The chief head of estate maintenance rushed into the grand foyer holding a heavy box of professional tools. He knelt down beside the decorative mosaic border where the little girl had been knocking. Arthur stood directly over him, his heart pounding like a hammer against his ribs. The thought that his widowed sister-in-law was trapped somewhere underneath his luxurious home was terrifying beyond belief.
Arthur: Is there a crawl space under this foundation?
Maintenance Lead: No, sir. When your wife hired the contractors last year for the renovation, she added a secure underground wine cellar extension.
Arthur: I was told that project was canceled due to building permit issues!
Maintenance Lead: Mrs. Vance instructed us to complete the structural frame secretly. She held the master security codes herself.
The maintenance worker inserted a specialized suction handle onto the corner tile and pried up the heavy slab of polished stone. With a loud, mechanical click, a concealed hydraulic latch released underneath. A heavy tile hatch lifted upward, revealing a dark, narrow opening leading down into a small concrete compartment below the marble floor.
A thick smell of damp earth and stale air rushed out of the opening. Evelyn gasped loudly, pushing past the guards to peer down into the dark hole.
Evelyn: MOMMY! MOMMY, I FOUND YOU!
Arthur dropped to his knees at the edge of the open floor hatch. Sunlight filtered down into the dim space, illuminating a faint form resting on a thin mattress at the bottom of the concrete pit.
Sarah: Evelyn? Is that... is that my baby girl?
Sarah's voice was barely a whisper, cracked and weak from three long days without adequate water. She reached a pale, trembling hand up toward the bright square of daylight above her.
Arthur: Sarah! Hold on! Reach for my hand!
Arthur reached deep down into the opening, his long fingers stretching toward his injured sister-in-law. Her face was pale, with dark purple bruises clearly visible across her forehead and small cuts lining her cheeks. A stained beige robe was wrapped tightly around her shivering frame.
Arthur: Don't move too fast! We are going to pull you out right now!