Chapter 2 - Beneath the Surface
I waited until Emily left for her morning pilates class and Beatrice took Chloe to the sunroom for her "lessons." Moving like a ghost through my own home, I slipped out the side servant’s entrance and sprinted across the hedge maze to the pool house.
Beatrice had always been protective of her space, insisting the maids never clean it. Now, I understood why. The pool house living room looked normal, but my eyes scanned for anomalies. Chloe said under the pool house. Atherton estates didn't have basements due to the water table, unless they were custom-built bunkers.
I noticed heavy scratch marks on the hardwood floor near a massive, antique Persian rug Beatrice had brought with her. I rolled it back. Beneath it lay a heavy steel trapdoor integrated seamlessly into the floorboards. It was secured by a modern biometric keypad.
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She wasn't just an overbearing mother-in-law; she was a professional.
I pulled out a master decryption bypass device I’d acquired during a cybersecurity merger years ago. It took four agonizing minutes of brute-force coding before the lock flashed green. I pulled the heavy door open, revealing a concrete stairwell lit by harsh fluorescent lights. A stale, medicinal smell wafted up. Taking a deep breath, I descended into the darkness.
