Chapter 1 - THE VOICE INSIDE THE WALL
The first swing of Elena’s sledgehammer missed Victoria’s head by less than six inches.
“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?” Arthur shouted.
Elena froze with the hammer raised over her shoulder.
Dust floated through the living room like smoke. A jagged crack ran from the baseboard almost to the ceiling. Behind Elena, the expensive wallpaper Arthur’s wife had picked out three years ago hung in torn strips.
Victoria came flying down the staircase.
“Arthur! Stop her! She’s destroying the house!”
Elena ignored her.
She pressed her ear against the wall.
“Leo?” she whispered.
Arthur’s face went white.
“What did you just say?”
Elena turned.
“Your son is inside this wall.”
For one second, nobody moved.
Then Victoria laughed.
It was too quick.
Too sharp.
“That’s insane.”
Arthur stared at Elena.
“My son has been missing for six months.”
“I know.”
“He ran away.”
“No,” Elena said. “He didn’t.”
Victoria stepped forward.
“Arthur, this woman is crazy. Call the police.”
Elena raised one finger.
“Quiet.”
The room went still.
Then it came.
Three weak knocks.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Arthur stopped breathing.
A tiny voice came from behind the drywall.
“Dad?”
Arthur staggered backward as if someone had punched him.
“Leo?”
“Dad!”
Arthur rushed to the wall.
“Oh my God. Leo!”
“Please help me!”
Arthur clawed at the cracked drywall with his bare hands.
Victoria grabbed his arm.
“Arthur, wait!”
He spun around.
“What?”
“There could be pipes. Electrical wiring. You could kill him.”
Elena looked straight at Victoria.
“There are no pipes behind this section.”
“How would you know?”
“Because I checked the original blueprints.”
Victoria’s face changed.
Just for a second.
But Arthur saw it.
Elena saw it too.
Arthur whispered, “Victoria?”
She took one step back.
Elena tightened her grip on the sledgehammer.
“Move.”
Victoria didn’t.
“Elena, I’m warning you—”
Elena swung.
The wall exploded inward.
Arthur covered his face.
Dust filled the room.
Behind the broken drywall was not insulation.
It was another wall.
A metal one.
And in the center was a narrow steel door.
Arthur stared at it.
“What is that?”
Victoria began backing toward the front door.
Elena pointed at her.
“Don’t move.”
Arthur turned.
His eyes locked on Victoria.
“You knew.”
“I can explain.”
“You knew!”
The voice behind the steel door screamed.
“Dad! Don’t let her touch me again!”
Arthur’s expression shattered.
Victoria whispered, “It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.”
Arthur stared at his wife.
“What did you do to my son?”
Victoria’s eyes filled with tears.
Then she reached into her purse.
Elena saw the movement first.
“Arthur!”
Victoria pulled out a handgun.
May you like
And aimed it directly at the steel door.
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