Chapter 5 - Charles Built Rooms Without Windows
Police could not enter through the locked electronic gate, but Eric found an old manual release route through the service tunnels.
Before opening it, Daniel needed to understand what waited below.
Rachel explained that Charles called the underground area the “continuity suite.”
Official plans described it as a storm shelter.
In reality, it contained windowless rooms, independent power, communications equipment, and secure storage.
Charles used it for private meetings.
Sometimes people stayed longer than meetings required.
Daniel felt sick.
“Are you saying Dad imprisoned people?”
Rachel chose her words carefully.
“I know people were prevented from leaving.”
One of them had been Nathan.
After the staged boating death, Charles kept Nathan underground for eleven days while arranging a new identity.
Nathan escaped only after Rachel helped him.
That was why Rachel disappeared.
She had become a witness.
Margaret had known parts of this.
Not all.
Daniel looked at his mother.
“How much?”
“I knew Nathan was hidden here briefly. Charles told me it was for his protection.”
Daniel shook his head.
Again, protection.
Always protection.
Eric inspected the relay.
“The shutdown wasn’t designed to keep police out forever. Whoever activated it wants maybe twenty minutes.”
“For what?”
A metallic sound came from below.
Rachel looked toward the hatch.
“To open the archive.”
Daniel descended with Eric while Margaret stayed upstairs with Lily and a staff member.
At the bottom they found three corridors.
One door stood open.
Inside were shelves of paper files.
Another room contained an old cot.
The third had a modern biometric safe.
Someone had recently cleaned dust from its keypad.
Then Eric noticed blood on the floor.
Fresh.
A trail led behind the safe.
Daniel followed it.
A man lay unconscious against the wall.
Not Nathan.
Daniel recognized him as Henry Sloan, the Whitmore family attorney.
Henry’s eyes opened.
He grabbed Daniel’s sleeve.
“Don’t let Nathan open the safe.”
“Why?”
Henry coughed.
“Because what’s inside proves Nathan didn’t disappear to protect Margaret.”
Daniel froze.
May you like
Henry whispered:
“He disappeared because Charles discovered what Nathan had done.”
