Chapter 6 - The Broken Window
Bursting out of the basement office, Arthur sprinted up the stairs and threw himself against the heavy pantry door, twisting the brass key until the lock gave way with a sharp snap.
He bolted out into the hallway, his chest heaving as he scanned the entryway. Clara was standing near the foot of the stairs, her satin blouse uncreased, her expression completely devoid of the panic Maya had just described.
"Where are they?" Arthur demanded, grabbing Clara by the shoulders. "Maya said someone was at the kitchen window!"
"She thought she saw something," Clara replied calmly, her eyes steady and unblinking as she looked up at him. "Children have overactive imaginations, Arthur, especially when the weather gets stormy and the power flickers."
"I heard her voice through the intercom down in the sub-level archive!" Arthur shouted, his frustration boiling over into open anger. "The system you claim was hacked from the master panel is actually a permanent surveillance network built into the foundation of this house!"
Clara slowly stepped back from his grip, smoothing the front of her satin blouse with deliberate slowness.
"You found the lower archive," she said softly, without a trace of surprise in her voice. "I wondered how many years it would take for your curiosity to finally get the better of your denial."
Before Arthur could demand an explanation, Leo walked out from the living room, holding a small object in his palm.
"Dad, I found this on the kitchen floor right under the window," the boy said quietly, his voice trembling as he held out a heavy brass house key that didn't belong to any lock they owned.
May you like
Arthur stared down at the key, recognizing the engraved maker's mark stamped into the metal—the exact logo of the security firm that had installed their system seven years ago.
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