Chapter 7 - The Passage Behind the Fireplace
Nathan’s grandfather had once told him that every old house carried secrets in its walls.
Nathan had assumed he meant family secrets.
He had forgotten about the maintenance passage.
The original builders had constructed a narrow service corridor behind the central chimney so pipes and electrical lines could be repaired without opening the stonework. The passage connected the basement utility room to a hatch near the upstairs study.
If Marcus’s men had found the lower entrance, they could bypass the sealed stairwell.
Nathan moved the children into the pantry, one of the few interior rooms without windows. Rosa carried the infants while Lily walked slowly with Nathan’s support.
He locked them inside and gave Rosa the emergency radio.
“If anyone enters, take the back staircase to the garage.”
“The garage door is electronic.”
“There’s a manual release.”
“What about you?”
“I’m closing the upper hatch.”
Rosa grabbed his sleeve. “You are a doctor, not a security officer.”
“This is my house.”
“That does not make you invincible.”
“No. It makes me responsible.”
He crossed the living room and climbed the stairs.
The study door stood open.
Nathan entered and moved behind the bookshelf. A hidden latch released the wooden panel, revealing a narrow opening filled with darkness.
The hatch at the floor was trembling.
Someone was climbing beneath it.
Nathan pulled the steel locking bar across the top.
A hand struck the underside.
“Dr. Mercer,” a voice called. “We only want the documents.”
“You entered a house containing children during a medical emergency.”
“We were authorized to recover stolen property.”
“By whom?”
“Mr. Kane.”
“Marcus Kane does not own this house.”
A drill pushed through the edge of the hatch.
Nathan stepped back.
He could not hold the barrier forever.
His grandfather had also built a fire suppression system into the passage. Nathan found the emergency valve and opened it.
Water released through the maintenance corridor.
The man below shouted as freezing water poured downward.
The drilling stopped.
Nathan returned to the living room.
Through the security camera, Marcus was arguing with Philip. The eastern service road remained empty.
Then red and blue lights appeared at the bottom of the mountain.
Deputies were coming.
Marcus saw them too.
He spoke to his men through a radio.
In the basement, the impacts stopped.
Nathan heard movement retreating below.
A minute later, two men emerged from the lower exterior window and ran toward the vehicles.
Marcus did not move.
He remained at the gate as the first sheriff’s vehicle approached.
The deputies ordered everyone to step away from the property.
Marcus raised his hands calmly.
Nathan released the steel shutters only after the sheriff called through the security system and verified his identity.
Paramedics entered first.
They examined Lily and the infants, placed them in insulated transport equipment, and prepared to take them to St. Catherine’s.
Marcus stood beyond the gate speaking with an attorney on the phone.
“He’s going to claim parental rights,” Rosa said.
“He has them unless the emergency custody order is valid.”
“It was never filed.”
Nathan looked toward Lily.
The girl was watching Marcus from the stretcher.
He approached her.
“Lily, the police will keep you safe tonight.”
“No,” she said.
“They won’t let him near you.”
“He owns people at the hospital.”
Nathan lowered his voice. “Then I’ll go with you.”
Lily searched his face.
“Mommy said you would say that.”
A deputy entered carrying the black envelope.
“We need to secure this as evidence,” he said.
Nathan gave it to him.
The deputy sealed it in a plastic evidence bag and walked toward his vehicle.
Marcus watched every step.
Then Nathan saw one of the paramedics near the ambulance look at Marcus.
The paramedic touched two fingers to his wrist.
Marcus gave the smallest nod.
Nathan turned toward Rosa.
“Stop the ambulance.”
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Before she could respond, the rear doors closed.
The vehicle began moving down the mountain with Lily and both infants inside.
