The Flower That Grew from Ashes novel Chapter 54

Was it himself? Or someone else?

Did his "not making it back" mean he truly died in the line of duty, or... was there a hidden truth?

Annelise didn't dare think any further.

She pulled out the old burner phone hidden in her pocket and took clear photographs of the diary, the back of the portrait, and every page of those two critical letters.

Once finished, she painstakingly returned everything to the cabinet, keeping the exact original order.

Then, she snapped the brass padlock shut, making sure there was no trace of tampering.

She stood up, her mind a chaotic mess.

The new suspicions formed a tightening net, trapping her inside.

First, Elias likely knew about Clarissa and Hackett's affair before his "death."

Second, his plea not to "force Mother to accept it" implied that Lizzie had initially opposed the cover-up fiercely, but Barnum had suppressed her.

Third, was his "death" really an accident? Or was it directly connected to the family scandal he had unearthed?

The endless stream of mysteries made it hard to breathe.

She stepped out of the sanctuary into blinding sunlight, which stung her eyes.

Leaning against the porch pillar, she tried to calm her racing heart.

Just then, the burner phone in her pocket vibrated softly.

Her heart leaped as she immediately checked the screen.

It was that anonymous number again.

This time, it wasn't a text message.

It was a photo.

Annelise tapped on the image.

It was low-resolution, seemingly taken of another screen or photo, with a messy background.

It was a picture of a torn plane ticket.

It looked like it had been salvaged from a trash can or shredder and pieced back together.

Despite the missing pieces, a few key details remained legible.

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