Chapter 3 - THE ROOM UNDER THE BALLROOM
William tore the painting away from the wall with both hands.
The hidden steel door stood exposed beneath the bright hallway lights.
His guests gathered behind him in stunned silence.
“What is the code?” he demanded.
Isabella touched his sleeve. “William, please. Ethan is unstable. Opening that door in front of strangers will only humiliate him.”
William shook her off. “The code.”
Daniel stepped backward.
Emma saw it and pointed. “He knows.”
William grabbed the guard by his lapels. “Open it.”
Daniel entered six numbers.
The lock clicked.
The smell came first.
Bleach. Damp concrete. Medicine.
A narrow staircase led beneath the ballroom.
William descended so fast he nearly fell.
Emma followed.
At the bottom was a small room with one cot, one plastic chair, a camera in the ceiling, and no window. Ethan lay on the floor in wrinkled pajamas, pale and trembling. A leather restraint hung from the side of the bed.
William dropped beside him.
“Son.”
Ethan opened his eyes. “You came.”
William's face broke. “Of course I came.”
“You didn't before.”
Emma knelt and checked his breathing. His pulse was fast. An empty water bottle lay beyond his reach.
She looked at Isabella. “How long has he been here?”
“Two days.”
Ethan whispered, “Five.”
William turned slowly.
Isabella held up both hands. “He tried to run away. Dr. Vale said strict isolation was necessary.”
“What doctor?”
“Dr. Adrian Vale. He specializes in difficult children.”
Emma found pill bottles on a shelf. The labels bore Ethan's name, but the dosages were high enough to make her stomach turn.
“Call an ambulance,” she said.
Isabella stepped toward the bottles. “Those are confidential.”
Emma swept them into her apron pocket.
William lifted Ethan.
The boy cried out when his left side moved.
“Who hurt you?” William asked.
Ethan looked toward Isabella.
She smiled at him.
It was a small, private smile.
The kind adults used when they believed children had no power.
Ethan shut his mouth.
Emma leaned close. “You can tell the truth.”
His eyes filled.
“She said if I told Dad, she'd send you away.”
William stared at his wife.
Then the basement lights went out.
A metal door slammed above them.
Someone had locked them underground.
May you like
And through the darkness, Isabella's voice came calmly from the stairs.
“You should have left the painting alone.”
