Chapter 6 - The Secret Departure
The smoke was beginning to seep down into the cellar through the floor cracks, turning the air grey and suffocating.
“We can't stay here, Clara. Julian and the firemen will search the entire perimeter soon,” Martha urged, gently lifting the exhausted mother.
Clara cradled her newborn daughter against her chest, tears streaming down her soot-stained cheeks as she kissed the baby’s forehead.
“We are going to disappear tonight,” Martha whispered, guiding Clara toward the hidden garden exit behind the old tool shed.
The night air hit them like a refreshing wave as they slipped past the flickering red lights of the fire engines parked out front.
They ducked into the shadows of the surrounding oak forest just as Julian stepped out onto the front porch to speak with the police chief.
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Clara looked back at the burning mansion one last time, her heart hardening into ice.
She was legally dead to the world, and she intended to stay that way until justice found her murderous husband.
