Chapter 5 - BENEATH THE MARBLE
The service elevator creaked loudly as it descended three levels below the main floor of the mansion.
The air grew damp and cold, smelling of old concrete and forgotten dust.
Julian, Sarah, Detective Miller, and a silent Camille stepped out into a narrow, unlit corridor.
At the end of the hallway stood a heavy reinforced steel door with a dark oval recess near the lock handle.
"This door isn't on the county building records," Detective Miller noted, shining his flashlight against the steel frame.
"Put the pendant in the slot, Sarah," Julian instructed gently.
Sarah stepped forward with steady hands, placing the dark oval stone into the matching indentation.
A heavy mechanical click echoed through the corridor, followed by the hiss of pneumatic seals releasing.
The massive steel door swung inward, revealing a fully furnished medical room hidden behind the concrete.
In the center of the room sat a hospital bed surrounded by silent heart monitors and yellowed medical charts.
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On the nightstand sat a framed photograph of a young Julian and Camille standing with their mother, Eleanor.
Julian walked over to the bed, his hand trembling as he touched the cold white sheets.
