Chapter 7 - The Third RoomThe Woman Who Had Been Erased
The staircase ended beneath the oldest part of the house.
The room smelled of dust and damp stone.
At first I saw nothing.
Then my flashlight moved.
A bed.
An iron table.
Medical supplies.
A cracked mirror.
And a woman sitting against the wall.
Her hair was silver.
Her face was thin.
But I knew the eyes.
They matched the photograph.
“Elena.”
She looked at me.
“Yes.”
Grace collapsed beside her.
“My sister.”
Elena reached for her.
“Grace.”
They held each other without speaking.
Caleb turned away.
Mia stood frozen.
Lily slept against her shoulder.
I couldn't move.
For twenty-three years, Elena Vale had been a dead woman.
But she wasn't dead.
She had been imprisoned beneath my house.
I stared at the walls.
“Who did this?”
Elena looked at me.
“Your father.”
My stomach twisted.
“Why?”
“Because I wouldn't give him my son.”
“Daniel.”
She nodded.
“Your father discovered my pregnancy.”
“And?”
“He wanted the child.”
“Why?”
“Because Daniel was the only person who could eventually inherit a trust your grandfather established.”
I stared.
“What trust?”
Elena gave a tired smile.
“You were never supposed to know.”
“I'm beginning to notice.”
She reached beneath the mattress.
Pulled out a small envelope.
Inside was an old legal document.
My grandfather's seal.
I read it twice.
Then a third time.
A family trust worth more than two hundred million dollars.
The beneficiary was not my father.
Not Adrian.
Not me.
Daniel.
My father's entire empire had been structured around a secret trust for a child he had tried to erase.
“Why?”
Elena answered softly.
“Because your grandfather discovered your father's corruption.”
“And Daniel was his insurance.”
“Yes.”
I looked at the document.
“Where is Daniel now?”
Elena closed her eyes.
“I don't know.”
Vincent's words returned to me.
Cambridge.
A foundation.
A boy named Daniel Mercer.
“What happened after your son was born?”
Elena's voice trembled.
“Your father took him.”
Grace cried.
“He said the baby died.”
Elena looked at her.
“He lied.”
She looked at me.
“Harriet found out.”
“My mother.”
“Yes.”
“What did she do?”
“She tried to take Daniel back.”
“And failed.”
“She hid him.”
My breath caught.
“Where?”
Elena stared at me.
“You've already met him.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
She smiled sadly.
“You just don't remember.”
The room fell silent.
Then Elena looked at Mia.
“Your daughter heard the knocking because of the old pipes?”
Mia shook her head.
“No.”
Elena frowned.
“What did you hear?”
Mia pointed to the ceiling.
“Someone tapping from above.”
Elena's face changed.
“That's impossible.”
“What?”
She stood with difficulty.
“Because there is nobody above us.”
Caleb moved closer.
“What are you saying?”
Elena looked terrified.
“The third room isn't the last room.”
I felt a chill.
“What?”
She pointed behind the bed.
“There is another chamber.”
We moved the bed.
Behind it was a steel door.
No handle.
No lock.
Only a small circular opening.
Mia stared at it.
“That's where I hear it.”
I crouched.
The opening was exactly the height of a child's ear.
I put my ear against the metal.
Nothing.
Then I heard it.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
I stepped backward.
Elena whispered,
“It's been doing that for twenty-three years.”
“Who?”
She shook her head.
“I never found out.”
I reached for the door.
Caleb grabbed my arm.
“Don't.”
“Why?”
“Because Elena said nobody opened it.”
I looked at him.
“Then why are there fresh scratches around the lock?”
He had no answer.
I opened my pocketknife.
Inserted the blade into the seam.
The metal door shifted.
One inch.
A cold draft struck my face.
Then something rolled across the floor toward us.
A child's wooden car.
Old.
Dusty.
And carved into its side were two letters.
D.D.
Mia picked it up.
“Elena.”
Elena began crying.
“That belonged to Daniel.”
I stared at the darkness behind the door.
Then a man's voice came from inside.
Not old.
Not weak.
Young.
Terrified.
“Please don't let him find me.”
May you like
Elena whispered,
“Daniel.”
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