Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 63289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
The same woman with blue hair and sunglasses stood far off and just watched.
“She's really creepy.”
“My staff and the others had no idea she was there.” He flipped to another page. “My photographer was the one who brought this to my attention.”
I looked up at him. “Do you think Estelle. . .could kill?”
“I think that I wouldn't put anything past her.” He pointed at other pictures. “Damn it. None of these are good enough close ups.”
Shock hit me as I checked the various photos. In every one, Ethan posed with billionaires and entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, Estelle remained somewhere in the background with that blue hair and sunglasses.
Ethan checked his watch and grabbed his gun. “We should leave. Get your gun.”
“O-kay.” I picked mine up and made sure the safety switch was still on.”
Ethan left the desk. “We have to go, but I'll tell you more about Estelle.”
I followed. “Where are we going?”
“Remember, this is my new plan.” He went to the wall that I remembered opening in the moment that I was shot for the second time.
He stopped in front of the bookshelf and touched the spine of one book covered in dark green leather and had gold letters.
I caught the title, the Strange Life of Ivan Osokin.
Ethan picked the book up.
A beep sounded.
I stepped back.
The wall creaked open three inches.
Ethan pointed his gun at the opening.
I quirked my brows. “That's how you trigger it to work?”
“It is.” He pointed to the space where he had taken the book away. “Do you see the tiny red button?”
I bent over and spotted it. “Yes.”
“When it is pressed, the wall remains. That's why the book was placed on it.”
“And when the book is removed, the wall opens?”
“Correct.” Ethan placed the book back on the shelf and opened the wall more. “Let's go.”
Chapter 17
Timeless Love
I gripped the gun hard and followed Ethan into the secret passageway.
It was barely three feet wide. Every two feet a small light bulb was stuck in the wooden wall. It barely brightened the place.
I don't know about this.
Shadows lingered along the walls, casting a sinister glow. Tattered cobwebs hung from the ceiling like a macabre chandeliers. The air was thick with the smell of aged wood, and for some reason, I felt like I was intruding on sacred ground.
How could Ethan walk through here? I would have never used this passageway.
I touched the wooden walls. They were rough and cold. Even more, a strange energy surged through me—almost as if the walls were. . .alive. My skin crawled with unease.
I shivered.
Then, the door automatically shut behind us with a bang.
Shocked, I jumped.
Ethan glanced over his shoulder. “I apologize for the dust. Not many in my staff know about this path. Therefore, no one cleans it.”
“That's fine.”
I don't think cleaning this place will lower the creepy factor anyway.
Ethan checked his watch again and pointed the gun in front of him. “We should hurry. In ten minutes, the camera goes off and we assume that the killer will dress up in disguise and then eventually come in here.”
I shivered.
He walked forward.
I followed.
Our footsteps echoed through the passageway, sounding distant and hollow.
As I assumed, walking through a dark secret passageway that was built by a witch was an extremally unnerving experience.
The passageway was narrow and winding, like an uncoiling serpent. Faint whispers swirled in the air.
What the hell?
With every step, I swore time slowed down. Plus, the dimness was all-encompassing, like a black veil that obscured my vision and my sense of direction, creating this foreboding and distorted feeling.
I can't wait until we get out of here.
To keep me calm, I whispered to Ethan, “So. . .who knows about this passageway?”
“The chef. Julia has been with us for many years. She only uses it a few times, when she has gone to my bedroom and realizes I'm not there and I’m in my office. Then, she will go through the passageway and bring my late night snack to my office to save time. However, she doesn't like it.”
I agree with Julia.
I looked up at the tattered cobwebs. “Who else knows about this?”
“The manor's top security officials.”
“Like Christopher?”
“Yes.”
“What about your old assistant Estelle?”
“She didn't know about it until much later.” He sighed. “That is the story I will tell you.”
“Alright.”
The path began to rise and slant like a hill.
We climbed up and the floor creaked louder.
“Three months ago, I was going golfing with my friends on a Saturday afternoon. Estelle was off since it was the weekend.” Ethan continued to lead me forward. “I finished a contract and was in quite a rush to change, so I took this passageway.”
The path grew steeper.
I had to touch the walls to keep my footing.
“I hurried through here to get to my room.” Ethan let out a long breath. “And in my room, I see. . .”