Chapter 5: The Room Beneath the House
I stared at the message until the screen dimmed.
Nobody noticed at first.
Everyone was watching the door Arthur had just walked through.
Everyone except Ellie.
She noticed everything.
“Mr. Vale?””
I looked down.
“Yes?””
“You’re scared.””
The honesty of a child was sometimes more uncomfortable than any accusation.
I locked my phone.
“I’m thinking.””
She tilted her head.
“Thinking looks like scared.””
Clare immediately apologized.
“Ellie, please don’t bother him.””
I almost smiled.
“No. She’s right.””
The room became quiet.
For years, I had built an image.
Dominic Vale didn’t panic.
Dominic Vale didn’t hesitate.
Dominic Vale always had a plan.
But standing there, surrounded by people I trusted, I finally admitted something.
I didn’t know who had betrayed me.
And that frightened me.
Vincent approached.
“Dominic.””
I looked at him.
“The message.””
His eyes narrowed.
“You received something?””
I handed him my phone.
He studied the photo.
Then zoomed in.
The image showed my medical room.
My bed.
My equipment.
And me sleeping.
“Timestamp?”” I asked.
Vincent checked.
“Yesterday. 11:17 p.m.””
Samuel’s accusation suddenly felt smaller.
Because whoever did this wasn’t just changing my brace.
They were watching me.
Inside my home.
Vincent looked disturbed.
“Security failure.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“Something worse.””
“What?””
“Someone with access.””
He nodded slowly.
That was the only explanation.
My estate had three security layers.
Nobody entered without authorization.
Nobody moved through restricted areas unnoticed.
Unless they were already trusted.
I looked at Clare.
She was standing near the wall, nervous.
“Clare.””
She looked up.
“Yes, Mr. Vale?””
“How long have you worked here?””
“Almost seven years.””
“Have you ever entered my medical room?””
Her face immediately changed.
“No.””
“Have you ever been asked to?””
She hesitated.
Only for a second.
But I saw it.
“Clare.””
She looked down.
“There was one time.””
The room became tense.
“When?””
“Two months ago.””
“Why?””
She swallowed.
“Mr. Voss asked me to bring some documents.””
Arthur.
Again.
“What documents?””
“I don’t know. He said they were confidential.””
“Did you enter the room?””
“No.””
She looked at me.
“I waited outside.””
Vincent stepped forward.
“Did he touch anything?””
“I don’t know.””
A thought appeared.
A terrible thought.
“What if Arthur never needed to enter?””
Everyone looked at me.
“What do you mean?”” Vincent asked.
“What if he only needed someone else’s access?””
The person who cloned Clare’s badge.
The person who copied credentials.
The person who knew the house.
I looked around.
Then I noticed something.
The security footage from yesterday.
The figure entering my medical room.
The dark coat.
The hidden face.
The silver watch.
Something had bothered me.
Something small.
“Vincent.””
“Yes?””
“Show me the footage again.””
He pulled it up.
The figure walked down the hallway.
Stopped.
Entered the room.
I watched carefully.
Then I saw it.
The person never limped.
Never hesitated.
Never looked around.
They moved like they knew exactly where they were going.
“Pause.””
Vincent froze the image.
I pointed.
“The shoes.””
Nobody understood.
“What about them?””
“They’re not medical staff.””
Vincent zoomed in.
The person wore expensive black leather shoes.
Not hospital shoes.
Not security shoes.
Professional shoes.
Executive shoes.
I looked at Arthur’s empty chair.
“Someone wants us looking at doctors and housekeepers.””
Vincent nodded.
“While the real person stays invisible.””
Exactly.
Then Ellie quietly spoke.
“I know that room.””
Everyone turned.
“What room?”” I asked.
She pointed toward the hallway.
“The secret one.””
Clare’s face changed instantly.
“Ellie.””
“What secret room?””
The little girl looked confused.
“The room where the man talks on the phone.””
My heart stopped.
“What man?””
She pointed upstairs.
“The angry man.””
Vincent immediately reached for his radio.
“Where?””
Ellie walked toward the wall near my office.
Then she touched a small wooden panel.
“My mommy told me not to play here.””
The panel moved slightly.
Behind it was a hidden mechanism.
Nobody spoke.
Because I had lived in this house for eight years.
And I had never known that door existed.
Vincent opened it carefully.
A narrow staircase descended into darkness.
The smell coming from below was old.
Dust.
Metal.
And something else.
Fear.
I grabbed my cane.
“Call the team.””
Vincent stopped me.
“You shouldn’t go down there.””
I looked into the darkness.
Someone had been inside my house.
Someone had been watching me.
Someone had been planning my downfall.
And now, finally…
They had left something behind.
I stepped onto the first stair.
At the bottom, a light suddenly turned on.
And on the wall below us was a photograph.
A photograph of me.
Taken on the day of my accident.
May you like
With a handwritten note beneath it.
*The first attempt failed.*
