Page 7 of Wrecked
Her pulse quickened. She hurried into the ballroom where she found only two other doors on her right. The farthest one opened to reveal a long set of steps going down.
She’d save downstairs for last. Bedrooms were normally upstairs. That seemed a logical place to hold a captive.
Closing that door carefully, she moved to the other door, which opened into a small kitchen. Vintage cooking utensils were hung on a wall rack and stuffed into a ceramic vase sitting on a long prep counter with white cabinets below. More white cabinets were above a porcelain sink. The small refrigerator and free-standing gas stove with two small ovens all appeared clean and just as old as the cooking utensils.
Nothing appeared to be in use, which made sense for a single occupant. Probably a larger kitchen downstairs.
Could this have been the servant’s access to upstairs living quarters for the domestic staff at one time?
Crossing the galley kitchen, she opened another door to find a long walkway overlooking a wide foyer. She inhaled fresher air here, thankful not to find the copper penny smell of fresh blood.
No sound came from below in the foyer. At the end of the walkway, a curved set of stairs with a polished wood railing descended to the main floor.
Deep breath. Then another.
Go time. She stepped out onto a wood floor and glanced over the railing, patiently waiting to locate a guard before moving into the opening.
A man dressed in dark fatigues and carrying a high-powered rifle finally walked by outside beyond the tall glass windows on each side of wide mahogany double doors. Exterior lights spaced along the walkway tossed beams across the marble floor inside where a circular table held a vase of dead flowers.
Her heart squeezed at the poor guy who had come here and worked so hard.
As soon as the guard went out of sight, she lifted her stun gun and moved quickly across the carpet, staying close to the wall on her right. Once she passed the staircase going down, she stopped at the first door. No lights shined out from beneath.
She opened it carefully and kept her voice low. “Phoebe?”
No one answered. Closing it softly, she opened the next door.
Someone gasped in a high-pitched voice.
Hallene whispered, “Phoebe?”
Loud sniffling, then Phoebe begged in a trembling voice, “Go away. Leave me alone.”
Hallene’s heart broke at the terror in the girl’s voice because Phoebe couldn’t see who entered. Still, her heart pounded, excited to have found the girl.
She took a step in, quietly saying, “Stay calm. It’s me—”
“Nooo!”
Something hard slammed Hallene in the side of her head. She went down to the sound of Phoebe screaming.
