Chapter 6 - The House Goes Dark
The estate lost power three minutes later.
Every light went out at once.
Emily heard Margaret whisper.
“Oh God.”
Rosa grabbed Emily’s arm.
“This was not the storm.”
There was no storm.
Outside, the night was clear.
Police officers rushed through the halls with flashlights.
Emily stood near the staircase, trying to control her breathing.
Nathan had escaped.
The security system was offline.
And somewhere inside the mansion were decades of evidence suggesting Claire Harrington’s death had not been accidental.
An officer approached Emily.
“We need to move you somewhere secure.”
Before she could answer, a gunshot echoed from the rear of the property.
Everyone turned.
Another officer shouted into his radio.
“Movement near the generator building.”
Rosa grabbed Emily again.
“Come with me.”
They slipped through a side corridor while the police moved toward the back entrance.
“Where are we going?”
“There is an old service passage.”
Rosa opened a narrow door hidden behind a tapestry.
Emily stared into the darkness.
“You knew this existed?”
“I know every corner of this house.”
They entered.
Rosa locked the panel behind them.
The corridor smelled of dust and cedar.
Emily’s phone had only twelve percent battery.
She used the screen for light.
“Where does this go?”
“To the old nursery.”
Emily stopped.
“Claire’s nursery?”
Rosa nodded.
They climbed a narrow staircase.
At the top, Rosa opened another hidden door.
Moonlight spilled into a room covered by white sheets.
A wooden crib stood against the wall.
Painted clouds covered the ceiling.
Emily touched one of the crib rails.
“This was for Claire’s baby.”
“Yes.”
Something moved behind them.
Emily turned.
Margaret stood in the doorway.
“How did you get here?”
Margaret closed the door.
“There are passages Rosa doesn’t know.”
Her voice sounded exhausted.
She crossed to the crib.
For the first time, Emily saw tears in her eyes.
“Claire painted these clouds herself.”
Emily said nothing.
Margaret touched the crib.
“She was supposed to bring that little girl home.”
Rosa stared at her.
“You knew she survived.”
Margaret closed her eyes.
“Yes.”
Emily felt sick.
“Where is she?”
“I helped hide her.”
Rosa stepped forward.
“You told Charles you didn’t know.”
“I lied.”
“Why?”
Margaret looked directly at Emily.
“Because Nathan had already tried to kill her once.”
Emily’s hand covered her mouth.
Margaret continued.
“After the crash, Claire died before the ambulance arrived.”
“But the doctors saved the baby.”
“Nathan came to the hospital demanding custody.”
“I knew what he had done.”
“So I paid a nurse to make the child disappear.”
Emily whispered.
“What happened to her?”
Margaret looked at Rosa.
“She was placed with a foster family under another name.”
“What name?”
Before Margaret could answer, glass shattered somewhere below.
A man’s voice echoed through the mansion.
May you like
“Emily.”
Nathan had come home.
