NINETEEN
The hallway wassilent except for the faint hiss of wind brushing the windows.
Jason’s flashlight beam swept along the wall, glinting off framed photographs—black-and-white images of the inn decades ago, its sign faded and the trees younger.
Olive slowed near the end of the corridor, a frown knitting between her brows.
A detail begged for her attention—but what?
She closed her eyes and tried to sort her thoughts.
Then it hit her.
Her eyes flung open. “I know what we missed.”
Jason turned. “What? We searched every space possible.”
She pointed toward the far wall. “From the outside, this wing of the inn stretches farther. Eight, maybe ten feet. But this hallway ends right here. That space has to go somewhere.”
Jason angled his flashlight along the paneling. “You think there’s another room behind this?”
“I do.” Olive stepped closer, letting her hand skim the wall.
Her fingers brushed a faint seam—so subtle it vanished in the wood grain.
Then she paused. “Feel that?”
A thin draft kissed her wrist, cold and metallic.
With it came the faint scent of coffee again.
Jason stepped up beside her and pressed on the seam. The panel flexed slightly under his palm.
“There’s definitely air coming through,” he murmured.
Olive’s gaze swept upward. A narrow bookcase stood flush against the wall, filled with old hardbacks whose spines were dulled with dust.
She leaned closer, tracing the edge where the molding met the baseboard. Her fingertip snagged on something—a metal ridge half the size of a dime.
She pressed it.
Click.
The shelf shuddered, then slowly swung outward on hidden hinges, releasing a breath of air that smelled faintly of metal and stale coffee.
Jason raised the flashlight.
The beam speared the darkness, revealing a hidden room. Bare walls. A cot. A folding chair.
And a man.
The man stood in the far corner, his hands raised, eyes wide in the glare. His hair was disheveled and his face pale beneath a short beard.
“I can explain,” he said quickly, voice hoarse but steady. “Please—just let me explain.”
The instant the man stepped toward them, Jason’s flashlight hit the floor and his gun was out. In one smooth motion, he grabbed the stranger, spun him around, and slammed him against the hallway wall.
“Easy!” the man gasped.
