Chapter 16 - The Light through the Frame
Emma pushed her palm against the old wooden service door.
The rusty hinges groaned softly as the narrow door swung open, spilling cool, fresh morning air into the smoky shaft.
They stepped out of the dark elevator shaft and onto the polished hardwood floor of the mansion's upper gallery.
The grand gallery was completely empty.
The high-society guests, the corrupt politicians, and the wealthy investors had all fled during the blackout and fire, leaving behind scattered wine glasses, expensive coats, and discarded jewelry.
The massive estate was silent, echoing only with the distant wail of fire sirens echoing across the valley outside.
The sun was just beginning to peak over the distant mountains, casting long, golden rays of light through the massive stained-glass windows of the grand hallway.
Ethan stepped into the warm morning light, tears washing clean paths down his mud-stained cheeks as he felt the warmth on his skin.
"Emma... look... it's morning..." Ethan whispered, his small hand clutching her dirty apron tightly.
"We made it, buddy," Emma sobbed, dropping to her knees and wrapping her arms around him in a tight, desperate embrace.
"We made it out."
Suddenly, the heavy double doors at the main entrance of the gallery were kicked open with a loud, violent BANG!
A squad of state police officers in blue uniforms, accompanied by emergency paramedics, burst into the hallway with tactical rifles drawn.
Behind them stood Officer Davis—the corrupt local cop who had taken the bribe envelope earlier that night.
Officer Davis stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Emma and Ethan standing in the center of the gallery floor.
A look of pure panic and terror flashed across Davis's face as he realized they had survived the labyrinth.
He quickly pulled his service pistol from his holster, pointing it directly at Emma.
"Freeze! Don't move!" Officer Davis shouted to his fellow officers, trying to take control of the scene.
"That's the crazy girl who trespassed on the property!" Davis yelled to the state troopers.
"She set fire to the mansion and attacked the staff! Take her down!" he commanded, his hand shaking on the grip.
The state police troopers looked at Emma, then looked at the small, bruised, mud-covered eight-year-old boy clinging to her side.
They looked at the raw blood on her shoulder, the split skin on her wrists, and the horror painted across both their faces.
A tall state police captain stepped forward, placing a firm, heavy hand on Officer Davis's raised gun barrel and pushing it down toward the floor.
"Lower your weapon, Davis," the state captain ordered in a stern, booming voice.
"Who called you guys?!" Officer Davis stammered nervously, sweat pouring down his neck.
"This is local jurisdiction! I have this under control!" he insisted frantically.
The state captain pulled a small silver recorder from his jacket pocket and clicked the play button.
The voice of Eleanor Sterling echoed clearly from the speaker, recorded during a wiretapped emergency call placed to her legal team twenty minutes prior, detailing the private holding shafts and the bribery payments made to Officer Davis.
"We've been monitoring the Sterling family's private communications for six months, Davis," the captain declared coldly.
"And we know every single dollar they transferred into your personal bank account."
Two state troopers immediately stepped behind Officer Davis, grabbing his arms and snapping heavy steel handcuffs around his wrists.
"You're under arrest for federal conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and human trafficking, Davis," the captain stated flatly as they dragged the screaming, cursing cop out the front doors.
The captain walked over to Emma, removing his thick woolen trench coat and gently placing it over her shivering shoulders.
"Miss Miller... where are the other children?" the captain asked softly, his eyes filled with profound respect and sorrow.
Emma looked at the heavy gold-framed oil painting hanging on the gallery wall right beside them.
She walked over to the portrait, raised her hand, and pulled the frame forward, revealing the hollow gap behind the drywall.
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"Break down the walls," Emma said, her voice echoing clearly through the grand estate.
"Break down every single wall in this house."
