The Silent Guest

Chapter Fourteen

The rain didn't let up as Detective Rachel Kennedy led Claire Goodman into the dim warmth of the drawing room. Thunder boomed in the distance. Outside, the wind gnawed at the mansion's aging shutters. Inside, silence reigned.

Claire sat down slowly on the velvet chaise, wringing water from her sleeves. Her expression was hollow—somewhere between fear and relief. Rachel remained standing, notepad closed in her hand.

"You're not under arrest, Claire," Rachel repeated, voice low. "But what you say next could change everything."

Claire nodded, then exhaled. "You're not going to like it."

"I rarely do."

Claire swallowed hard, then began.

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Claire – Memory and Revelation

"I don't remember the moment the fire started—not clearly. Not until recently. I was so young. Six, maybe seven. It was one of those nights when everything felt wrong. Laura and Juliet were fighting again—screaming through the halls. Elise had come by that day too. Everyone was on edge."

She looked down at her hands. "I remember hiding. I always hid when they fought. I used to crawl beneath the table in the music room, where Juliet kept her favorite sheet music. It smelled like old paper and lavender."

Claire hesitated. Rachel waited.

"I found a lighter. It was silver, engraved—probably Laura's. I played with it. Flicked it open. Watched the flame. I wasn't trying to… I didn't mean to—" Her voice broke.

"I lit a corner of the curtain. Just a flicker. Then I dropped the lighter. I thought it went out. It didn't. It crawled. Up. Fast. I ran."

Claire's body trembled. "The next thing I remember, alarms were blaring, smoke was everywhere, and Juliet pulled me outside."

Rachel's voice was quiet. "You were just a child."

"I was. But that fire changed everything. Juliet made sure no one ever talked about what caused it. Laura blamed Elise. Elise covered it up. Everyone lied."

Claire – Present Day Connection

Claire pulled the damp photo from her coat pocket—the one of Juliet with the mystery man and the hospital bracelet.

"She was sick," Claire whispered. "Juliet. After the fire, she had episodes. Hallucinations. Paranoia. I didn't understand it then, but now I know—she was being watched. Maybe blackmailed."

She placed the photo gently on the table in front of Rachel. "This man—he's not my father. I think Juliet was involved with him. I think Laura and Elise found out. That's what started everything. The blackmail. The threats. The silence."

Rachel took the photo, studied it. The man's face was half turned, but a birthmark near the temple caught her eye. Familiar.

"I've seen him before," she muttered.

Claire leaned forward. "He's the missing piece, isn't he?"

"I think he might be."

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Rachel – Puzzle Reformation

The timeline was twisting into something unrecognizable. Rachel moved to the mantel and stared into the fire again. Juliet had a secret affair. Laura knew. Elise helped suppress it. Claire, unknowingly, started the fire that covered it all up.

And now—years later—Laura ends up dead with a playing card and a photograph left behind.

Someone wanted the truth out. Someone who knew about the affair, the fire, and the legacy of lies that followed.

But who?

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Claire – A New Revelation

"There's more," Claire said suddenly. "The letter Laura left—the one in the envelope. I saw her write it."

Rachel turned sharply. "When?"

"Two days before she died. She called me into the study. Said she needed to fix something. She showed me a file. It had names, dates, bank transactions. All connected to a trust Juliet created—one Elise had no access to."

"Go on."

"She said someone had been siphoning money for years. From the trust. Through fake beneficiaries. I didn't understand the details… but she told me: If anything happens to me, Claire, look at the signatures. The lies are always in the ink."

Claire took a shaky breath. "I think Laura found out who had been stealing. That's why she died."

Rachel's pulse spiked. She pulled out her phone. "I need access to that file. Do you know where it is?"

Claire hesitated, then nodded. "I do now."

That Night – Vault Room

They moved swiftly. Claire led Rachel down a hidden corridor Juliet had once shown her—a panic path that led to a basement vault room. The door was rusted but yielded to a firm kick.

Inside, beneath tarps and dust, were rows of file cabinets.

Claire found it in the second drawer. A thin leather-bound ledger.

Rachel flipped it open. "Names… dates… forged authorizations. Offshore transfers. Jesus."

One name repeated again and again.

Ellis Montrose.

Not Elise.

Ellis. The attorney who'd handled the Goodman estate since Juliet's death. Trusted. Untouchable. Invisible.

Rachel looked at Claire. "This… this is motive. Proof. Everything."

Claire's lips parted. "He killed her, didn't he?"

"He might not have meant to—but he had to keep her quiet."

They both turned at the sudden creak from the vault door.

A shadow passed across the floor.

Claire froze.

Then a voice—low, familiar—spoke from the darkness.

"Well," Ellis said, stepping into the light, gun raised. "I guess Juliet's daughter really does have her mother's instincts."