Page 56 of Dangerous Temptation
Her hands were rock-steady as she began flipping through the paperwork. She was spying again, only this time she did it without compunction. He had all the advantages in the world, yet this old man had intentionally stolen from people. He’d taken away their money and their futures.
She scanned every scrap she could find on the desk and in the drawers. She looked at the calendar, flinching when she saw the date she’d lost her father.
Nothing.
There was nothing that gave her the satisfaction she craved. Feeling almost desperate, she flung open the closet door. The musty smell nearly knocked her over. The closet was filled with clothes. Bartholomew couldn’t have taken much with him when he’d run.
Of course, with that kind of money he could buy anything he needed.
She let out a sound that was nearly a growl as she stared into the wardrobe. She wanted to scream at the egotism … the sense of entitlement …
Grabbing hold of the door, she gave in to the impulse to slam it … except that, a moment after she released it, she stopped it with the tips of her fingers. Something had caught her attention.
Confused, she opened the door wide again. There were scuff marks on it. She tilted her head to make sure it wasn’t just shadow play. No, the closet door was pockmarked and scuffed on the bottom half. Paint had peeled off in places.
That was odd. Everything in this house was kept in perfect condition. Even the inside of a closet should have merited the attention of the maintenance staff. She knew Alex had left everything for the investigators to search, but the damage looked old. Why hadn’t –
Her breath caught in her throat until it felt like a knife jabbing.
Oh, no. Alex!
Her knees wobbled and she sank into an unsteady crouch. Her hand shook as she reached out. The marks were all low on the door … about the height of a child. She remembered the way Alex had kicked and clawed when he’d been trapped in the bathroom downstairs. Her hand pulled away as if burned.
Horrified, she looked into the interior of the tiny space. It wasn’t a walk-in closet. The house was over a hundred years old. The storage space was small and dark. There wasn’t even a bare light bulb hanging from its ceiling.
The elevator dinged just across the hall and she jerked. For the first time since she’d entered, Elena felt like she was invading. She lurched to her feet and turned towards the door.
She heard movement, but it was too late to hide.
Her gaze locked with Leonard’s when he turned into the room and, for a brief moment, she felt relief.
It quickly fizzled.
‘Oh, Miss Elena.’ The butler wrung his hands in discomfort. ‘You can’t be in here. You mustn’t –’
‘What is that?’ she demanded. Her finger shook as she pointed at the still open closet.
She knew what had happened. The evidence was clear, but she wanted it not to be true.
Leonard’s gaze started to go in that direction, but he couldn’t look. Her heart died a little when his woeful face turned back towards her.
‘How long?’ she asked, her voice barely above a breath. ‘How long did it go on?’
The butler blanched until he nearly disappeared against his crisp white shirt. ‘Miss Elena, I shouldn’t betray –’
Her spine snapped straight and she took two steps forward. ‘How dare you defend that monster!’
‘Master Alex,’ he said, reaching out to catch her arms. He looked sad and ashamed. ‘He wouldn’t want me talking about this.’
So it was true. Alex had been locked in tiny rooms before. Her stomach squeezed threateningly. She remembered his desperation and agitation when he’d been trapped inside the gym bathroom. His claustrophobia went way back before his time in prison.
No wonder it was so bad.
Her eyes started to well. ‘Why?’ she simply asked.
‘Master Bartholomew was a difficult man.’ Leonard let go of her arms and clasped his fingers together. They turned so white, it was obvious he didn’t want to talk about the matter. ‘He didn’t have much patience for children.’
The lake house. It hadn’t been a place for hide-and-seek. Alex had hidden there to get away.
