Brenda slammed the heavy metal vault door shut with a loud echo that rang down the hall.
She needed to keep the little girl quiet before Sarah came upstairs from her main floor office.
Lily stepped backward slowly as she noticed the dark, aggressive look spreading across Brenda's pale face.
The maid unhitched a red chemical fire extinguisher from the wall mount right beside the flag frame.
She gripped the cold metal valve handle tightly while stepping directly into the little girl's path.
Brenda aimed the wide black plastic nozzle straight toward the helpless child standing near the doorway.
White chemical foam and heavy dust blasted outward with a loud pneumatic hiss into the quiet corridor.
The thick cloud swept directly over Lily's face, coating her hair, pastel dress, and eyes instantly.
Lily gasped out loud and squeezed her burning eyes shut tightly against the sharp chemical dust sting.
She stumbled backward onto the polished wooden floor, crying out in sudden pain and deep surprise.
Brenda dropped the empty extinguisher container down hard onto the runner rug with a heavy thud.
She knelt down close to the weeping child and grabbed her shoulder with a firm grip.
Brenda leaned down tight toward Lily's ear while gasping for her own steady deep lung breath.
The maid threatened the poor child to keep her mouth shut about the open wall safe.
Lily coughed heavily as the dense powder lingered thick in the air around the upper hall floor.
She clutched her small stuffed animal tight against her chest while tears washed lines through the dust.
Brenda stood up quickly and tried to brush off her own grey apron to remove obvious evidence.
She thought she could blame the mess on an accidental discharge of the wall safety unit.
Yet the child's desperate coughing echoes were far too loud to stay hidden inside the hallway.
Downstairs, the sound of a heavy solid wood door opening echoed up the main central staircase.
Sarah's sharp leather heel clicks began moving rapidly up the steps toward the noisy upper hallway.