Chapter 4 - The Whisper of the Archive
Outside the flower shop, the afternoon light faded into a bruised indigo dusk.
Clara stood in front of the wall-mounted mirror in the shop’s private office, her fingers clawing at the gold clasp behind her neck. She unhooked the necklace and turned the heavy pendant over in her palm. Under the harsh fluorescent light of the desk lamp, the microscopic engraving on the back of the polished gold setting was clearly visible: ROSEWOOD - PROPERTY OF ESTATE 04.
She hadn't bought this necklace. It had been delivered to her penthouse three weeks ago in a plain brown package, accompanied by an anonymous letter stating it was a posthumous gift from her late father’s estate.
"They set me up," Clara whispered to the empty room.
In the corner of the office, Lily sat on an armchair, watching Clara with a mixture of terror and profound calculation that was unnatural for an eight-year-old child.
"You're Clara Vance, aren't you?" Lily asked quiet and cold. "The lead prosecutor in the Sterling Homicide trial."
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Clara turned slowly, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. "How do you know my name?"
Lily pulled a folded, yellowed newspaper clipping from inside her white cable-knit sweater. "Because my mother was Eleanor Vance. Your twin sister."
