Chapter 1 - The Hidden Access
I watched the pristine white towels scatter across the luxurious hardwood floor.
Mrs. Harper did not bend down to pick them up immediately.
Her eyes remained fixed on the decorative brass ventilation grate near the ceiling.
She looked exactly like a woman who had just realized she was standing on a landmine.
I took a slow step toward her.
I asked her if she needed help picking up the towels.
She flinched violently at the sound of my voice.
She stammered an apology and dropped to her knees to gather the linens.
Vincent watched the bizarre interaction with narrowed eyes.
He demanded to know what was wrong with her.
Mrs. Harper refused to meet his gaze as she hurriedly piled the towels into her arms.
She claimed her hands had just slipped because she was exhausted.
She practically ran down the hallway before Vincent could ask another question.
Vincent turned his attention back to me.
He asked if I truly believed a faint smell in the hallway was responsible for his sons deteriorating.
I told him that in my experience, the smallest anomalies usually hid the biggest secrets.
He unlocked the heavy mahogany door to the twins' bedroom.
The room was massive, filled with expensive toys and beautiful furniture.
Lucas and Leo were lying on their separate beds, staring blankly at the ceiling.
They had dark circles under their eyes and their skin was terrifyingly pale.
They looked like tiny ghosts trapped in a billionaire's pristine castle.
I approached Leo first and checked his pulse.
His heartbeat was abnormally slow and sluggish.
I noticed the sweet, artificial floral scent was much stronger inside this room.
It was heavily concentrated right above their pillows where the air vents were located.
I asked Vincent if there was a maintenance access panel for the ventilation system nearby.
He pointed to a small utility door hidden inside the boys' massive walk-in closet.
I grabbed my flashlight from my bag and stepped inside the dark closet.
The air inside the utility shaft was thick and suffocating.
I found the main air duct that fed directly into the boys' room.
Someone had recently tampered with the heavy metal screws on the duct panel.
I used a coin from my pocket to carefully unscrew the metal plate.
Inside the duct, there was a sophisticated electronic aerosol dispenser attached to the metal wall.
It was actively spraying a fine, invisible mist directly into the airflow heading to the beds.
I reached out to grab the device.
Suddenly, the heavy utility door slammed shut behind me.
I heard the distinct, heavy click of a deadbolt sliding into place.
I slammed my fists against the door, shouting for Vincent.
A cold, mechanical voice echoed through the metal air duct instead.
May you like
The voice told me that I should have stayed out of matters that did not concern me.
Then, the aerosol dispenser hissed loudly, releasing a massive, blinding cloud of the sweet-smelling gas directly into my face.
