Chapter 2: The Secret Beneath the Water
Marcus had never been more terrified in his life.
The knocking came again.
Three slow, deliberate strikes.
He grabbed the edge of the hatch and pulled himself closer.
A faint current moved through the opening, carrying a smell that didn't belong in a swimming pool.
Damp concrete.
Rust.
And something stale, like a room that hadn't seen sunlight in years.
His lungs were screaming.
He needed air.
But he couldn't leave.
Not now.
He pressed his palm against the metal.
“Eleanor!””
The sound was little more than a vibration underwater.
No answer.
He looked upward.
Ava was standing beside the pool, held back by Daniel. Vanessa was nowhere near the edge anymore.
Marcus kicked toward the surface.
He broke through the water gasping.
“Get me a rope!”” he shouted.
Daniel rushed forward.
“Marcus! What the hell are you doing?””
“There's something under the pool!””
Vanessa hurried toward them.
“Marcus, get out. You're going to hurt yourself.””
“There's a hatch!””
Her face went pale.
Daniel looked at her.
“A hatch?””
Vanessa immediately shook her head.
“He's confused. He hit his head when he jumped.””
Marcus stared at her.
“I didn't hit my head.””
He grabbed the pool ladder and climbed out.
Water poured from his clothes onto the stone tiles.
“Daniel, call emergency services. Tell them we have an unidentified underground structure beneath the swimming pool.””
Vanessa stepped forward.
“No! You can't bring the police here!””
The words escaped before she could stop them.
Daniel frowned.
“Why not?””
Vanessa's lips parted.
“I mean, we don't know what's down there. It could be dangerous. We should contact the maintenance company first.””
Marcus walked toward her.
“Which maintenance company?””
She hesitated.
“The one that services the pool.””
“Name?””
“Marcus, this isn't the time.””
“Then tell me why you know there's something beneath my pool.””
She looked toward the mansion.
For the first time since he had known her, Vanessa seemed to be searching desperately for an excuse.
Daniel took out his phone.
“I'm calling the police.””
Vanessa turned sharply.
“Daniel, don't.””
He raised an eyebrow.
“Why?””
“Because I said so.””
Daniel stared at her.
“You're not his wife, Vanessa.””
The words landed hard.
Marcus glanced at his brother, then back at the pool.
“Get Ava inside. Stay with her.””
Ava immediately grabbed Marcus's wet hand.
“No, Daddy. I want to help Mommy.””
He crouched in front of her.
“Listen to me, sweetheart. I'm going to find out what's happening. But I need you to stay safe.””
Ava shook her head.
“Mommy said not to trust the lady.””
Marcus felt something tighten in his chest.
“What lady?””
Ava pointed.
“Vanessa.””
Vanessa let out an incredulous laugh.
“This is absurd.””
But Marcus wasn't listening anymore.
He was looking at his daughter's face.
“Did Mommy tell you that?””
Ava nodded.
“When?””
“Last night. She told me through the little window.””
“Where is the window?””
Ava pointed toward the far end of the pool.
“Behind the big flower pots. There's a little metal door in the wall.””
Marcus followed her finger.
The pool's eastern wall was lined with enormous stone planters filled with white hydrangeas. Beyond them stood a decorative wall covered in climbing ivy.
He had always assumed it concealed electrical equipment.
He had never examined it closely.
“Daniel,” Marcus called, “bring a flashlight.””
Daniel returned with one from the garage.
Vanessa stepped directly in front of them.
“You're not going over there.””
Marcus stopped.
“Move.””
“Marcus, please. You're making a mistake.””
“Then explain what we're about to find.””
She shook her head.
“I can't.””
That answer was worse than any confession.
Marcus moved around her.
Behind the planters, the ivy concealed a narrow steel door. Its surface was almost the same color as the surrounding stone.
Daniel brushed away the leaves.
A small keypad appeared.
Marcus stared at it.
“Who installed this?””
Vanessa said nothing.
He examined the keypad.
Four numbers were worn smooth from repeated use.
He entered his birthday.
The screen flashed red.
Daniel tried Eleanor's birthday.
Red again.
Ava stepped closer.
“Daddy?””
Marcus looked down.
“What is it, sweetheart?””
“Mommy used to say four numbers when she sang our bedtime song.””
He crouched.
“What numbers?””
Ava counted on her fingers.
“Two. Seven. One. Nine.””
Marcus entered 2719.
A green light appeared.
A soft mechanical click sounded behind the door.
Daniel stepped back.
“Jesus Christ.””
The door opened.
Beyond it was a narrow concrete corridor leading downward.
Cold air rushed out.
Marcus pointed his flashlight inside.
The corridor walls were covered in old moisture stains. Thick electrical cables ran along the ceiling. At the far end, a metal staircase descended into darkness.
“This was built before we bought the property,” Daniel said.
Marcus shook his head.
“No. I had the original construction plans.””
“Then somebody built it without telling you.””
Vanessa stood behind them, her hands trembling.
“Please don't go down there.””
Marcus turned.
“Why?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Because you won't understand what you find.””
He took a step toward her.
“Then help me understand.””
She looked at Ava.
Then at Daniel.
Then back at Marcus.
“I was trying to protect you.””
Marcus laughed bitterly.
“From my missing wife?””
Vanessa flinched.
“Your wife is not the woman you remember.””
For a moment, nobody spoke.
“What did you just say?”” Marcus asked.
Vanessa covered her mouth.
She looked as though she had finally realized how much she had revealed.
Daniel moved closer.
“Marcus, I think you should hear this.””
But Marcus had already turned toward the corridor.
He couldn't waste another second.
He stepped inside.
Daniel followed.
The concrete staircase was steep and narrow. Their footsteps echoed through the underground passage.
At the bottom was a small room.
A metal table stood against one wall. Beside it sat a chair with leather straps attached to the armrests.
Marcus stopped.
His flashlight moved across the room.
A dusty television monitor.
An empty water bottle.
A plate with dried food stuck to its surface.
And on the wall, several photographs.
Marcus walked toward them.
The first showed Eleanor standing in the mansion garden.
The second showed her sitting in the library.
The third showed her holding Ava when she was only two years old.
But the photographs weren't old family pictures.
They had been taken from unusual angles.
Through windows.
From behind doors.
From places where someone had been secretly watching.
Marcus felt sick.
Daniel whispered, “Who took these?””
Marcus noticed a date written beneath the final photograph.
October 14.
The night Eleanor disappeared.
He pulled the picture from the wall.
It showed his wife standing beside the pool.
Behind her was Vanessa.
And beside Vanessa stood a man Marcus recognized.
His own brother.
Daniel.
Marcus slowly turned.
Daniel's face had gone white.
“What is this?”” Marcus demanded.
Daniel looked at the photograph.
Then he looked at his brother.
“I can explain.””
Marcus grabbed him by the collar.
“You were there?””
“Marcus, listen—”
“You told the police you were in Chicago!””
Daniel swallowed.
“I was.””
“Then why are you standing beside my wife in this photograph?””
Daniel's eyes shifted toward the staircase.
Before he could answer, a loud metallic bang came from somewhere deeper underground.
All three men froze.
Marcus released his brother.
Another bang.
Then a faint voice.
A woman's voice.
“Marcus?””
His entire body went cold.
He knew that voice.
He had heard it in dreams, in memories, in the silence of his bedroom for eleven months.
“Eleanor?””
The voice came again.
“Marcus... please.””
He ran toward the far wall.
There was another door.
This one was painted white, with a small reinforced glass window.
He pressed his face against it.
At first, he saw only darkness.
Then a pale hand appeared on the other side.
A hand with a familiar gold wedding ring.
Marcus staggered backward.
“Eleanor!””
The hand pressed against the glass.
May you like
And then the woman behind the door whispered something that made him forget how to breathe.
“Marcus... don't open it until you know which one of them is lying.””
