Mark walked slowly toward the security room near the grand entrance of the mansion.
He carried Lily securely in his right arm while keeping Elena close to his side.
The long hallway was lined with dark oil paintings of previous estate owners.
Every quiet step echoed through the tall corridor like a heavy heartbeat.
Mark pushed open the heavy oak door leading to the mansion monitor room.
The wall of digital screens flickered softly in the dim fluorescent lighting inside.
Several camera feeds showed different angles of the sprawling stone property outside.
Mark sat Lily down on a comfortable leather chair near the heavy wooden desk.
Mark: Stay right here with your mother while I check the video files.
Lily nodded quietly and wrapped her arms around a soft throw pillow.
Elena stood directly behind Mark as he typed his passcode into the security system.
The screens refreshed instantly to show the raw footage from thirty minutes earlier.
Mark rewound the camera feed for the main hallway and pressed the play button.
On the screen, Elena and Lily were seen entering through the heavy front doors.
A tall figure in a dark trench coat appeared from the side corridor behind them.
The intruder moved with purpose toward the grand circular staircase in the center.
Mark leaned in closer to inspect the face shown on the high-definition monitor.
The intruder stopped near the base of the stairs and looked directly at the camera.
Mark felt his heart stop as he recognized the man's sharp features.
It was Arthur Vance, the former lawyer who handled his father's private trust fund.
Arthur had been fired ten years ago after money went missing from the estate.
Elena: Is that the lawyer who tried to take the estate trust?
Mark: Yes, and he was never supposed to step foot on this land again.
On the monitor, Arthur reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black envelope.
He tucked the envelope behind the framed American flag near the marble stairs.
Mark stood up quickly from the desk chair and looked at Elena with determination.
Mark: He left something behind for us to find in that hallway.
Elena grabbed his forearm with a worried expression on her pale face.
Elena: What if he is still waiting inside the house right now?
Mark looked down at the locket still held tightly inside his hand.
Mark: Then it is time we finally get some answers after all these years.