Chapter 6 – The Forgotten Caretaker
Unable to open the steel door, Charles ordered security to search the estate records.
Within twenty minutes, an elderly man arrived.
His name was Harold Bennett.
He had worked at Ashcroft Manor nearly forty years earlier.
Harold stared at the hidden tunnel.
His face turned pale.
"I prayed nobody would ever find this place."
Charles stepped closer.
"What is it?"
Harold pointed toward the steel door.
"That wasn't part of the original manor."
"It was added after the fire."
"What fire?"
Harold looked down.
"The newspapers never reported it."
"There was a kidnapping attempt."
Grace's eyes widened.
"A child?"
Harold nodded.
"The previous owner secretly built panic rooms throughout the estate."
"They were meant to protect children."
Charles frowned.
"So why is one hidden?"
Harold swallowed.
"Because somebody later turned protection into imprisonment."
Silence filled the tunnel.
Grace asked quietly,
"Who had access?"
Harold hesitated.
"Only family."
"And one trusted employee."
Charles' expression darkened.
"Who?"
Harold answered with one name.
"Margaret Holloway."
Grace had never heard it before.
Charles had.
His face drained of color.
"She disappeared twenty-two years ago."
Harold nodded slowly.
May you like
"So everyone believed."
End of Chapter 6
