Chapter 6 – The Secret Waiting Inside the Mansion
Chapter 6 – The Secret Waiting Inside the Mansion
Nathan raced through the snow-covered highway.
The windshield wipers struggled against the heavy snowfall.
Ryan Collins followed close behind in an unmarked police SUV.
Neither man spoke.
Every second felt like an hour.
Nathan couldn't stop thinking about Rosa.
She had sounded terrified.
If Marcus had reached the mansion first, everyone inside was in danger.
At the Pierce estate, every light remained off.
The backup generator still hadn't come online.
The house sat in complete darkness.
Nathan pulled into the driveway so fast that his tires slid across the ice.
He jumped out before the engine stopped.
Ryan caught up with him.
"Wait."
Nathan ignored him.
He sprinted toward the front door.
It was wide open.
Cold wind rushed through the foyer.
Broken glass still covered the marble floor.
Nathan slowly raised his flashlight.
"Rosa?"
No answer.
Only silence.
Ryan stepped inside beside him.
"Stay behind me."
Nathan shook his head.
"This is my house."
Ryan looked at him.
"Tonight, it's a crime scene."
Nathan reluctantly slowed his pace.
They searched room by room.
The kitchen was empty.
The dining room had been untouched.
The living room looked exactly as Nathan had left it.
Then they reached the pantry.
The door was locked from the inside.
Nathan knocked gently.
"Rosa."
"It's me."
For several long seconds, nothing happened.
Then came the sound of trembling hands unlocking the door.
Rosa stepped out.
Tears streamed down her face.
Nathan immediately hugged her.
"Are you hurt?"
She shook her head.
"No."
"But they were here."
"How many?"
"I only saw one."
Ryan frowned.
"You said footsteps."
Rosa nodded.
"I heard several voices."
"But I only saw one man."
Nathan looked at Ryan.
Ryan understood immediately.
"They wanted you to believe the house was surrounded."
Nathan asked quietly, "Did he take anything?"
Rosa closed her eyes.
"I don't know."
"I stayed hidden."
Ryan called in a forensic team.
While officers searched the downstairs rooms, Nathan walked toward his father's study.
The door stood open.
His desk drawers had been pulled out.
Books covered the floor.
Every painting had been removed from the walls.
Someone had searched the room with desperate urgency.
Nathan slowly walked behind the desk.
Something was different.
The old grandfather clock had been moved several inches.
Nathan frowned.
His father never allowed anyone to touch that clock.
He carefully pushed it aside.
A small steel door was hidden inside the wall.
Ryan walked over.
"What is that?"
Nathan stared in disbelief.
"I've lived here for fifteen years."
"I never knew this existed."
A tiny keyhole sat in the center of the door.
Ryan looked at Nathan.
Nathan slowly removed the silver key from his wallet.
Neither man spoke.
Nathan slid the key into the lock.
It fit perfectly.
A soft click echoed through the room.
The hidden door slowly opened.
Inside was a narrow compartment.
No cash.
No jewelry.
No legal documents.
Only a faded leather journal.
Nathan carefully lifted it out.
His father's initials were embossed on the cover.
J.P.
Ryan looked over his shoulder.
"A diary?"
Nathan slowly opened the first page.
His father's handwriting filled every line.
The very first sentence made Nathan's hands tremble.
If you are reading this, someone has already tried to destroy our family.
Nathan looked at Ryan.
Neither man spoke.
He continued reading.
Sarah was never the real target.
Nathan's pulse quickened.
The children are.
Ryan whispered, "Why?"
Nathan turned the page.
Another sentence waited for him.
Because one of those children is my legal heir.
Nathan froze.
"What?"
Ryan grabbed the journal.
"Read that again."
Nathan did.
The words never changed.
One of the children.
Not all three.
Only one.
Ryan looked puzzled.
"That doesn't make any sense."
Nathan nodded slowly.
"My father died eight years ago."
"The twins are infants."
Ryan turned another page.
The explanation wasn't there.
Instead, an envelope fell from between the pages.
Across the front were three handwritten words.
Open Together Only.
Ryan carefully lifted the flap.
Inside were four photographs.
The first showed Sarah holding newborn Lily in a hospital bed.
Nathan smiled sadly.
He had never seen the picture before.
The second photograph showed Sarah standing beside an elderly man Nathan didn't recognize.
The third photograph made Ryan suddenly inhale.
It showed Marcus Kane.
Standing beside Nathan's father.
Both men were shaking hands.
Nathan stared at the image.
"No..."
"That's impossible."
Ryan turned the photograph over.
A date was written on the back.
April 12, 2016.
Two years before Marcus met Sarah.
Nathan's mind raced.
"They already knew each other."
Ryan nodded.
"They lied to everyone."
Nathan reached for the fourth and final photograph.
His fingers stopped halfway.
He suddenly didn't want to see it.
Ryan slowly handed it to him.
Nathan looked down.
The color drained from his face.
It was a family portrait.
Nathan.
Sarah.
Their parents.
Marcus Kane.
And...
A little blond boy.
About four years old.
Nathan stared at the child.
"I've never seen him before."
Ryan examined the picture more closely.
Then he noticed something.
"The photo was edited."
Nathan frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Ryan pointed toward the boy.
"The lighting doesn't match."
"He was added later."
Nathan turned the photograph over.
One sentence had been written in black ink.
Find the boy before Marcus does.
Suddenly, the entire mansion went dark again.
This time it wasn't the power.
Every flashlight switched off at the exact same moment.
Ryan tapped his flashlight.
Dead.
Nathan checked his phone.
Black screen.
Battery completely drained.
"That's impossible."
A loud metallic bang echoed from somewhere beneath the house.
Rosa screamed from downstairs.
Nathan reached for his pistol.
Ryan drew his service weapon.
Another bang.
Closer this time.
Then they heard it.
A child's voice.
Very soft.
Very frightened.
"Please..."
"...don't let him find me."
Nathan and Ryan stared at each other.
The voice had come from beneath the floor.
There was someone hiding under the mansion.
May you like
And judging by the sound of that trembling voice...
It was a child.
