Chapter 16 - Beneath the Cliffs
We returned to Vale Island three days later.
This time, federal agents came first.
No secrets.
No dramatic entrance.
No one trusted the house anymore.
Daniel found the tunnel access behind a stone fireplace in the lower library.
The passage descended steeply beneath the estate.
Salt water dripped from the ceiling.
Rusting electrical wires ran along one wall.
Fresh footprints marked the dust.
Someone had been there after Victoria's arrest.
Marcus stopped.
“That means someone else knows.”
We continued.
Two hundred feet beneath the house, the passage divided.
One path ended at the cliffs.
The other led to a steel door painted blue.
My heart started pounding.
Daniel entered the master recovery code.
The lock opened.
Inside was a room filled with monitors.
Hundreds of archived videos.
Children.
Donors.
Meetings.
Payments.
Confessions.
Victoria's insurance policy.
At the far end stood another door.
I heard movement behind it.
“Owen?”
Silence.
“Sophie?”
A tiny voice answered.
“Who are you?”
I nearly collapsed.
“My name is Elena.”
“Are you with Victoria?”
“No.”
I pressed my hand against the door.
“I'm here to take you home.”
The lock had no external keypad.
Daniel studied the wiring.
“It opens remotely.”
“From where?”
He looked at the monitors.
Then one screen turned on by itself.
A man's face appeared.
Nathaniel Vale.
He was not in federal custody.
The image was live.
Marcus swore.
Nathaniel smiled.
“My sister always underestimated how badly people want to survive.”
“You escaped.”
“No.”
He tilted his head.
“I was released.”
That was impossible.
Unless someone inside the government had helped him.
Nathaniel continued.
“You have ten minutes to leave the island.”
“What happens in ten minutes?”
“The tunnel fills with seawater.”
Daniel rushed toward the control panels.
Nathaniel smiled again.
“And Elena?”
I stared at the screen.
“Your sister thought Victoria was the end of the story.”
May you like
He leaned closer to the camera.
“She was wrong.”
