Chapter 4 - The Cellar of Pine Haven
Three days passed with no sign of Nora. The police searched the banks of the Grand River, but the freezing temperatures and heavy snow made the search nearly impossible.
Liam couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Nora's pale face, her green eyes filled with tears as he slid the glass door shut. The guilt was a physical sickness, eating away at his stomach.
On the fourth night, while Gwen was asleep in the guest room, Liam slipped out of the apartment. He took Nora's car, driving north through the blinding snow toward Petoskey.
Pine Haven Senior Living was a grand, historic brick building nestled in the pine woods just outside of town. To the wealthy families of northern Michigan, it was a luxury retreat for their aging parents. To Liam, it now felt like a fortress of secrets.
He parked down the road, walking through the deep snow to the back entrance. He had his own set of keys; he had helped Gwen install the security system three years ago when she took over as director.
The building was dark and quiet, the long hallways smelling of lemon wax and medicine. He walked past the quiet rooms of the residents, his heart pounding against his ribs, until he reached the heavy oak door leading to the basement.
The cellar where Gwen keeps her secrets.
He unlocked the door and stepped down into the damp, cold darkness. The basement was massive, filled with old boilers, dusty furniture, and rows of locked storage cages containing the personal effects of deceased residents.
Liam pulled out his flashlight, the beam cutting through the shadows.
He walked past the storage cages until he reached the very back of the cellar, behind a partition of heavy plastic sheets. There was a small, locked wooden door labeled Administrative Archives.
He tried his key. It didn't fit.
He looked around, his panic rising. He grabbed a heavy metal pipe from a scrap pile near the boiler and slammed it against the brass padlock. The sound echoed through the hollow basement like a gunshot. He slammed it again, and again, until the ancient wood around the latch splintered and gave way.
He pushed the door open.
Inside, the room was freezing. But it wasn't files he found.
May you like
Sitting on a small metal chair in the corner of the room, wrapped in a dirty woolen blanket, her hands tied to her sides, was Nora. Her face was pale, her lips blue from the cold, but her eyes—wide and terrified—locked onto his.
"Liam..." she whispered, her voice barely a gasp.
