Chapter 3 - The Secret Hatch
For a moment, I had absolutely no response. Mr. Henderson’s chilling question hung in the air, connecting a dozen terrifying dots in my mind. David’s sudden secrecy. The locked doors. His frequent "business trips."
I set Lily down by the front door, telling her to cover her eyes. Then, I walked over to the couch.
Mr. Henderson and I positioned ourselves on opposite ends of the heavy sectional. We pushed with all our might. The massive leather sofa moved slowly, producing a loud, agonizing scraping noise across the polished wooden floor that David claimed he was so desperate to protect.
When the couch slid completely out of the way, Mr. Henderson shined his tactical flashlight at the lower section of the wall that had been hidden from sight for the last six months.
I gasped, covering my mouth with both hands.
It wasn't just a wall. Someone had meticulously cut out a large, square section of the drywall and baseboard, replacing it with a flush, heavy metal hatch painted to match the room. Mounted next to the hatch was a small, glowing digital keypad.
And sticking out from a drilled hole next to the keypad was the "black snake" my daughter had seen.
It was a high-tech, flexible fiber-optic camera. The glowing tip was a lens. And it was slowly rotating, pointing directly at me.
“Someone is watching us,” I whispered, my blood turning to absolute ice. “Right now.”
Mr. Henderson didn't hesitate. He pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed 911.
“This is a former badge, badge number 4092. I need a squad car to 442 Elm Street immediately. We have a concealed surveillance breach and a possible intruder in the walls.”
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He looked at me, stepping between the camera and my daughter. “Get your coats, Emily. We are waiting outside.”
👉 Who was sitting on the other side of that camera, inside the walls of Emily's home?
