Chapter 3 - The Ghost in the Rain
The cold autumn downpour hit Julian like a wall of ice the moment he broke through the glass doors. He didn't care that his expensive suit was instantly soaked, clinging heavily to his skin. His polished shoes slipped against the slick gravel of the courtyard as he sprinted through the darkness toward the estate's old arched bridge.
The roaring waters of the swollen creek below filled the air with a deafening rush.
""Julian, sir! Wait!"" shouted Marcus, his head of security, who was racing behind him with a high-powered flashlight. The beam of white light cut through the sheet of rain, searching the shadows along the perimeter.
Julian reached the crest of the bridge first. Slumped against the wet stone parapet was the figure of a woman, soaked to the bone, wrapped in an oversized trench coat. Her dark hair was plastered against her pale face, and her hands were curled into tight fists against her chest, shivering violently.
Julian fell to his knees beside her, uncaring of the mud pooling beneath him. ""Evelyn?"" he choked out, his throat burning. ""Is it you?""
With trembling hands, he pushed the drenched locks of hair away from her face. As the flashlight beam swept across her features, Julian’s breath caught. It was not Evelyn.
The woman was younger, her face lined with exhaustion and pain, but beneath the pallor was a face he recognized instantly—Eleanor, Evelyn’s estranged younger sister who had disappeared without a trace seven years ago after a bitter family dispute.
Eleanor’s eyelids fluttered open weakly. When she saw Julian, a faint, agonized sob escaped her cracked lips.
""Julian..."" she whispered, coughing weakly, her breath rattling deep within her chest.
""Eleanor? What is the meaning of this? Why does that child have Evelyn’s locket?"" Julian grabbed her shoulders, desperation fraying his composure.
Eleanor gripped Julian’s wet lapels with surprising strength, her eyes wide with terror. ""You have to hide her... Julian... they know she’s alive. They watched me leave the train station...""
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""Who knows? What are you talking about?"" Julian pleaded.
Before Eleanor could answer, the sharp sound of a sniper rifle cracked through the thunderous sky, and a bullet struck the stone parapet inches from Julian’s head.
