The Silence of the Vale Cell and the Price of Battlefield Lies
She was still wearing her dress uniform, though her jacket was unbuttoned at the collar.
Her dark hair was pulled back, but a few strands had fallen loose around her face.
She looked up as I entered, a cold smile slowly spreading across her lips.
“Well, well,” she said, her voice dripping with amusement.
“I wondered when the grieving daughter would finally show up.”
I closed the door behind me, the heavy latch clicking into place.
“You knew,” I said, my voice steady despite the tremor in my chest.
“I know a lot of things, Eleanor,” she said, leaning her head back against the concrete wall.
“Which particular secret are we discussing today?”
I walked closer to the table in the center of the room.
I unzipped my bag and pulled out the leather ledger.
I dropped it onto the metal table with a loud thud.
Vanessa looked down at the book, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Then, she let out a soft, mocking laugh.
“Ah,” she said, looking back up at me. “You found the family Bible.”
“Explain it,” I said.