| Mystery and Crime Fiction posted January 31, 2025 |
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Is it best to leave secrets in the past?
The Secret
by HarryT
Lorie climbed out of bed and slipped into her robe when she thought she heard strange noises. She grabbed her cellphone and clicked on the flashlight, eased open her bedroom door and crept into the hall. Shivers ran down her spine as midnight chimed on the grandfather clock as Lorie walked down the hallway of the Hutcheson mansion. She shrugged off the eerie feeling that somehow the house felt different.
She opened the doors of the empty rooms and flashed her light, only silence. She often thought that she would like to know more about the previous family generations who may have slept in the rooms. Lorie knew names, but she did not know them as people, who they were, what they did, what joys they may have had and what secrets they may have kept.
Lorie had always been interested in her family's past. She invested time and money in the Ancestry research site, but to her disappointment; she did not find out much other than names and sometimes jobs they may have had. Among her aunts, she had heard whispers of a hidden family money. However, as far as Lorie knew, the treasure had never been found. She asked her mother about her great- grandfather. Her mother told her that her great-grandfather, Joseph, made money as a real estate investor, but he and his wife had mysteriously disappeared with the bulk of his fortunate.
The strange disappearance of the two often played on her mind. She was determined to solve the mystery. Lorie was told by her mother that if she was interested that old family diaries, bibles and letters were stored in the basement.
The next evening, Lorie ventured into the basement to begin her quest for an answer to what happened to the Great-grandfather Joseph and his wife. She flipped on the lights, in the far corner of the basement, she noticed a painting she had never seen before. It depicted a great grizzly bear rearing up with pine trees and mountains in the background.
But what especially caught her interest was a flat-topped travel trunk on which the painting stood. She removed the painting and placed it against the wall. The trunk had a center latch, which was peppered with reddish-brown rust. She pulled the latch and to her surprise; it popped free. Her heart raced as she carefully lifted the lid. Inside were letters and diaries, along with a small, ornate box. Lorie picked up the box and lightly shook it. There was a slight rattle. She lifted the top and inside; she found a delicate golden locket and a tarnished key. She pushed the pin, and the locket opened. Inside, on one side, was a picture of a bride. On the other side was a slip of paper with a series of numbers and the words, “Bay City Bank.”
She heard a loud creak behind her. Lorie swallowed hard and turned. There, on the bottom step, a sinister figure.
"STOP!" The figure shouted and stepped to the floor.
The woman moved forward. Lorie recognized Aunt Susanna. "You shouldn’t be down here, child." The woman’s voice was tinged with sadness. "It is better for everyone if some secrets are never known."
“But isn’t important to know our family history?”
“Not always, my child. It is often better to leave the past in the past.”
However, Lorie was undeterred. She was determined to know all she could learn about her family. She could sense that a long-buried secret was within her grasp. The next morning, she went to the bank and proved that she was the great-granddaughter of Joseph Anthony Hutcheson. A bank employee took her to the vault. They both used their keys to unlock the safe deposit box. When Lorie opened the box, she found only a note that said, “I am so sorry, I got angry and choked her. I didn’t mean for it to happen. I dropped her body down the old abandoned well and then filled in with rocks and rubble.”
Lorie dropped the note, her eyes welled with tears, bile rose in her throat. She struggled to sit on a chair and then sobbed. The mystery was solved. But, Lorie admitted to herself, maybe Aunt Susanna was right. Sometimes it is best to allow secrets to rest in peace.
Stop writing prompt entry
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Writing Prompt Write a story of any type. But at some point your character must shout: Stop! |
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