Chapter 2
Emma Carter froze with one hand still gripping the heavy gold frame.
The woman behind her was Evelyn Whitmore.
Everyone in the ballroom knew that name.
The Whitmore family owned half the commercial property in the county.
Their photographs appeared in charity magazines.
Their foundation donated millions to schools, hospitals, and children’s programs.
And tonight, nearly two hundred wealthy guests had gathered inside their mansion to celebrate Evelyn’s engagement to businessman Victor Hale.
Emma had been hired through a catering company.
She was supposed to carry drinks.
Smile.
Stay invisible.
Instead, she was standing in front of a hidden room with a terrified child tied up inside it.
Evelyn lifted her champagne glass.
“Put it back.”
Her voice stayed calm.
That frightened Emma more than shouting would have.
The little girl stared at Emma.
She looked eight, maybe nine.
Her blond hair was tangled around her face.
There was a red mark around one wrist where the rope had rubbed her skin.
Emma swallowed.
“Who is she?”
Evelyn’s expression hardened.
“That is none of your concern.”
A second thump came from deeper inside the wall.
Then something scraped.
The girl flinched.
Emma looked past her.
The hidden space wasn’t a closet.
It was a narrow passage.
It disappeared into darkness behind the child.
“Someone else is in there.”
Evelyn took one step forward.
“You’re confused.”
“No, I heard—”
“You heard pipes.”
Emma stared at her.
The mansion was silent behind the wall except for breathing.
Then came another sound.
A weak voice.
“Lily?”
The little girl’s eyes widened.
“Daddy!”
She twisted toward the darkness.
“Daddy, I’m here!”
Evelyn moved fast.
Her champagne glass hit a side table.
Her fingers closed around Emma’s wrist.
“Enough.”
Emma jerked away.
“What did you do?”
A smile suddenly appeared on Evelyn’s face.
Not because anything was funny.
Because two guests had entered the hallway.
“There you are,” Evelyn said brightly.
Her entire personality changed in an instant.
The guests smiled.
One of them, an older man wearing a tuxedo, raised his glass.
“Evelyn, everyone is waiting for the toast.”
“I’ll be right there.”
He glanced at Emma.
The painting was still pulled away from the wall, but from his angle he couldn’t see behind it.
“Problem?”
“Loose mounting bracket,” Evelyn said.
Emma almost laughed from disbelief.
The guest nodded.
“Old houses.”
When they disappeared, Evelyn’s smile vanished.
She leaned closer.
“You have no idea what you’ve walked into.”
Emma looked back at Lily.
The girl was trembling.
Emma had a decision to make.
Run into the ballroom and scream?
Call the police?
Untie Lily first?
Her phone was in the staff locker downstairs.
The catering manager had forbidden servers from carrying phones during service.
Evelyn seemed to know that.
“You work for Sterling Events, correct?”
Emma said nothing.
“Your manager is Mr. Dorsey.”
Still nothing.
Evelyn’s eyes narrowed.
“I know everyone working inside my home.”
Emma slowly reached into the hidden space.
Evelyn grabbed her shoulder.
Emma spun.
“Don’t touch me.”
“Walk away.”
“There’s a child tied up in your wall.”
“You don’t understand what you’re seeing.”
“Then explain it.”
Evelyn’s jaw tightened.
For the first time, something cracked in her calm expression.
Fear.
Not fear of Emma.
Fear of what Emma might discover.
The voice came again.
Closer this time.
“Lily?”
“Daddy!”
The little girl began crying harder.
Emma pushed herself into the passage.
Evelyn caught the back of her uniform.
Emma pulled free.
“Get out of there!”
The command echoed through the wall.
Emma ignored her.
She crouched beside Lily.
“Hold still.”
The ropes were tied tightly.
Emma tried to loosen the knot.
It wouldn’t move.
“Do you know me?” Emma whispered.
Lily shook her head.
“My name is Emma. I’m going to get you out.”
Lily stared at the entrance.
“She’ll hurt you.”
Emma’s stomach tightened.
“Who?”
Lily didn’t answer.
Footsteps sounded behind Emma.
Evelyn was entering the passage.
Emma found a small metal serving tool in her apron.
A bottle opener.
She pressed its edge against the rope.
It was slow.
Too slow.
“Emma.”
Evelyn knew her name now.
“Stop.”
Emma sawed harder.
The rope began to fray.
Then the passage suddenly went dark.
Evelyn had turned off a hidden light near the entrance.
Lily screamed.
Emma grabbed the child.
“It’s okay!”
“No!”
Lily thrashed.
“Don’t leave me in the dark!”
Emma felt along the wall.
The passage was barely wide enough for one adult.
Evelyn’s heels clicked behind them.
Closer.
Closer.
Emma finally snapped the rope.
“Move.”
Lily crawled forward.
Not toward the ballroom.
Deeper into the passage.
Emma caught her ankle.
“No, the exit is behind us.”
Lily shook her head violently.
“She’s there.”
Emma understood.
Whatever waited deeper inside frightened Lily less than Evelyn.
That was enough.
Emma followed her.
Behind them, Evelyn hissed.
“Lily!”
The child crawled faster.
The hidden corridor turned sharply.
Dim light appeared ahead.
Emma smelled dust.
Then blood.
She almost stopped.
A man was sitting against the wall twenty feet away.
His white dress shirt was torn.
One side of his face was bruised.
His wrists had been secured to an iron pipe with plastic restraints.
Lily rushed toward him.
“Daddy!”
The man lifted his head.
His eyes landed on Emma.
“Who are you?”
“I’m a waitress.”
He almost smiled.
Then pain twisted his face.
“You need to get her out.”
Emma hurried to him.
“Who did this?”
He looked past her.
“Evelyn.”
Emma’s blood ran cold.
Lily wrapped her arms around him.
“Daddy, she said you left.”
The man shut his eyes.
“I would never leave you.”
Emma touched the restraints.
They were thick.
Her bottle opener wouldn’t cut them.
“Why are you inside the wall?”
The man stared at her.
“Because this house has passages my wife thought nobody remembered.”
“Your wife?”
“Evelyn.”
Emma looked at Lily.
Then back toward the darkness.
“But tonight is her engagement party.”
“I know.”
Emma’s confusion deepened.
The man gave a weak laugh.
“That’s the problem.”
Footsteps stopped around the corner.
Everyone became silent.
Evelyn’s voice floated toward them.
“Daniel.”
The injured man stiffened.
Emma looked at him.
Daniel Whitmore.
Now she recognized him.
Evelyn’s husband.
Or former husband.
Three years earlier, newspapers reported that Daniel Whitmore had disappeared during a private sailing trip.
His boat had been found empty.
His body had never been recovered.
Emma stared.
“You’re supposed to be dead.”
Daniel nodded.
“That was the plan.”
Evelyn stepped around the corner.
She was holding something now.
Not a champagne glass.
A pistol.
Lily buried her face against her father.
Emma slowly stood.
Evelyn aimed the gun.
“You should have put the painting back.”
Emma’s heart hammered.
From the ballroom outside came applause.
Someone had apparently started a speech.
No one could hear them.
Daniel struggled against the pipe.
“Evelyn, leave her out of this.”
Evelyn’s eyes stayed on Emma.
“She made herself part of it.”
Emma raised her hands.
“You have a party full of people outside.”
“And they all believe Daniel is dead.”
“That can change.”
Evelyn smiled.
“Can it?”
She looked at Emma’s uniform.
“You’re a temporary waitress. No phone. No witnesses. And in twenty minutes, the catering staff begins packing.”
Emma realized Evelyn had already started calculating.
How to explain her disappearance.
How to remove her.
How to make everyone forget they had ever seen her.
Then Lily whispered something against Daniel’s shirt.
Emma barely heard it.
“The camera.”
Evelyn’s expression changed.
“What did you say?”
Lily went silent.
Daniel stared at his daughter.
Evelyn stepped closer.
“What camera?”
Emma saw Lily’s eyes flick toward a wooden beam near the ceiling.
Just for a second.
Evelyn followed her gaze.
There.
Wedged above the beam.
A tiny black device.
Daniel had hidden a camera.
Evelyn raised the gun toward it.
Emma moved before she could think.
She slammed both hands into Evelyn.
The pistol fired.
The sound exploded through the passage.
Lily screamed.
Daniel shouted.
Evelyn hit the wall.
The bullet struck somewhere behind Emma.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Emma grabbed Lily.
“Run!”
They raced deeper into the passage.
“Emma!” Daniel shouted.
She stopped.
She couldn’t leave him.
Evelyn was already pushing herself up.
Daniel looked at Emma.
“Take Lily!”
“I can’t leave you!”
“You have to!”
Evelyn reached for the gun.
Daniel screamed one word.
“Library!”
Emma grabbed Lily and ran.
Behind them came another gunshot.
Then Daniel cried out.
Lily tried to turn around.
“Daddy!”
Emma carried her.
The passage descended.
The air became colder.
They reached a wooden panel.
Emma pushed.
Nothing.
“Library,” she whispered.
Lily pointed to a small latch near the floor.
Emma pulled it.
The wall opened.
They tumbled through a bookshelf into an empty room lined with thousands of books.
Music from the party shook the ceiling.
They were back inside the mansion.
Emma pushed the bookshelf shut.
Lily was sobbing.
“We have to get Daddy.”
“We will.”
“You left him.”
“I’m getting help.”
Emma crossed to the library door.
Locked.
She pulled harder.
Nothing.
Lily suddenly stopped crying.
Her face went pale.
“What?”
Lily pointed behind Emma.
On a desk sat a large television monitor.
It showed security camera feeds from around the mansion.
Ballroom.
Kitchen.
Front gate.
Hallway.
And one feed showed Daniel inside the passage.
Evelyn stood over him.
The gun was in her hand.
Daniel was still alive.
Evelyn crouched beside him.
Even without sound, Emma could read her lips.
Where is the camera?
Daniel smiled at her.
Then every security monitor suddenly went black.
The library lights shut off.
The electronic lock on the door clicked.
Emma pulled it open.
She almost stepped into the hallway.
Then a man in a black suit walked past.
He had an earpiece.
Security.
Emma pulled Lily back.
The man spoke quietly into his sleeve.
“Mrs. Whitmore says the waitress has the girl.”
A voice answered.
“Lock down the house.”
Emma stared at Lily.
May you like
The child grabbed her hand.
And from somewhere downstairs, every exterior door in the mansion locked at once.
