GHOSTS OF THE PAST

Detective Eliana Vance believed that every crime had layers, secrets stacked upon secrets until the truth became nearly impossible to reach. The Lockwood case was proving to be a labyrinth of lies, each twist revealing another shadow lurking beneath.

She sat at her desk, Banky Lockwood's journal open before her, the smudged ink mocking her. He had been on the verge of revealing something/someone before his death. And then there was Zayden, the egoistic heir whose father had spent his last days warning him of danger.

But danger wasn't always external. Sometimes, it came from within.

Eliana had spent the morning digging into the Lockwood family's history, searching for fractures in the dynasty's polished exterior. That was when she found her.

Cassiel Dain.

Zayden's ex-wife. A woman who had seemingly vanished after their divorce. No recent records, no social media, no address, not even a mention in the usual socialite circles. That kind of disappearance wasn't accidental. It was intentional.

Then there was another name, one that carried even darker weight.

Carol Lockwood.

Banky's ex-wife. Zayden's mother. A woman who had fled the Lockwood estate when her son was still a child and had never looked back.

The Lockwood men had a habit of driving their wives away. That wasn't coincidence.

Lockwood Manor was bathed in the dull glow of the setting sun when Eliana arrived. The estate felt different this time—not just cold, but hollow. As if it had once been full of life but had since been drained of it.

Zayden met her at the door, his expression wary.

"You really can't stay away, can you, Detective?"

Eliana held up the folder she had brought. "You've been keeping things from me, Lockwood. We need to talk."

His jaw tightened. "About what?"

"Your ex-wife."

The flicker of surprise in his eyes was brief, but it was there. He stepped aside, allowing her in.

"Come to accuse me of something, Vance?" he asked, leading her back into his study.

Eliana dropped the folder onto his desk. "Cassiel Dain. Why did she disappear after your divorce?"

Zayden's expression darkened. He reached for a crystal decanter on the side table, pouring himself a measure of whiskey before responding. "I don't know where she is," he admitted. "And I haven't seen her since the day she left."

"Convenient," Eliana said. "Because it looks like she vanished without a trace. That doesn't happen unless someone wants to disappear."

Zayden sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "Cassiel… she was never meant for this life. She hated everything about being a Lockwood—the money, the attention, the expectations. She wanted out, and I let her go."

"That simple, huh?" Eliana leaned against the desk. "No bad blood? No reason for her to fear you?"

His eyes snapped to hers, cold and sharp. "You think I hurt her?"

"I think women don't just disappear without a reason," Eliana countered. "And you're not exactly an open book, Zayden."

He took a slow sip of his drink. "Cassiel left because she didn't want to end up like my mother."

Silence thickened the air between them.

Eliana's grip on the folder tightened. "Carol Lockwood. She left when you were a kid. Why?"

Zayden let out a humorless chuckle, swirling the whiskey in his glass. "Why do you think?"

Eliana already knew the answer, but she needed to hear him say it.

"My father was a violent man," Zayden admitted, voice low. "Behind closed doors, the great Banky Lockwood was a tyrant. He controlled everything. His business, his employees, his family. My mother took the brunt of it until one day, she couldn't anymore. She left."

Eliana frowned. "And she left you behind?"

A shadow passed over his face. "She didn't have a choice. He made sure of that."

Eliana exhaled slowly. "So, what? She just vanished from your life?"

"She tried to come back for me," Zayden said quietly. "Years later. But my father made sure I never saw her again. He had power, influence. He made people disappear when it suited him."

A chill ran down Eliana's spine. "Like Cassiel?"

Zayden's fingers tensed around his glass. "Cassiel left of her own free will."

"Did she?" Eliana pressed. "Because right now, she's just as unreachable as your mother."

His gaze darkened. "Are you suggesting my father had something to do with that?"

"I think your father had a habit of making problems disappear. And I think you need to start being honest with me if you want me to solve his murder."

Zayden exhaled sharply, setting his glass down. "You want honesty, Detective? Fine. Cassiel was afraid. Not of me, but of what being married to me meant. She saw what my father was capable of, what his enemies were capable of. And she knew that if she stayed, she'd never truly be free."

Eliana folded her arms. "So she ran."

"Yes," he said simply.

Eliana's mind raced. Banky Lockwood had been a powerful man, the kind who left destruction in his wake. His wife had fled him. His son's wife had fled their marriage. And now, he was dead—murdered by someone who had reason to hate him.

"What if your father's past caught up with him?" she mused aloud. "What if someone he hurt finally decided to take their revenge?"

Zayden's jaw clenched. "You think my mother or Cassiel had something to do with it?"

"I think someone who suffered under your father had motive," she said. "The problem is, we don't know who."

Zayden was silent for a long moment. Then, finally, he pushed a hand through his hair and murmured, "I might know where to start looking."

Eliana raised an eyebrow.

"My father kept secrets, Detective," he said, turning to the bookshelf behind his desk. "But so did my mother."

He reached for an old leather-bound book, pulling it from the shelf. The moment he did, there was a faint click, and part of the bookshelf slid open, revealing a hidden compartment.

Eliana's heart pounded as Zayden retrieved a single envelope, yellowed with age.

"She left this behind," he said, handing it to her. "The last thing she ever wrote to me."

Eliana carefully opened the envelope, unfolding the fragile letter inside.

The words were brief, but they sent a shiver down her spine.

"My son, if you're reading this, then the past has finally caught up to him. Be careful. The sins of our fathers never die.

-Carol Lockwood."

Eliana met Zayden's gaze.

It was no longer just about Banky Lockwood's murder.

It was about the ghosts he had left behind.