Chapter 4: The Man Beneath the Pool
“Marcus! Get away from the water!””
Vanessa's scream came from the terrace doors, but I barely heard it.
A man's voice had just called my name from beneath the swimming pool.
Not a recording. Not an echo.
A living man.
I dropped my phone onto the stone tiles and plunged into the water.
The brass key was still lodged in the lock. I twisted it until the mechanism finally gave way with a metallic crack. The door shifted several inches, releasing a stream of bubbles that rushed past my face.
Something moved beneath it.
A hand appeared through the opening.
I recoiled, then forced myself forward.
The fingers curled around the edge of the door.
“Help me!”” a man shouted.
I grabbed his wrist and pulled.
The man who emerged was thin, gray-haired, and dressed in a soaked shirt that clung to his chest. He surfaced coughing violently, gulping air as I dragged him toward the steps.
When we reached the terrace, Vanessa was standing beside the pool with a kitchen knife in her hand.
I froze.
“Put that down,” I said.
Her eyes darted between me and the stranger.
“You shouldn't have opened it.””
The old man collapsed onto the tiles, coughing water onto the limestone. His wrists were bruised, and a deep cut crossed his forehead. He looked as though he hadn't seen sunlight in years.
He lifted his head.
“Marcus Bell?””
I knelt beside him.
“Who are you?””
His cracked lips parted.
“Detective Robert Haines.””
For a moment, the entire world stopped.
Robert Haines was the detective who had investigated Danielle's disappearance. He was the man who had told me there was no evidence of foul play. The man who had assured me that my wife was probably dead.
Four years ago, he'd shaken my hand outside the police station and told me to be strong for Ava.
Now he lay at my feet, half-drowned, with marks around his wrists.
I grabbed the front of his shirt.
“You told me my wife was dead.””
Haines coughed again.
“I told you what they wanted me to tell you.””
“Who?””
He looked toward Vanessa.
She tightened her grip on the knife.
“Don't listen to him, Marcus.””
Haines tried to sit up.
“Your fiancée knows exactly who put me down there.””
Vanessa took a step backward.
“That's a lie.””
“Then why did you keep the key?”” Haines rasped.
“Why did you keep him in the dark?””
I turned to her.
“You said you never found out what the key opened.””
“I didn't!””
Haines laughed weakly.
“You're still lying. Some habits survive everything.””
Vanessa raised the knife.
“Shut your mouth.””
I moved between them.
“Put it down, Vanessa.””
For several seconds, she stared at me. Then she lowered the blade, but she didn't release it.
“You have no idea what he did,” she said.
“He helped destroy Danielle's life.””
“Then tell me what happened.””
“I can't.””
“That's not good enough anymore.””
A mechanical hum rose beneath the terrace.
I looked toward the pool.
The water was beginning to swirl above the open door. A series of small bubbles rose from the submerged room, followed by a sudden downward pull that tugged at the loose towel floating near the steps.
Haines grabbed my arm.
“The pump!””
“What about it?””
“They've activated the drainage system. The chamber is filling from the other side.””
I stared at the opening.
“Can someone survive down there?””
“Not if the second valve opens.””
A heavy metallic bang sounded beneath the water.
Haines tried to stand, but his legs buckled.
I caught him.
“Where's the control?””
“Basement,” he wheezed.
“Behind the boiler. Red lever.””
Vanessa suddenly bolted toward the house.
I started after her, but Haines seized my wrist.
“Don't let her reach the panel!””
I pulled free and ran.
Inside, the house smelled of lemon polish and wet stone. I raced through the kitchen, past the staircase, and into the basement.
The boiler room door stood open.
A red lever was mounted on the wall beside a control box. Its indicator light glowed green.
Someone had already turned the system on.
I grabbed the lever and pulled.
It didn't move.
A keypad beside the panel displayed a warning: *REMOTE OVERRIDE ACTIVE.*
I slammed my palm against the controls.
“Come on!””
Footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Vanessa appeared in the doorway, breathing hard.
“Don't touch that!””
I turned.
“Who activated it?””
She glanced at the panel.
Then she looked at me with an expression I had never seen before.
Cold calculation.
“You need to understand something, Marcus. That room was never meant to hold anyone permanently.””
My blood ran cold.
“You knew someone was down there.””
“I knew there was a contingency.””
“A contingency?””
She took a slow breath.
“Danielle was supposed to come back for the evidence. She never did. Then everything changed.””
“Everything changed when you decided to marry me?””
Her jaw tightened.
“You think I wanted this? You think I wanted to spend four years watching you worship a ghost?””
I stepped toward her.
“You let me believe my wife was dead.””
“I let you survive!””
She jabbed a finger toward the ceiling.
“You have a daughter. A beautiful house. A life. If I'd told you the truth, you would have run straight to the police, and they would have killed you both.””
“Who would have?””
Before she could answer, the control panel beeped.
The green light turned amber.
A digital countdown appeared.
*03:00.*
Vanessa's face drained of color.
I stared at the numbers.
“What happens in three minutes?””
She whispered, “The chamber seals.””
I lunged for the lever again.
Vanessa caught my shoulder.
“Marcus, stop! You can't reverse it from here.””
“Then tell me how!””
She hesitated.
That hesitation cost us precious seconds.
A crash sounded upstairs, followed by Haines shouting.
Then my phone rang from somewhere in the kitchen.
Vanessa and I stared at each other.
The phone was still connected to Danielle when I'd dropped it beside the pool. Somehow, the call had resumed.
I ran upstairs and snatched it from the floor.
“Danielle?””
Her voice came through, urgent and breathless.
“Marcus, get away from Vanessa!””
Vanessa reached for the phone.
I stepped back.
“Tell me how to stop the flooding!””
“There's a second control behind the pool's western wall. A brass plate. You have to pull it before the countdown reaches zero.””
I looked through the terrace doors.
“Why didn't you tell me earlier?””
“Because I thought you'd already opened the chamber.””
“What's inside?””
Silence.
“Danielle!””
Her voice broke.
“Our daughter.””
My entire body went numb.
I looked toward the house, where Ava was supposed to be locked safely in my office.
Then I heard a small, frightened voice from the top of the stairs.
“Daddy?””
Ava stood there, holding the stuffed rabbit.
Behind her was Detective Haines.
And behind him, at the front door, stood a man in a dark suit holding a gun.
“Step away from the phone,” the stranger ordered.
Vanessa slowly closed her eyes.
May you like
I knew then that the nightmare wasn't ending.
It was only beginning.
