The morning sun hadn't yet burned away the mist when Rachel arrived at Mr. Camden's home. The air was cool and quiet, birds chirping faintly somewhere in the garden.
Chloe had dropped her off after they'd both dropped Timothy off at school.
Looking above the building, Rachel balanced a paper bag from the bakery she'd stopped by in one hand, her bag slung over her shoulder as she pushed the gate open.
Everything looked the same and yet, as she stepped inside, the house felt… a bit different. It wasn't just different. It felt too quiet too.
Normally at this hour, she would hear the faint clatter of someone dusting the living room, or the low hum of one of the housemaids chatting in the kitchen. The Camden home might have been old and grand, but it was never this still.
Today, though, the silence stretched like a held breath.
