The Ashford Inheritance

Detective Sarah Chen expects a routine investigation when called to Bellmore House—a sprawling mansion plagued by unexplained phenomena. Phosphorescent lights, disembodied voices, and inexplicable cold spots have haunted its halls for exactly forty years, ever since the owner's sister vanished without a trace. But what begins as a supernatural puzzle quickly unravels into something far darker. Behind sealed walls and false paneling, Sarah discovers a hidden vault containing not just a forgotten fortune, but evidence of Depression-era corruption that reaches into her own department. And in the mansion's cellar, she finds what everyone has been searching for: Eleanor Ashford's remains, sealed behind brick and preserved by four decades of secrets. The mystery of Eleanor's disappearance becomes a mirror reflecting generations of systematic evil—family betrayal, institutional cover-ups, and a corruption so deeply embedded in the present day that exposing the truth threatens to destroy careers, reputations, and Sarah's entire future as a detective. As multiple players converge on Bellmore House, each seeking to protect their interests, Sarah faces an impossible choice: remain silent and let justice die with Eleanor, or speak the truth and watch her world burn. Some mysteries are buried for a reason. But some deserve to be unearthed—no matter the cost.