Chapter 6 - The Secret Passage
I held my breath, pressing my hand gently over Leo's mouth to keep his soft crying from giving away our position in the pantry.
I remembered a conversation I had with Clara years ago, back when we were drafting the initial blueprints for the estate.
She had grown up in Tornado Alley and was absolutely terrified of severe storms, insisting on building a reinforced shelter.
We had a deep storm cellar built directly beneath the kitchen floor, insulated with thick concrete and completely hidden from view.
More importantly, it connected to an old, underground drainage pipe that led out beyond the massive stone walls of the estate.
It was designed as a final escape route in case the main house ever collapsed, and I had completely forgotten about it until this exact moment.
The entrance was located directly in the center of the kitchen floor, hidden underneath a large, heavy Persian rug.
I watched through the crack in the pantry door as Beatrice walked slowly past our hiding spot, shining her flashlight toward the dining room.
As soon as her back was turned, I pushed the pantry door open as silently as humanly possible.
I carried the boys over to the center of the room, setting them down gently on the cold tile.
I grabbed the edge of the heavy Persian rug and pulled it back, trying to minimize the scratching sound of the fabric against the floor.
The metal handle of the hidden hatch gleamed faintly in the ambient moonlight filtering through the cracks in the exterior shutters.
I grasped the cold iron ring, twisted it to unlock the seal, and pulled upward with all the strength in my aching shoulders.
The heavy metal door groaned loudly in protest, the rusted hinges whining in the silent kitchen like a screaming alarm.
Beatrice immediately spun around, whipping the beam of the flashlight directly onto us.
"Well, well, well," she sneered, pointing the heavy pistol directly at my chest as she slowly walked back into the room.
"A secret trapdoor, Richard?"
"How incredibly dramatic of you."
I shoved Julian and Leo toward the open hatch, blocking Beatrice's line of sight with my own body.
"Climb down the ladder, Julian, go as fast as you can," I ordered, my voice leaving absolutely no room for hesitation.
Julian grabbed the metal rungs and started climbing down into the dark abyss, pulling his little brother along with him.
I stood slowly, raising my bloody hands in the air, placing myself firmly between the loaded gun and the open escape route.
"It's over, Beatrice," I said calmly, staring directly into the blinding beam of her flashlight.
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"The power is completely cut, and Maria is already out there talking to the police."
"They are going to breach this house at any second, and you have absolutely nowhere to run."
