Bedazzled

"Angelica has the motive and relation to why she would even kill someone. But the fact that Alexa had a cinnamon bun in her pocket, means she has some sort of correlation with Angelica; and that's just the icing on the cake", Evelyn explained.

I understand that-but do you think her little "grudge" would make her do something like this?, I asked.

"Yes, I mean you did get the house- not her", she briefed.

The air was stale for a bit, but I could tell the gears in Evelyn's head were turning.

"What if Angelica is doing this to get control of the house, because I keep thinking that since you've found so many mysterious and intricate things that they must lead to something bigger here", Evelyn said in detail.

I nodded in agreement.

Evelyn laced her fingers around the ruby red key. She examined it in a profound manner. She then moved onto the photos, moving them in all sorts of directions and angles, to see if anything might reveal itself.

Then I noticed something. A small glare from the reflection of the ruby key made me realize that it was secretly like a decoder. I reached across the table and picked the key up and while Evelyn was examining the photo, I channeled the key perfectly onto the photo.

Evelyn realized what exactly was doing, so she held the photo straight out for me. I used the key just like a bifocal. It said, "The creaks only show the weight they bear". I highlighted.

Evelyn turned her head a little bit, showing her confusion like a lost dog in the woods.

"Creaks, weight, bear… creaks, weight, bear", Evelyn repeated out loud for a series of times.

"Maybe it has something to do with a tree or something, because trees bear the circulation of carbon dioxide; and they also creak. But that doesn't really seem to link in our situation"

I closed my eyes and fell into a cave with a swarm of ideas. There's one thing that grasped my attention. It's the thing that holds us up, it's the thing that bears our weight.

It's the floors, I directed towards Evelyn.

She looked up in astonishment.

"So does that mean the floors that we're on?", Evelyn wondered.

I really don't know but it probably wouldn't hurt to look.

(Moments later)

So, you can start checking out the floors around here and I'll look up stairs. If you hear anything hollow just get a butter knife and try to pry the board up.

"Will do", She smiled.

I crept up the stairs and peered across the perfectly aligned deep-shaded mahogany floors. I start in the hallway and kind of slowly step on pats of the slab to see if it sounds hollow. But the hallway didn't present any luck. I move into the guest bedroom, and start stomping across the floor in there, but again nothing. I then slowly walk into the guest bathroom and hear sturdiness all across. I trot into the other bedroom and step all the way through the room and I didn't hear a single chirp.

I finally shuffle into my bedroom. I first walk across the room and nothing sounds out-of-shape, I also walk through the bathrooms too as usual, but again nothing. The last place I stepped into was my closet and with only a few steps in, I hear a major depth difference from the other floors. I drop to the ground and gaze around the mahogany panels. In between two panels was a much bigger gap then compared to the cracks in the other panels. I pulled out an old key from one of the rugged purses I used back in the day and tried to jimmy the key into the crack.

With a swift nudge, the key poked right through the crack. I started to push down on the key to push the other side of it up- consequently raising the board up too.

Creaaaak …

I finally managed to raise the board up to the point where it flung up in the air almost.

I looked inside this small carved hole and a small box was situated inside. I pick up the box and rush straight downstairs.

Evelyn, Evelyn, Evelyn, I shrieked. Come here I found something.

She rushes over to the island in the kitchen with me.

"Where did you find that?, Evelyn asked.

I found it inside of my bedroom closet, it was stuffed under the floorboards in there.

I finally decided to open the box. Our anticipation by far raised the roof.

When I opened the small wooden box dust practically poured out of it and the worst yet cobwebs lined the inside of the lid. But, two things were situated in the box; Another rub, but this one was splintered and then a dark faded envelope with a satin red seal with the emblem of a crown in the middle. On the outside of letter was of course, the dreadful symbol that we've seen since the beginning.

Evelyn's eyes almost bulged out of her head, "Is that what I think it is?".

I think so, I replied.

Instead of babbling on, I grab the envelope and tear it open. The envelope collected so much dust that it practically smelled like oldness.

Inside, the letter followed as …

To Noel,

I hope this finds you well. I bet you're wondering what's really going on here, but I can't necessarily disclose that to you. I can tell you that you have a small piece of the Hope Ruby. Guard it with your life and watch your back.

Until next time,

G.S

Evelyn, peered over my shoulder in absolute disbelief. Not even she could comprehend this mess.