Chapter 16 – The Second Estate
Before sunrise, Grace, Charles, Detective Brooks, and the emergency response team arrived at the abandoned Ashcroft Lake House.
The property had been empty for nearly eighteen years.
At least that was what the official records claimed.
A maintenance worker stood near the rear foundation.
His face was white.
"I heard someone crying through the floor."
Grace felt a chill.
The workers had already broken through a section of concrete.
A narrow staircase descended into darkness.
This hidden room was smaller than the ones beneath the manor.
Blankets lay neatly folded in one corner.
Children's books rested on a shelf.
A calendar still hung on the wall.
The final date marked was only six weeks earlier.
Grace opened a cabinet.
Inside were unopened bottles of water.
Fresh canned food.
Someone had been using the room recently.
Detective Brooks discovered a wall covered with photographs.
Some had been crossed out.
Some had been circled.
Only one remained untouched.
It was Lucas.
Below his picture someone had written:
"The last witness."
Charles stared at the words.
"Witness to what?"
Grace noticed another envelope hidden behind the frame.
Inside was a memory card.
Detective Brooks carefully slipped it into a portable reader.
The first video began to play.
A familiar woman appeared on the screen.
Margaret Holloway.
She looked directly into the camera.
"If you're watching this..."
"...I wasn't the villain."
May you like
The recording ended abruptly.
End of Chapter 16
