Chapter 10 - THE WOMAN IN THE BASEMENT
David drove through the storm without speaking.
The childhood home stood at the edge of town, abandoned for years.
The front door was unlocked.
Lily stayed close beside him.
Nathan carried the gun, but David stopped him.
“No shooting unless there’s no other choice.”
Nathan nodded.
They searched the first floor.
Nothing.
Then Lily heard a faint tapping sound beneath them.
“The basement.”
David found the hidden stairs behind a bookcase.
At the bottom, a single light burned.
A woman sat tied to a chair.
Her hair was short, her face bruised, and one eye swollen shut.
Lily cried out.
“Emily!”
Emily lifted her head.
“Lily?”
They rushed toward her.
David cut the ropes.
Emily collapsed into her sister’s arms.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Emily looked at Nathan.
“You came back.”
“I should have come sooner.”
“You were scared.”
“I was a coward.”
David crouched beside Emily.
“Who did this to you?”
Emily looked toward the dark corner.
“Vanessa.”
“Where is she?”
“She left an hour ago.”
“What did she want?”
Emily’s breathing became shallow.
“She wanted the recording.”
“What recording?”
“The accident.”
David looked at Nathan.
Emily continued.
“The car was moving toward the bridge. Vanessa was driving. I was in the passenger seat. She planned to make it look like an accident.”
Lily’s face crumpled.
“She was driving?”
Emily nodded.
“But Nathan interfered with the brakes before she left. The car slowed. I escaped before it went over the bridge.”
David stared at her.
“Then whose body was found?”
Emily closed her eyes.
“An unidentified man.”
Nathan’s face tightened.
“Vanessa used a dead man’s body to fake her own death.”
David understood.
“She disappeared and made everyone believe she was dead.”
“She wanted you blamed for everything,” Emily said. “She planned to return after taking your money.”
Lily held Emily’s hand.
“Why come back now?”
“Because David discovered the transfers.”
A sound came from upstairs.
The floor creaked.
Everyone froze.
David raised a finger to his lips.
Another creak followed.
Someone was walking down the stairs.
Emily gripped Lily’s arm.
May you like
“She found us.”
CLIFFHANGER: Vanessa appeared at the bottom of the staircase, holding a match and smiling.
