Chapter 10 – The Mansion Goes Dark
Heavy steel doors slammed shut throughout the underground corridors.
Grace pulled Oliver forward.
"We have to keep moving."
The emergency exit was less than fifty yards away.
Then every light went out.
Complete darkness surrounded them.
Only the flashing red emergency lights remained.
A loudspeaker crackled to life.
"Grace."
It was Isabella.
Her voice echoed through every tunnel.
"I know you're with Oliver."
"There is nowhere to hide."
Oliver squeezed Grace's hand tighter.
Grace whispered,
"Don't answer."
Isabella continued calmly.
"If you surrender now..."
"...no one else has to get hurt."
Grace spotted a maintenance ladder leading upward.
She pushed open the hatch.
They climbed into an unused greenhouse behind the mansion.
Rain hammered the glass roof.
For the first time in days...
Oliver breathed fresh air.
Police sirens suddenly echoed in the distance.
Grace smiled with relief.
"They're coming."
Oliver looked toward the mansion.
"They're too late."
Grace frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Oliver reached into his pocket.
He slowly unfolded a small piece of paper.
"I found this under my mother's pillow before she died."
Grace read the first line.
Her face turned white.
The note was not a goodbye.
It was a confession.
And Nathan Ashford's signature appeared at the bottom.
Before Grace could read another word...
Every light inside the mansion went dark at once.
May you like
Then a single gunshot shattered the night.
End of Chapter 10.
