Read Online The Fate of Mercy Alban by Wendy Webb - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Wendy Webb
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so unusual for a daybed, but it looked mussed, as though somebody had been sitting or lying there … recently. On the end table, a glass of water. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw, or thought I saw, movement in the doorway to the bathroom. A dark shape shifting.
I grabbed my daughter’s arm and pulled her back into the passageway, slamming the door shut behind us.
“Move, honey, move!” I shouted as I pushed her along the corridor to the narrow staircase leading upstairs. We pounded upward, my heart racing, until we reached the hidden doorway to the living room. I popped it open and pushed Amity inside, through the hanging tapestry, slamming the door shut behind us and finally leaning on it to catch my breath.
“Mom, was that …?” Amity’s words stopped short, her eyes imploring mine for answers.
“I don’t know,” I said to her, grasping her arm again and hurrying us out of the room and into the foyer. “You just stay close.” I called out for Jane, who came scurrying out of the kitchen carrying a silver candlestick. Her smile faded when she saw the look on my face. “What is it, miss? What’s happened?”
“Jane, we might have an intruder in the house,” I said. “There was somebody in the false basement room.”
Jane squinted at me. “Whatever are you talking about, child?”
I tried again, slower this time. “I was showing Amity the passageways.”
She clucked and shook her head. “Not that again. Why all the children in this house gravitate toward those infernal passageways, I’ll never know.”
“Just listen.” I put my hand up. “We went down to the false basement, turned on the light, and … Somebody had been in there, Jane. Slept there, maybe. We saw a pillow and a blanket, even a glass of water.”
“I thought I saw something, or someone, move in the darkness,” Amity said, her voice cracking.
“I did, too, honey,” I said, draping an arm across her shoulders and pulling her close.
Jane crossed her arms in front of her chest as her mouth straightened into a thin line. “That’s simply impossible,” she said. “Nobody apart from family even knows that room exists.”
I looked from Jane to Amity and back again. “I think we should call the police.”
“It just can’t be, lass.” Jane shook her head. “There’s no way anyone could’ve gotten into the house, much less stumbled upon that hidden room. There’s a reason it’s hidden—your family didn’t want anyone to know it was there.”
“I know, Jane. I know it sounds ridiculous, but the fact is, Amity and I both saw evidence that somebody had been there. Recently.” I turned around and marched toward the door to the passageways. “Come on. We’ll show you.”
“Seriously?” Amity stood right where she was. “We’re going back down there?”
I hesitated for a moment and then smiled at my daughter. “I want to know if we really saw what I thought we saw. If somebody is down there, what’s he going to do against three strong women?”
With Jane brandishing the heavy candlestick and Amity and I wielding our flashlights, we made our way through the hidden door, down the rickety staircase, and through the door leading into the false basement room. I flipped on the light, and Amity gasped, her hands flying to her mouth, at what we all saw: Nothing. No blanket. No pillow. No water glass. It was all gone.
“Mom,” Amity said to me, her eyes wide. “I know we saw what we saw down here.”
I nodded, staring into the room, as though, if I looked closer, I would be able to discern what happened to the items we had seen there just moments before.
“It’s just your eyes playing tricks on you,” Jane said, patting me on the shoulder. “Not to worry. You were all worked up with your secret passageways and false rooms and …”
“No!” Amity interrupted, walking farther into the room and holding her arms wide. “I know what we saw. It was here, and now it’s gone.”
I approached my daughter and
I grabbed my daughter’s arm and pulled her back into the passageway, slamming the door shut behind us.
“Move, honey, move!” I shouted as I pushed her along the corridor to the narrow staircase leading upstairs. We pounded upward, my heart racing, until we reached the hidden doorway to the living room. I popped it open and pushed Amity inside, through the hanging tapestry, slamming the door shut behind us and finally leaning on it to catch my breath.
“Mom, was that …?” Amity’s words stopped short, her eyes imploring mine for answers.
“I don’t know,” I said to her, grasping her arm again and hurrying us out of the room and into the foyer. “You just stay close.” I called out for Jane, who came scurrying out of the kitchen carrying a silver candlestick. Her smile faded when she saw the look on my face. “What is it, miss? What’s happened?”
“Jane, we might have an intruder in the house,” I said. “There was somebody in the false basement room.”
Jane squinted at me. “Whatever are you talking about, child?”
I tried again, slower this time. “I was showing Amity the passageways.”
She clucked and shook her head. “Not that again. Why all the children in this house gravitate toward those infernal passageways, I’ll never know.”
“Just listen.” I put my hand up. “We went down to the false basement, turned on the light, and … Somebody had been in there, Jane. Slept there, maybe. We saw a pillow and a blanket, even a glass of water.”
“I thought I saw something, or someone, move in the darkness,” Amity said, her voice cracking.
“I did, too, honey,” I said, draping an arm across her shoulders and pulling her close.
Jane crossed her arms in front of her chest as her mouth straightened into a thin line. “That’s simply impossible,” she said. “Nobody apart from family even knows that room exists.”
I looked from Jane to Amity and back again. “I think we should call the police.”
“It just can’t be, lass.” Jane shook her head. “There’s no way anyone could’ve gotten into the house, much less stumbled upon that hidden room. There’s a reason it’s hidden—your family didn’t want anyone to know it was there.”
“I know, Jane. I know it sounds ridiculous, but the fact is, Amity and I both saw evidence that somebody had been there. Recently.” I turned around and marched toward the door to the passageways. “Come on. We’ll show you.”
“Seriously?” Amity stood right where she was. “We’re going back down there?”
I hesitated for a moment and then smiled at my daughter. “I want to know if we really saw what I thought we saw. If somebody is down there, what’s he going to do against three strong women?”
With Jane brandishing the heavy candlestick and Amity and I wielding our flashlights, we made our way through the hidden door, down the rickety staircase, and through the door leading into the false basement room. I flipped on the light, and Amity gasped, her hands flying to her mouth, at what we all saw: Nothing. No blanket. No pillow. No water glass. It was all gone.
“Mom,” Amity said to me, her eyes wide. “I know we saw what we saw down here.”
I nodded, staring into the room, as though, if I looked closer, I would be able to discern what happened to the items we had seen there just moments before.
“It’s just your eyes playing tricks on you,” Jane said, patting me on the shoulder. “Not to worry. You were all worked up with your secret passageways and false rooms and …”
“No!” Amity interrupted, walking farther into the room and holding her arms wide. “I know what we saw. It was here, and now it’s gone.”
I approached my daughter and
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