Chapter 10 - Trapped Below
“Clara! The grate!” Julian shouted, hammering his fists against the heavy iron bars from the inside as the sound of heavy boots echoed from the garden path directly above them.
“Keep moving! Don't look back!” Clara commanded, her voice echoing sharply through the narrow concrete pipe.
She crawled faster, her elbows scraping against the rough concrete walls until the pipe opened up into a larger, brick-lined junction chamber directly beneath the heart of the hedge maze. The air down here was thick with the smell of stagnant water and old rust, but it was safe from the patrol units above. Clara flicked on the tactical flashlight, casting a stark white beam across the damp walls. To her horror, the chamber was completely empty—except for a single item resting on a wooden crate in the center of the room.
It was the red ledger.
It lay open, its pages fluttering slightly in the drafty air, marked with a fresh, wet splash of dark blood.
Vance stepped into the chamber behind Julian, lowering his rifle as he scanned the shadows with intense suspicion. “It’s a trap. They left it here as bait.”
“Obviously,” Clara said, stepping cautiously toward the crate. She didn't touch the book directly; instead, she used the blade of her hunting knife to flip the cover open.
Inside, tucked neatly between the blood-stained pages, was a heavy brass pocket watch attached to a gold chain. The glass face was cracked, and the hands were permanently frozen at midnight.
Julian gasped, covering his mouth with his hand. “That... that was Father’s watch. He always kept it in his study safe.”
“Which means the syndicate didn't just raid the estate tonight,” Clara said, her voice dropping to a dangerous, icy whisper. “They cleaned out the family vault three days ago, before I even revealed my identity in the ballroom.”
Suddenly, the steel door at the far end of the underground chamber clicked, and a heavy magnetic lock engaged with a sharp, definitive snap.
“We’ve been sealed in,” Vance stated grimly, trying the heavy handle in vain. “The hydraulic pressure on this door is too strong to break manually.”
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From a hidden speaker embedded in the brick wall above them, a cold, distorted voice began to laugh softly.
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