Chapter 3 - THE MAN WITH THE WINE GLASS
Adrian entered Blackwood House as though he owned it.
Nora heard his footsteps crossing the foyer. He did not call her name. He did not ask whether anyone was inside.
He walked directly toward Claire’s studio.
Samuel guided Nora behind a row of storage cabinets.
“There’s a service passage,” he whispered. “Your mother designed it.”
“Why?”
“She stopped trusting ordinary doors.”
He pressed a small wooden panel. Part of the wall opened into a narrow corridor.
Nora entered, but Samuel remained behind.
“Aren’t you coming?”
“If we both disappear, he’ll know.”
“What will you tell him?”
“That I came to inspect the roof.”
“Will he believe you?”
“No.”
The studio door shook beneath a hard knock.
Samuel pushed the hidden panel closed.
Nora found herself in complete darkness. She used her phone light and followed the passage, carrying the cassette recorder beneath her coat.
Behind the wall, Adrian entered the studio.
“Samuel,” he said. “I thought we agreed you would call me before visiting.”
“I could say the same to you.”
“I manage the foundation that owns this property.”
“You manage the paperwork.”
A chair moved.
Nora placed her ear against the wall.
“Where is she?” Adrian asked.
“Who?”
“Claire’s daughter.”
“I haven’t seen her since she was a child.”
Adrian’s voice hardened. “Her car is outside.”
Silence followed.
Nora continued through the passage until she reached a small wooden door. It opened beneath the western staircase.
The space beyond contained shelves, electrical panels and an old keypad.
The evidence is beneath the western staircase.
She entered her birthday, followed by the date Ethan had proposed. Claire had told that story dozens of times.
The keypad flashed green.
A hidden drawer opened beneath the bottom shelf.
Inside was a black ledger and a silver memory drive.
Nora placed both in her bag.
The lights in the passage suddenly turned on.
She froze.
A speaker above her produced a burst of static.
Then Adrian’s voice came through it.
“Nora, I know you can hear me.”
She looked around for a camera.
“You have entered a dangerous part of the house,” he continued. “Come to the dining room, and we can discuss this calmly.”
Nora said nothing.
“Your father knows I’m here.”
She did not believe him.
Then her phone vibrated.
A message appeared from Ethan.
ADRIAN WILL EXPLAIN EVERYTHING. DO NOT LEAVE UNTIL I ARRIVE.
Nora stared at the screen.
Her father had sent it.
A second message followed.
TRUST HIM.
She hated how much those two words hurt.
Nora left the staircase compartment and entered the dining room.
Adrian was waiting beside the long table. He had removed his coat and poured himself a glass of wine from a bottle that was already open.
Samuel was nowhere in sight.
“Where is the caretaker?” Nora asked.
“Samuel decided to leave.”
“His truck is still outside.”
Adrian smiled. “You’ve inherited your mother’s attention to detail.”
“Did my father send you?”
“He called me after your visit.”
“Why?”
“Because he understands that grief can make people believe impossible things.”
Nora placed the cassette recorder on the table.
“Is this impossible?”
Adrian’s smile disappeared.
She pressed play.
Claire’s voice filled the dining room.
Adrian still believes Ethan approved the project.
Nora stopped the recording before the rest could play.
“What project?”
Adrian stared at the machine for several seconds.
Then he lifted his wine.
“Your mother was ill.”
“She discovered something.”
“She became frightened of shadows.”
“Were you one of those shadows?”
Adrian walked around the table.
“You should give me the recording.”
“No.”
“The people involved in this are not the kind you challenge with an old cassette.”
“Was my father involved?”
Adrian stopped in front of her.
“That depends on what you mean by involved.”
The front door opened.
Ethan entered the foyer.
“Nora!”
She looked toward his voice.
Adrian reached for the recorder.
Nora grabbed it first and stepped away.
Ethan appeared in the dining room, his face filled with anger.
“What are you doing here?”
“You told Adrian to explain everything.”
“I told him to keep you away from the basement.”
Nora showed him the message.
Ethan took her phone.
His expression changed.
“I didn’t send this.”
Adrian set down his glass.
Ethan looked at him. “Did you clone my number?”
Adrian gave a tired sigh.
“I was trying to prevent another tragedy.”
“What tragedy?”
Adrian’s gaze moved toward the floor.
The sound came from beneath them.
Three slow knocks.
Then three more.
May you like
Nora looked at her father.
Someone was inside the basement.
