Part 17
By the time we arrived back at the Anderson mansion, the sky had turned a dark, bruised violet as evening approached.
The grand house, which once felt so imposing, now looked like an empty shell, a monument to a decade of deceit.
We walked into the main hall. Mrs. Gable was nowhere to be seen, having likely hid away in the staff quarters out of sheer terror.
The house was completely still, save for the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner.
“Where do we start looking?” Jenna asked, her voice echoing slightly in the vast, empty foyer.
“Patricia’s private study,” I said, heading down the eastern corridor toward the locked wing of the house. “She spent hours in there alone, always keeping the door locked even from the cleaning staff.”
We reached the heavy double doors of her study.
I used the master key set Mr. Whitman had provided to unlock the door, pushing it open.
The room smelled faintly of expensive perfume and stale air.
It was decorated in cold metallic tones, with a massive glass desk dominating the center of the space.
We began systematically searching the room.
Jenna checked the bookshelves, pulling out volumes to look for hidden compartments, while I went through the desk drawers.
But after twenty minutes of searching, we found nothing but standard business contracts and personal correspondence.
I paused, standing in the center of the room, looking around.
Patricia was a deeply paranoid woman; she wouldn't hide something so valuable in a standard drawer or behind a book. It had to be somewhere completely unexpected.
My eyes fell upon a large, ornate antique mirror hanging on the wall opposite the desk.
It was a beautiful piece, completely out of place with the rest of the ultra-modern, sharp decor of the room.
I walked over to it, placing my hands on the heavy gilded frame.
I gave it a gentle pull.
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The mirror didn't budge, but I felt a slight give on the right side.
I pushed the right side inward, and with a soft click, the entire mirror swung forward on a hidden hinge, revealing a small, recessed wall safe underneath.
