Heather waited on me when I returned to the little restaurant the next morning. While I was ordering coffee and a pastry, she recognized me.“Daisy Wilson, how are you,” she said.“I’m good, Heather. How are you?”She shrugged. “Okay, I guess. I’m looking forward to starting classes next week at Denhurst College. I love to learn.”“What’s your major?” I inquired.“Pre-law,” the pretty Beta replied.“You’ll make a great lawyer,” I told her. “I was going to study law too, but a friend talked me into journalism.”I looked around at the mostly empty restaurant. I deliberately arrived during the slower time between breakfast and lunch.“I’m practicing my investigative skills with a story I think needs to be brought to everyone’s attention,” I said. “I’d like to speak to you briefly about it.”Heather checked her watch. “I can take my break in five minutes. I’ll check on my tables, grab a cup of tea, and be right back.”Heather warmed up my coffee and returned with more pastries.“What did
I slowly opened the hidden door to see what was on the other side.Like the walls, the door was made of heavy granite, cut to fit between the columns, and perfectly balanced, making it easy to open and close after the lock was disengaged.The short section of the hallway on the other side of the door was in shadow. Farther on, there was a T-junction about twenty feet into the tunnel. Light was shining from around both corners.The walls, ceilings, and floor of the passage were granite. The space looked dry and a little dusty, but the air was clear and breathable.Excitement buzzed through my veins as my mind tried to absorb what was before me. I heard stories about the Ivory Column Passages all my life.Six of the tunnels led throughout and beneath the complex, making it possible for the highest-ranking members of the Association to move around the buildings without being seen.The Association claimed the six passages had stopped being used a century ago and were sealed off.But peopl
I turned off my light and shivered in the darkness. But if a terrifying beast lives down here, it could probably see in the dark.The whispering got louder. It sounded like words coming from human throats, but I couldn’t understand what they were saying.I had to get out of here. But how?In total darkness, I began to move along the room's walls. Maybe there was another door to a different passage or a way out.“Ouch,” I yelped when I bumped my head on something.After staying still a moment to see if the whispering thing was coming closer, I examined the object I bumped my head on with my hands.It felt like a heavy wooden ladder. Why would there be a ladder in the corner of the room?Unless ….I was under the complex. A ladder must be for climbing up. Maybe it was a way out through the ceiling.I turned my light on again and saw the sturdy ladder leaning against the wall, the top near a wooden square that resembled a trapdoor in the high ceiling.The whispering had stopped, but I hu
The traffic was light, and I made it to the mansion in less than twenty minutes. I parked near the garage and hurried inside.Benson was waiting for me in the foyer.“Miss Woodward is waiting in the sitting room,” he told me. “I’ve brought her tea and cookies.”“Thank you, Benson,” I said. “Will you tell my father I’ll need to speak to him when I finish with Heather?”“Of course, Miss Wilson,” Benson replied. “Please let me know if you need anything else.”I gave him a smile and hurried into the sitting room.Heather jumped to her feet when she saw me. “How could you do it, Daisy?” Tears welled in her eyes. “I knew I shouldn’t have told you anything.”I shook my head. “Heather, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”“Then how did they know I spoke to you?” she snapped. Her body trembled with anger while tears flowed down her cheeks.I sat on the sofa and urged her to sit next to me. “Please tell me what happened, Heather. Maybe I can help.”Heather remained standing and crossed her
I rechecked the results and came to the same conclusion. The language on the boxes was that of the people of a country near our world’s equator.It was a tropical paradise whose indigenous people preferred to be left alone by more civilized nations. Their chief exports were sugar and what the words on the box meant in their language.The strange words on the boxes meant fresh lemons.Why would there be boxes of lemons stored deep underground beneath the Association Complex, and who put them there?And what about the ancient gravestones set into the floor in the room where the lemons were stored?I hadn’t mentioned the boxes or the gravestones to Cassidy or Alex. I wanted to do this research first. Now, I wondered if it was a coincidence that they suddenly wanted to depart on a tropical vacation.Next, I put graves and the Association Complex into my computer’s search bar.A few dozen results came up. I clicked on the first one.It was similar to one of the articles Amy and I would hav
I learned a few things I didn’t know about ghosts and hauntings before my phone rang again.It was Heather. Her voice was filled with joy. “Daisy, I want to thank you. You’ve made our lives better than they were before.”“I’m glad,” I said. “I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to call you and tell you the good news.” I felt a little ashamed that I had forgotten about her.“Dad is excited to start his new job at Wilson, Inc. He’s going to love working there, and he’s never made that much money. And the new deed to our house just arrived. Our home is now safe from being taken from us.”“My friend Amy is starting a new homeless shelter and employment training center at the old Archer Manor,” I said. “She said she’d hire you to work there if you want.”“I’d love to work for Amy and help the homeless!” Heather enthused. “Thank you, Daisy.”“You are very welcome,” I said. “I’ll call you tomorrow with more details about the job. I’m meeting Amy soon and must get going.”“Okay. Thanks again.”As
Victor’s POVDaisy came into the apartment with a sweet smile and two bags of food from Gilded.I missed her today while I fought off small attacks on my leadership by the unknown faction members trying to take over the Association.Several times, I sensed she was near me, and I swore I could hear her crying for help. It made it harder for me to concentrate on my job, even though she eventually returned my texts and assured me she was okay.That must have been true because she was here, looking cheerful and as beautiful as ever.I followed her into the kitchen and poured us both a glass of white wine.“The food smells delicious, sweetness,” I said as I handed her a glass.“It’s steak tartare, lamb chops, asparagus, and potato puffs,” she said. “And I got a chocolate cake for dessert.”I put my arms around her and buried my face in her soft throat. She smelled as good as she looked. The scent of her perfume suited Daisy perfectly. It was both sexy and innocent.After helping her set th
I lay in bed thinking about the previous night long after Victor kissed me goodbye this morning and left for the Association.Even though Victor denied it, I knew he was upset about something. My guess is the faction was sabotaging his work again.What Cassidy said about there being better ways to spy on Victor was true. However, the grating to listen into his office was the only one that was wide open when I arrived at the spy's hallway.That meant someone had been listening in to what was being said in only his office before I did.I promised Alex that I wouldn’t say anything to Victor about the passages until he and Cassidy returned from their trip, but there were things I could do to help Victor before then.After giving it a lot of thought while Victor showered and got ready for his day, I decided what I could do to help him and still keep my word to Alex.I climbed from the bed and showered before dressing in jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers, grabbing a light jacket, and hurrying