Chapter 2: The Woman Beneath the Roses
The police arrived seven minutes later.
Two officers stepped out of their patrol car, followed by a paramedic who had been dispatched after I mentioned a possible person trapped underground.
I ran toward them.
“There's someone beneath that door.””
One officer, a tall man with silver hair, introduced himself as Sergeant Collins.
“Sir, when did you last hear the person?””
“Just now.””
“Did you see anyone enter the cellar?””
“No. It's been locked for years.””
He examined the rusty handle.
Then he looked at the fresh scratches around the lock.
“Who has access to this property?””
“My mother. My wife. Me.””
“Your wife?””
“She just drove away.””
His expression changed.
“Did she leave before we arrived?””
“Yes.””
“Do you know where she went?””
“No.””
He exchanged a glance with his partner.
“Let's get that door open.””
I handed him the brass key.
He examined it, then inserted it into the lock.
It turned.
The sound was small, but it seemed to echo across the entire garden.
The lock dropped onto the stones.
I moved closer.
Sergeant Collins raised one hand.
“Stay behind me, sir.””
He pulled the handle.
The wooden door resisted.
His partner joined him, and together they forced it upward.
A wave of stale air rolled out.
It smelled of damp earth, rust, and something unpleasantly chemical.
The opening revealed a narrow staircase descending into darkness.
My legs nearly gave way.
“Emily?””
No answer.
“Emily, can you hear me?””
Something moved below.
Then a voice whispered:
“Don't bring her down here.””
My blood turned cold.
Sergeant Collins drew his flashlight.
“Police! Is anyone down there?””
A woman began coughing.
Then I heard the sound of chains dragging against concrete.
The officer looked at me.
“Sir, stay here.””
But I was already moving.
I descended three steps before he caught my shoulder.
“Stop. We don't know what we're dealing with.””
“That's my wife!””
“Your missing wife?””
I nodded.
He studied my face.
Then he looked down into the darkness.
“Okay. But you stay behind us.””
The staircase ended in a narrow corridor.
The walls were lined with old wooden shelves. Empty glass jars stood in neat rows, covered in dust.
At the far end was another door.
Unlike the cellar entrance, this one was made of heavy metal.
A small rectangular window had been cut into its upper half.
I approached.
A pale hand appeared against the glass.
“Ethan?””
My knees almost buckled.
“Emily?””
The hand disappeared.
Then came a weak knock.
“Please...””
Sergeant Collins stepped forward.
“Ma'am, we're police officers. Can you tell us your name?””
“Emily Parker.””
I grabbed the wall.
It was her.
There was no mistaking that voice.
I had listened to hundreds of old recordings after she disappeared. I had kept her voicemails on an old laptop because deleting them felt like losing her all over again.
I knew the way she pronounced my name.
I knew the little catch in her breath.
I knew my wife.
“Emily,” I whispered.
“It's me. I'm here.””
A long silence followed.
Then she spoke.
“Ethan... where's Noah?””
I started crying.
“He's upstairs. He's safe.””
A sound came from behind the metal door.
Something between a sob and a laugh.
“My baby.””
Sergeant Collins examined the locking mechanism.
“Do you have a key?””
I looked at the brass key still in my hand.
It didn't fit.
We tried the handle.
Nothing.
“There's another lock,” the officer said.
He called for additional assistance.
I stayed beside the door.
“Emily, how long have you been here?””
Her answer was barely audible.
“Too long.””
“Who did this?””
Silence.
“Emily, tell me who locked you in.””
A sudden bang came from inside.
She screamed.
“Don't say her name!””
Sergeant Collins stepped back.
“Ma'am, you're safe. We need you to remain calm.””
But Emily wasn't speaking to him.
She was speaking to me.
“Ethan, listen carefully. You need to get Noah away from Claire.””
I looked toward the staircase.
“Claire isn't here.””
Emily began breathing rapidly.
“Where is she?””
“She left with my mother.””
A strange sound escaped Emily.
“No... no, no.””
“What?””
“Your mother?””
“Yes.””
Emily started crying.
“Then she's going to tell her.””
“Tell her what?””
The metal door shook.
Emily struck it from the other side.
“Ethan, you have to understand. Your mother didn't just know I was here.””
I pressed my palm against the cold metal.
“What are you saying?””
“She helped put me here.””
My entire world seemed to tilt.
Sergeant Collins looked at me.
“Sir?””
I couldn't answer.
The officer radioed for a specialist team to assist with the door.
While we waited, I noticed something scratched into the concrete wall beside the entrance.
At first, I thought it was random damage.
Then I leaned closer.
There were words.
Small, uneven letters.
*EMILY PARKER. OCTOBER 14.*
Below them were more words.
*NOAH'S FIRST BIRTHDAY.*
And beneath that:
*I DID NOT LEAVE MY SON.*
My throat closed.
“Emily?””
“Yes?””
“Why didn't you escape?””
She was quiet for a long time.
Then she said something that made my blood run cold.
“Because every time I tried, they threatened to take Noah away from me.””
I pressed my forehead against the door.
“Who?””
She whispered:
“Your mother.””
A radio crackled behind me.
Sergeant Collins turned toward his partner.
“Dispatch, we need an immediate location trace on a vehicle. Dark blue Mercedes, registration—”
He stopped.
His partner was holding up a phone.
“Sir, we have something.””
It was a photograph taken from the road outside the property.
Claire's car had been spotted near an abandoned industrial building six miles away.
But Claire wasn't alone.
A man was sitting in the driver's seat.
My mother was in the back.
And Claire was standing outside the vehicle, speaking to him.
The officer enlarged the image.
I recognized the man.
My mother's private attorney.
Richard Hale.
He had attended my wedding.
He had helped settle Emily's estate when she disappeared.
And he had signed the legal document declaring that Emily had voluntarily abandoned her family.
Sergeant Collins looked at me.
“Mr. Parker, do you know this man?””
I nodded slowly.
“Yes.””
“Who is he?””
“My mother's lawyer.””
From behind the metal door, Emily began screaming.
“Don't let him take Noah!””
I spun around.
“What?””
But before she could explain, the lights in the cellar flickered.
The corridor went dark.
May you like
And somewhere behind the metal door, I heard Emily whisper:
“Ethan... Richard is Noah's father.””
