The Bridge (Para-Earth Series) (31 page)

             
Alex pulled some blueprints out of the tube and spread them over Roy’s desk.

             
“If you’re going to bore my boss with that shit, I’m going to make that food run,” Veronica announced and left. 

             
As soon as she was gone Roy looked up at Alex and said apologetically, “Sorry, I had no idea she’d be here when you showed up.  Now what did you find?”

             
“When that teenage girl disappeared, did your people check these staircases?”  He was pointing to two sets of stairs on the blueprints.  They were located at the opposite ends of the back half of the H-shaped mansion.

             
Peterson looked and frowned, “No.  In fact, I don’t recall seeing any staircases back there, just the main ones.”

             
“That’s what I thought,” Alex nodded, “according to these later plans, it looks like the staircases should still be there.”

             
“So why didn’t we see them?” asked Roy.

             
“Because they’re hidden,” Alex explained, “It’s an old trick used in a lot of manors owned by wealthy families back in the seventeen and eighteen hundreds.  You have stairways and corridors used only by the servants to make them more invisible to you and your guests.”

             
“Got it,” Roy nodded, “I can see why you wanted to bring this to my attention and not Ronnie’s.  If Rachel is still inside that place, her remains could be lying at the bottom of one of those staircases.”

             
“I’d like to take one of your officers with me to check out that part of the manor. I’m going to check the measurements of the hallway.  If the length doesn’t tally with what the exterior of the building measures, then those stairways are definitely still there.  And if that is the case, I’m sure I can find the switch to open the hidden doorway and then your person can check it out from there.”

             
Peterson agreed and pressed a button on the intercom and said, “Pam.  See if Jack’s still here.  If he is, then tell him to come see me. I have a little assignment for him.”

              Half an hour later Alex was standing at the end of a corridor on the 2
nd
floor of the Graham manor.  With him was the biggest officer of the New Swindon Police force. 

             
Jack Thompson was over six feet tall and almost as wide at the shoulders.  He had been a promising football player, who never made it into the pros.  So he had come home to New Swindon, where he still longed to be part of something bigger than himself.  So he entered the police academy and never regretted it. 

             
Alex was rolling up the tape measure while Jack stared at the blank wall in front of them. 

             
“I can’t see anything, any idea how we get in?” asked the big policeman.

             
“Look for a spot on the wall paper that’s worn or out of place.”

             
Shrugging Thompson did as he was told and sure enough he noticed one particular area on the silk wallpaper that seemed slightly faded and worn away.  He pressed on it and suddenly, the outlines of a door appeared. 

             
The two men watched as the well-hidden portal swung inwards to reveal darkness.

             
“Unbelievable,” the big man murmured. “This was here all the time and we never knew.”  Quickly he reached for his shoulder radio and reported their find.

             
Meanwhile, Alex found a switch inside the opening and lights came on. There were cobwebs and dust everywhere.  There were also two sets of stairs, one leading up and another leading down.  He felt something pulling at him and he slowly mounted the steps that led upwards.

             
Upon reaching what had to be the third floor landing, he found the door that presumably opened to that corridor, but ignored it.  Another set of stairs leading further upwards beckoned.

             
“Shit!” he heard Thompson say behind him.  “I thought this place had only three floors.  We totally missed this one, come on.”

             
Alex allowed the big officer to move past him and then followed.  A part of him already suspected what they would find. 

             
By the time he reached the landing, the door leading out was wide open.  One look confirmed his suspicions.   A long corridor lined with dark paneling and dust covered carpeting waited.  Thompson must have found a light switch, because the corridor was well lit, but it did little to dispel the gloom from so many years of neglect.

             
As Alex stepped out of the stairwell, he was silently relieved to see only his companion’s footprints in the dust.

             
The nearest door stood some thirty feet away and Thompson was already standing in front of it.  The big officer was reaching for the door handle when another door at the far end of the corridor swung inwards.  The sound of its squealing hinges, echoed down the hallway, like one of the legendary Sirens calling out to them.

             
Drawing his gun, Jack gestured for him to stay put, and while he went to investigate.  With great stealth, the big man made his way towards the opening without making a sound.   

             
Alex watched in fascination and growing apprehension as the officer paused next to the door, counted silently, and then rushed into the room.  The silence that followed lasted only several seconds, but it felt like an eternity.

             
Finally, Thompson reappeared and called out, “It’s clear, you can come in.” 

             
Quickly Alex joined him and looked into the room.  Like the ones in his dreams, it had belonged to a young lady.  But there the similarities ended.  This room had belonged to someone modern.  Photos, stuffed toys, and CD’s littered the place along with a thick layer of dust.  No one had been in here for some time.

             
Alex slowly moved around the room taking in the atmosphere.  Suddenly, he heard his companion mutter, “Shit, it’s her room.”  Turning he saw Thompson holding a photo in his hand.  But before he could ask the man anything, a loud crack, followed by a crash could be heard in the corridor.  The two men rushed to see what had happened.

             
At the far end of the corridor, where they had entered, a section of paneling had fallen away from the wall.  Slowly they made their way towards the fallen section and spotted the bricked up doorway that had been hidden behind it.  Instinctively, Thompson reached for his shoulder radio.

answers and questions

             
Within half an hour police officers and members of the fire department were swarming all over the newly discovered 4
th
floor.   Even from where he was sitting on the stone steps outside the building, Alex could hear the brickwork barring entry to the sealed room was being attacked with pickaxes and crowbars.  The investigators were eager to find out what lay within. 

             
Coming around the corner of the building, two of Ronnie’s co-workers appeared talking about how the tall trees had hidden the entire 4
th
floor.  They also remarked about how odd it was that only the back half of the manor had an extra level.  But the other unusual feature was the wide walkway that ran all the way around the newly discovered area.  The outer walls of the floor were several feet away from the edge, which was why no one could spot it looking up from the ground.

             
He had already heard that a call had been made to Cassandra informing her of the developments at her new acquisition.  Unfortunately, she was in New York City and would not be back until the next day.

             
As the officers walked past him and headed back inside, Alex let his gaze wander around at the numerous vehicles in the drive and came to rest on a black one.  It belonged to the County Coroner’s office.  This had been a precaution, in case any bodies were found behind the sealed door.  He knew there wouldn’t be any corpses, but did not dare say anything.

             
Another patrol car pulled up and from it emerged Roy and Veronica.  Her demeanor was calm and professional, but even from this distance he could sense her agitation.

             
Alex stood up as Roy came up to him and said, “All right, lead the way.  Show us what you found.”  He paused briefly to look at Veronica who nodded but said nothing.  Obediently, he turned and headed up the stairs.

             
Roy followed close behind him saying, “Sixteen years ago, we checked this place out from top to bottom and only found three floors, a cellar and even a sub-cellar.  We’d had no clue that a fourth floor existed.  Any idea what is was used for?”

             
Alex nodded, “Remember when I mentioned the stairways being hidden along with some corridors for just the servants.  That fourth floor was where most of them lived.  And at least one of the staircases leads down to the kitchen. While the other led to a room where they kept cleaning equipment and took care of washing and other things. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some dumbwaiters, hidden behind some furniture or pictures.”

             
“And what made you come looking for the fourth floor?” asked his lady breaking her silence.  “Did you see it on the original plans?”

             
“No,” he told her, “but I did spot the stairwells and recalled not seeing them when I visited with Cassandra or during the Open House.  Then I noticed that page was missing from that set of blueprints as well.  I thought it was just an error, but I decided to check some of the later plans as well.”

             
Frowning she repeated, “Later plans?”

             
Alex nodded, “Whenever structural changes are going to be made to a building you have to file a whole new set of blueprints for taxes and insurance.”  They were heading down the wide central corridor that led to the back half of the H-shaped building.  “On at least two others I saw a page was missing there as well, which really got me wondering.”

             
“Why didn’t you tell me?  I would’ve come here with you and Jack,” she asked him coolly.

             
Shrugging he began to explain, “Well you left as soon as I pulled out the plans in Roy’s office and…”

             
Suddenly Veronica was in front of him glowering.  “I repeat.  Why didn’t you say anything to me?  Were you afraid you’d find Rachel at the bottom of those stairs?” she demanded.

             
Alex didn’t answer right away.  He was picking up on the fear and anxiety raging within her.  But there was something else that was really taking him aback, menace. 

             
Unfortunately, Ronnie took his silence to mean something else.  Suddenly she grabbed his shirt and then slammed him up against the wall screaming, “DID YOU FIND HER? TELL ME!”

             
Luckily Roy quickly intervened and pulled her off saying, “No one’s found anything.  Tell her, son.  Tell her you didn’t find Rachel or her baby?”

             
Alex stared stupidly at them, “Baby?”

             
Roy suddenly froze and then looked at his old partner in disbelief. “You never told him?”

             
Instead of answering, Ronnie shook her head and turned away as he let go of her.  She took a few steps and tried to regain her composure.

             
Alex could feel the overwhelming sense of loss and frustration pouring off of her.  Turning to Roy he asked, “The girl who disappeared was pregnant?”

             
Before Roy could answer, Ronnie whirled on him crying, “YES, SHE WAS PREGNANT!  And I was going to adopt her baby.  She didn’t want an abortion, but she knew she couldn’t keep the baby either.  Her father was an abuser and her brother was just as bad.  I got her a job here so she could be safe and finish school.  She trusted me and asked if I would adopt the baby and let her help raise it.”

             
Alex started to go over to her saying, “Oh, Luv, I’m so sorry…”

             
But again she cut him off, “So what did you find, Alex?  Something that makes you think that she’s dead? Is that it? TELL ME!” she shrieked, while keeping her distance.  Obviously she didn’t trust herself to not lash out physically if anyone touched her, even him. 

             
“No,” he replied honestly.

             
“Really?” she asked quietly, a faint ray of hope in her voice. 

             
He nodded.

             
Now she relaxed and let her police training take over.  Placing her hands on her hips she asked in an authoritative voice, “What did you find?”

             
“Some rooms.  I think one of them might’ve belonged to your Rachel.”

             
“Show us,” she instructed and followed as he led the way.

              As they made their way up to the second floor, Veronica felt horrible about how she had just treated Alex.  But sixteen years of not knowing Rachel’s fate, had built up inside of her like pressure inside a volcano.  She’d make it up to him later and trusted for now that he could sense what she was going through. 

             
Much to her relief his hand suddenly found hers and gave a gentle squeeze followed by a wave of warm feelings that were not her own. 

             
Thank God!  She had started to fear she had crossed a line with him.  “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

             
“It’s all right.  I understand.”

             
“I should’ve told you about Rachel and the baby.”

             
“It’s all right,” he insisted.

             
But she needed to clear the air, for her own sake if not his. “I’m sure you’ve noticed how touchy I get whenever your sister goes on about the joys of motherhood.”

             
He nodded.

             
“You probably thought it was because I couldn’t have any of my own.” She went on, as they took a right turn.  They were heading down a very long corridor with many doors on either side of them.  Part of her brain was making notes as she spoke, “I know I told you when we first started dating that I lost all my reproductive bits, because of a car crash when I was seventeen.”  The memory still haunted her.  It had been such a stupid and unnecessary accident.

             
He nodded again and told her she didn’t need to go on if she didn’t want to.

             
But she did.  She told him how Rachel had been one of the first at-risk teenagers she had reached out to.  How the girl’s father had been a drunk who one night beat his wife so badly the woman was put in a hospital.  There she slipped into a coma and lingered for several months before succumbing to her injuries.

             
Rachel’s brother had tried to cover up for him, and had nearly convinced the authorities that she had simply fallen down the stairs.  Only Rachel had come to her with the truth.  Especially, after her brother had started beating her with their father’s approval. 

             
“Within an hour we had her father locked up, and her brother in Juvenile Hall,” Ronnie continued, “I immediately started searching for a safe place for Rachel to live.  She’d just turned sixteen, and her nearest relative was in California.  But, she had enough classes and credits that she could graduate within another year and didn’t want to leave.  Then a neighbor who worked for Mr. Graham suggested I try getting Rachel a position here.  There were mainly female servants, and most of them had their own rooms here in the manor.  It all sounded safe, and Rachel was eager to accept, so I agreed.”

             
“What became of her father?”

             
Roy spoke up, “He never made it to trial.  As soon as he was out on bail, he skipped town.  They found him a few weeks later, beaten and stabbed to death.  He’d been last seen smacking a prostitute around.”

             
“Apparently the lady had protectors,” Alex remarked.

             
Nodding, Roy took up the story, “As for Rachel’s brother, he somehow learned where she was.  And after their father’s death he sneaked out of Juvenile Hall and came here looking for her.  But Old Graham was more formidable than he anticipated.  The man literally tossed the kid out on his ass and into the waiting arms of two police officers.”