILL: THE WOMAN IN THE PORTRAIT

Lucien Vale had seen murder scenes before. He had seen blood on carpets. Guns beneath beds. Bodies in locked rooms. He had even seen killers return to the scene of their crimes. But he had never seen a fingerprint inside a portrait frame. He stood at the bottom of the staircase, staring at the portrait of Sebastian Ashford's first wife. Evelyn Ashford. Dead for twenty years. Apparently killed in an accident. Apparently. Lucien climbed the stairs slowly. He stopped in front of the portrait. The fingerprint was still there. Fresh. He looked over his shoulder. Everyone was still gathered in the drawing room. Victoria hadn't moved. Julian was staring at the floor. Mrs. Bell stood perfectly still. Too still. Lucien turned back to the portrait. “Who dusted this?” Nobody answered. He asked again. “Who touched the portrait?” Victoria finally spoke. “No one.” Lucien looked at her. “Are you sure?” “Yes.” “Then explain the fingerprint.” Victoria's face lost what little colour it had left. “I can't.” Lucien stepped closer to the frame. There was something different about it. The portrait was slightly crooked. He reached up. Stopped. Then looked at Mrs. Bell. “Was this always here?” Mrs. Bell's expression changed. Only for a second. But Lucien noticed. “What?” She said nothing. Lucien pulled the portrait away from the wall. A small metallic click came from behind it. Everyone in the room froze. There was a hidden compartment in the wall. Inside was a black envelope. Lucien removed it carefully. No name. No address. Just three words written across the front. FOR THE DETECTIVE. Julian stepped forward. “What is that?” Lucien didn't answer. He opened the envelope. Inside was a single photograph. His eyes narrowed. It was a photograph of Sebastian. Twenty years younger. Standing beside Evelyn. But that wasn't what made Lucien's stomach tighten. There was a third person in the photograph. Someone who shouldn't have been there. Someone Victoria had never mentioned. Lucien turned the photograph over. A date had been written on the back. THREE DAYS BEFORE EVELYN'S DEATH. And beneath it: ASK HER WHAT SHE SAW. Lucien looked toward Victoria. She was trembling. “Who is that?” he asked. Victoria didn't answer. “Victoria.” Her lips parted. Then she whispered: “He was never supposed to be in that photograph.” Lucien looked back at the picture. “Who?” Victoria's eyes filled with tears. “The man Sebastian spent twenty years pretending never existed.” Silence filled Ravenscourt. Then— A loud crash came from upstairs. Everyone turned. Lucien immediately reached for his gun. “Stay here.” He ran up the stairs. The corridor was empty. But the door to Sebastian's old study was wide open. Lucien had searched that room earlier. He was certain he had locked it. He stepped inside. Nothing appeared disturbed. Until he saw the desk. A single sheet of paper lay on it. Fresh ink. Fresh handwriting. He picked it up. Four words. YOU ARE LOOKING TOO CLOSELY. Lucien stared at the message. Then slowly looked toward the window. It was open. And on the floor beneath it were muddy footprints. Leading into the room. Not out. Lucien's expression hardened. Someone was still inside Ravenscourt. Someone who knew what happened twenty years ago. Someone who knew about Sebastian's secrets. And someone who had been watching Lucien since the night Sebastian died. He looked down at the photograph in his hand. At the mysterious man standing beside Sebastian and Evelyn. Then he noticed something he'd missed before. The man was wearing a ring. A large black ring. Lucien's eyes widened. He had seen that ring before. Just hours ago. At Ravenscourt. On the hand of someone standing downstairs. Someone who had been lying to him from the beginning. TO BE CONTINUED...

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