Her lips began to tremble.
Finally, she whispered:
“It's Lily's.”
Detective Bennett looked at her.
“How can you be certain?”
Margaret reached toward the evidence bag but stopped herself.
“I taught her how to sew those flowers.”
She swallowed.
“Three flowers. She always made three.”
The room became silent.
For the first time in fifteen years, the family had something that connected Lily directly to the house.
But it raised a terrifying question.
Why had her clothing been hidden beneath Harold's mattress?
The detective began searching the room.
Every drawer was examined.
Every box was opened.
Every loose floorboard was checked.
Then one of the officers discovered an old pillowcase with something inside.
A small brown notebook.
The cover was cracked.
The pages were yellow with age.
Detective Bennett opened it.
She began reading.
At first, her expression remained neutral.
Then her eyebrows tightened.
She turned another page.
Her face changed completely.
Noah noticed.
“What is it?”
The detective didn't answer.
She looked toward the bedroom window.
Then toward the backyard.
“There's a shed outside,” she said.
Daniel stared at her.
“What does that have to do with the notebook?”
“We need to search it.”
The police moved through the backyard with flashlights.
The shed stood at the far end of the property.
It was small and badly maintained, with a rusted padlock hanging from the door.
Detective Bennett examined it.
“Has anyone used this recently?”
Daniel shook his head.
“Not that I know of.”
