Chapter 6: The Room Beneath the House

I knew going back to Callahan estate was a terrible idea.

Every instinct told me to stay away.

The family had already destroyed my reputation.

They had framed me.

They had almost put me behind bars.

But then I remembered Lily standing at the staircase.

Her terrified eyes.

Her tiny voice saying:

“Don’t let them take me there.””

I drove back.

Not because I trusted the Callahans.

Because I trusted Lily.

The estate was darker than I remembered.

No guests.

No employees.

No lights glowing from the windows.

Just silence.

I entered through a side entrance that Thomas had given me access to.

The moment I stepped inside, I heard voices.

Daniel.

And Evelyn.

They were in the study.

I moved closer.

“You should have handled her sooner,” Evelyn said.

Daniel replied calmly.

“She was useful.””

“Useful?””

“She found what Rebecca left behind.””

My breath caught.

They knew.

Evelyn lowered her voice.

“Then why is she still alive?””

The words made my blood freeze.

I stepped back.

A floorboard creaked.

Silence.

Then Daniel said:

“Who’s there?””

I ran.

I didn’t stop until I reached the old hallway near the library.

That was when I heard it.

A soft voice.

“Claire?””

I turned.

Lily stood behind a hidden doorway.

My heart broke.

“Lily.””

She ran toward me but stopped herself.

Like she had learned not to move without permission.

“Are they hurting you?””

She shook her head.

“They’re looking for something.””

“What?””

She looked toward the hidden doorway.

“The room under the house.””

I followed her.

“How do we get there?””

She pointed.

“My mother showed me once.””

Behind the library shelves was a small mechanism.

A hidden passage.

I pressed the button.

The wall moved.

Behind it was a staircase leading underground.

The air changed immediately.

Cold.

Old.

Forgotten.

At the bottom was a small room.

And inside…

Everything Rebecca had hidden.

Boxes of documents.

Hard drives.

Photographs.

Financial records.

Evidence.

Lily whispered:

“This is where my mom kept the truth.””

I stepped forward.

Then I saw it.

A video camera.

Still recording.

My stomach dropped.

“Lily…”

She looked at me.

“What?””

“We’re not the first people to find this room.””

Before she could answer, footsteps echoed above us.

Someone was coming.

I grabbed Lily’s hand and moved behind the shelves.

The door opened.

A figure stepped inside.

I couldn’t see the face.

Only the voice.

A voice I recognized.

“Claire.””

I froze.

Because the person standing in the secret room wasn’t Daniel.

It wasn’t Evelyn.

It wasn’t a stranger.

It was Alexander Callahan.

He looked at the evidence scattered across the room.

Then at Lily.

Then at me.

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