Chapter 1 - Three Knocks
Three heavy knocks came from behind Claire’s portrait.
The champagne in Leah’s glass rippled.
She stared at the framed image hanging above the memorial table. White lilies surrounded Claire’s painted smile while elegant guests mourned a woman whose body had never been publicly viewed.
Leah pressed one ear against the wooden frame.
Then tapped once.
Three knocks answered from inside the wall.
“Someone’s in there.”
Daniel’s face lost all color.
Leah gripped the portrait’s lower edge and slid it several inches along a concealed rail.
Daniel rushed forward.
“Leave it alone!”
He grabbed only the outer frame, but his panic told the room more than his words.
The portrait continued moving from its own momentum, revealing a narrow ventilation grille and a closed maintenance hatch.
A woman’s hand appeared behind the metal slats.
On one finger was Claire’s wedding ring.
Arthur entered through the ballroom doors and froze.
“That’s her ring.”
Daniel stepped backward.
Claire’s pale face appeared behind the grille. Her eyes were red from crying, but she was conscious.
She looked directly at her father.
“He never let me leave.”
The guests turned toward Daniel.
Arthur’s shock hardened into fury.
“You held my daughter behind a wall while hosting her memorial?”
Daniel lifted both hands.
“This is not what it looks like.”
Leah looked at the champagne tables, the flowers and the enormous portrait.
“No.”
“It looks worse.”
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Then Claire whispered through the grille:
“He needed everyone to believe I died before midnight.”
