Chapter 1 – The Cry Behind the Marble Wall
The violin music never stopped.
Neither did the laughter.
Crystal chandeliers painted the ballroom in warm gold while hundreds of wealthy guests toasted another successful charity gala.
No one noticed the housekeeper.
That was exactly how Grace Carter preferred it.
Invisible people heard everything.
Invisible people survived.
She carried another silver tray toward the service hallway, careful not to interrupt conversations worth more than she would earn in a lifetime.
Then she heard it.
A soft tap.
She froze.
The sound disappeared beneath applause.
Grace looked over her shoulder.
Nothing.
She kept walking.
Another tap.
Three slow knocks.
Then complete silence.
Her heartbeat quickened.
She glanced toward the marble wall separating the ballroom from the west corridor.
The architect had insisted it was solid limestone.
Yet the sound had come from inside it.
Grace slowly set the tray onto a side table.
"Probably old pipes," she whispered to herself.
She started walking away.
A tiny voice stopped her.
"Please..."
The word was barely audible.
"So... cold..."
Grace turned instantly.
Every hair on her arms stood up.
Someone was behind that wall.
She pressed her ear against the polished stone.
Nothing.
For several seconds she wondered if exhaustion had finally caught up with her.
Then she heard a cough.
A child.
Weak.
Painfully weak.
She hurried to the maintenance closet.
The locked door refused to open.
"Damn it."
She searched every drawer in the nearby pantry until she found a heavy steel pry bar.
Returning to the hallway, she examined every inch of the wall.
Nothing looked unusual.
No seams.
No hinges.
No handles.
Only an enormous oil painting of the mansion's founder.
Grace narrowed her eyes.
The frame seemed cleaner than the surrounding wall.
Someone had moved it recently.
She gripped both sides.
It was much heavier than expected.
With a strained breath, she dragged it several inches aside.
Hidden behind it was a narrow metal ventilation grille.
Tiny fingers suddenly slipped through the openings.
Grace gasped.
"Oh my God."
The little hand trembled violently.
"Please..."
"Don't leave me..."
Grace dropped to her knees.
"I'm not leaving."
"I promise."
"What is your name?"
The child hesitated.
Then answered in a whisper.
"Lucas."
"How old are you, Lucas?"
"Eight."
"When did you get in there?"
"I... don't know anymore."
Grace's stomach tightened.
"Is anyone hurt?"
"My leg hurts."
"I'm thirsty."
"They said..."
His voice cracked.
"They said nobody would hear me."
Grace looked around the deserted hallway.
Music echoed from the ballroom only a few yards away.
People laughed.
Champagne glasses clinked.
No one realized a child was imprisoned behind the wall.
Grace slammed the pry bar against the metal vent.
The grille bent.
Not enough.
Again.
Metal shrieked.
Again.
Paint cracked somewhere behind the stone.
Lucas cried out.
"I'm sorry," Grace said.
"I'm trying."
A loud click echoed inside the wall.
She stopped.
That hadn't come from her.
Someone else had unlocked something.
Footsteps approached from the opposite corridor.
Grace slowly stood.
A tall woman wearing an elegant emerald evening gown appeared beneath the chandelier.
She held an old brass key.
Her expression never changed.
"You've made a very serious mistake," the woman said calmly.
Grace tightened her grip on the pry bar.
"There's a child behind this wall."
"I know."
"You knew?"
"Yes."
The woman smiled.
"But nobody is supposed to find him."
Grace's pulse thundered.
"Who are you?"
Instead of answering, the woman raised the brass key.
"Step away from the wall."
"You can still walk out of here."
"And forget what you heard."
Grace didn't move.
The woman sighed.
"Then this becomes much more complicated."
Before either of them could speak again, a deep male voice echoed through the corridor.
"What exactly..."
"...has become complicated?"
Both women turned.
A man in a black tuxedo stood at the end of the hallway.
His eyes moved from Grace...
...to the hidden vent...
...to the brass key in the elegant woman's hand.
The smile disappeared from her face.
The man took one slow step forward.
Then another.
Without taking his eyes off the key, he spoke.
"I asked you a question."
No one answered.
The child behind the wall suddenly screamed.
"HELP ME!"
May you like
The entire ballroom fell silent.
End of Chapter 1
