Chapter 2 - The Shadow On The Film
Luca didn’t speak for a long time.
He just stared at the battered metal film canister in Frank’s trembling hands.
The sounds of the engagement dinner—clinking glasses, soft jazz, Vanessa’s light laughter—drifted down the hallway.
It sounded like a different world.
“Frank,” Luca said, his voice terrifyingly calm. “My father told me Anna was alone when she left the house that night.”
“Your father lied to protect the family name,” Frank whispered. “He always did.”
Luca took the canister.
He looked at me.
My shoulder was throbbing, but I wasn’t going anywhere.
“Maggie,” Luca said. “Lock the pantry doors. Don’t let anyone in.”
I slid the heavy brass bolts into place.
Luca walked over to the security monitor station in the corner of the pantry.
It had an old digital converter his father used for archival footage.
He fed the film reel into the machine.
The screen flickered.
Black and white static.
Then, the grainy image of the lake house driveway appeared.
The timestamp in the corner read: July 14, 11:42 PM.
A dark sedan was parked near the porch.
Anna Moretti walked out of the house.
Even in the grainy footage, she looked terrified. She was clutching a small leather bag against her chest.
She opened the driver’s side door.
But before she could get in, another woman stepped out of the shadows.
Vanessa.
Thirteen years younger, but unmistakable.
On the screen, Vanessa grabbed Anna’s arm.
They argued.
Anna shook her head violently.
Then, Vanessa reached into her coat and pulled something out.
She shoved it into Anna’s hands.
It was a heavy silver bracelet. Thick and braided.
Anna stared at it, burst into tears, and got into the car.
Vanessa watched her drive away into the rain.
The screen went black.
Twenty minutes later, Anna’s car would go over the embankment.
Luca backed away from the screen.
His hands were shaking.
“She gave her something,” Luca whispered. “Right before she died.”
I couldn't breathe.
I stepped closer to the frozen frame on the monitor.
I knew that bracelet.
I saw it every single Sunday.
“Mr. Moretti,” I said, my voice cracking.
He turned to me.
“That silver bracelet,” I said, pointing at the screen. “I know where it is.”
Luca froze.
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“Where?”
“My mother is wearing it.”
