Anna stood on the threshold of the barn, her heart pounded like a frantic one. The husband, during life, never allowed her to come here. “Male deeds,” he waved his gaze. Now that he was gone, the secrets of this place have burdened her even more.

Having taken a deep breath, she crossed the threshold. Dusty air hit the face, and she coughed. The barn was immersed in the twilight, only a narrow window under the roof pierced the darkness. Anna turned on the flashlight on the phone and sent a ray of light to the surrounding objects.

The walls were hung with old instruments: hammers, saws, pliers. In the corner there was a workbench strewn with sawdust. Some details, spare parts, boxes were lying everywhere. Anna carefully stepped onto the plank floor, fearing to fail.

Among this chaos, she noticed a small chest standing on a shelf. The chest was upholstered in skin and decorated with metal rivets. Anna approached him and tried to open, but the castle was closed. Her heart was beating even faster. What could be stored in this chest? Ancient family relics? Letters? Or something even more mysterious?

With the help of improvised means, Anna managed to hack the lock. Having creaked, the cover of the chest leaned back, and an amazing sight appeared in front of her. Inside lay stacks of old photographs, yellowed letters, notebooks, as well as a small leather bag.

Anna began to consider photos. They captured young people whom she had never seen. Her husband, apparently, was completely different in his youth. He smiled, laughed, looked happy. Next to him was a girl with long blond hair and large blue eyes. Anna could not take his eyes off this photo. Who was this girl? Why did my husband never talk about her?

Then she moved to the letters. The letters were bred by a beautiful handwriting. Anna began to read, but quickly realized that the letters were written in a foreign language that she did not know. She tried to find someone who could help her translate these letters, but all her attempts were in vain.

In a leather bag, Anna found several gold coins and a small silver pendant in the shape of a heart. Two letters were engraved on the pendant: “A” and “M”. Anna pressed the pendant to her chest. She felt that this small object was keeping in itself some kind of secret.

The days turned into weeks, and Anna was increasingly plunged into the study of her husband’s past. She rummaged through all his things, read everything that she could find. But the more she found out, the more questions she had. Who was this person really? What life did he lead before meeting her? What secrets did he keep?

Once, by chance, having stumbled upon an old newspaper, Anna found a small note about the loss of a person. The description of the appearance and time of the disappearance coincided with the data from one of the letters. Anna froze. Has her husband were really involved in something criminal?

Fear and curiosity pushed her forward. She decided to turn to a private detective to help her understand this confusing story. The detective, after listening to Anna’s story, agreed to help her. Together they began to unravel a ball of secrets, which was hiding behind the facade of ordinary life.

Their investigation brought them to a small town on the other end of the country. There, in the old archive, they found documents that shed light on the past of Anna’s husband. It turned out that he was a participant in a secret organization who was engaged in the search for treasures. It was during one of the expeditions that he met the same girl from the photograph.

Anna was shocked. Her husband, whom she considered an ordinary person, turned out to be a real adventurer. But what happened to that girl? And where were the treasures that he wrote about in his letters were hidden?

The investigation continued, and with each new discovery, the story became increasingly confusing and intriguing. Anna did not know what was still waiting for her ahead, but she was ready to find out all the secrets that the old barn kept.

To be continued…