iron maintenance hatch—a circular iron portal with a thick, antique locking wheel at its center. It was an access door left over from the original 1920s foundation of the cliffside estate, long thought to be sealed and decommissioned.
As Marcus reached the bottom, his hand gripped the cold, iron handle of the hatch.
Through the small reinforced glass viewport built into the center of the iron hatch, Marcus caught a glimpse of movement in the air-pocketed chamber below.
A pale hand pressed against the glass from inside the dark chamber. A wedding band—an exact replica of his late sister Elena's ring—gilded the ring finger of that hand.
Marcus’s heart hammered against his ribs. The air in his lungs burned, but horror and adrenaline pushed him further.
The hatch wasn't sealed from the outside; it had been freshly padlocked with a modern heavy-duty titanium lock from the pool floor.
Marcus kicked off the pool floor, surging back to the surface for air.
Chapter 4: The Truth Unsealed
SPLASH!