I lift up the unassuming brown box, stamped Fairhall & Brett Inheritance Recovery. I turn the box over slowly in my hands, but it gives nothing away. I pry open the seal; out wafts the scents of spice and ash and the journal lands hard on the desk, leaving a sooty mark. I leaf through the pages, admiring the cursive handwriting and pencil drawings. Why had I been sent it? What did it mean? Then I opened the letter, and things started to fall into place.
Well, that’s not all strictly true. I did know why Marie Jones’ mysterious journal had been slipped into my letter box. It was the first step on a twelve-month journey, a twelve-month subscription box that would help me understand what tragedy had befallen Marie.
