Heath shrugged.
Tess smiled, enjoying the banter, and asked, “Did Salvatore say anything?”
“He was swearing his innocence, saying we kidnapped him,” Sam said. “Then demanding a phone call.”
“He’ll probably call Tan,” Tess said.
“Wouldn’t that be nice?” Ed sipped his tea. “Gives the police a direct connection to him.”
“So what happens now?” Faith asked.
“I guess we have to see what Salvatore says,” Ed answered. “But it’s one less person after Tess.”
She would definitely call her parents tomorrow. She’d left it too long as it was. Perhaps Dot could offer her some kind of witness protection, so the Stokes weren’t in any danger.
“Thank you for your help,” Tess said. “I appreciate it.”
Darcy smiled. “Any friend of Ed’s is a friend of ours.”
Her cheeks heated, and she ducked her head.
Brandon stood to clear the mugs. “So, what do you think? Time to lift the lino in the laundry?”
“You’re going to look for the cellar now?” Tess asked, her heart racing.
“These guys go home tomorrow, so I figured we’d use their muscle while they’re here.”
“What’s your plan?” Darcy asked, and the two men went over to the laundry door.
“The most likely place is in the floor—some kind of hatch opening. We’d need to move the washing machine and the old wardrobe so we can lift the lino.”
Tess longed to join them, but it was their house. Ed chuckled. “Come on. We’ll clear the table and move it to the other side of the room so there’s space for them to move the other furniture in here.”
Everyone helped to shift things, and Bennet retreated to his bed in the corner, unhappy about all the movement. Finally they were all crowded around the door of the laundry.
“If the lino’s stuck down, we can’t afford to replace it,” Darcy warned.
“I know,” Brandon said. “But this is worth it.” He pried at the corner, and it peeled back. It lifted easily. Brandon grinned. “It’s not even glued down.”
“Dad probably wanted to do it on the cheap,” Ed said.
He helped Brandon roll back the lino. About halfway along, Brandon swore. “There’s a hatch here.”
Lara squealed and clapped her hands. Tess resisted the urge to do the same.
“There’s a torch behind you,” Darcy said, taking over and rolling the lino towards himself. They cleared out of the room so the lino could be rolled against the wall and the square hatch was clearly visible. A hole about the size of a fifty-cent piece provided a way to raise the hatch.
“Why would they cover it?” Amy asked.
“Charlotte used to lock her children down there when they were naughty,” Tess said. “Maybe they were scarred by it.”
Brandon lifted the hatch an inch, and it squeaked in protest. Ed helped him, and together they lifted it so it stood open vertically.
Musty air wafted out, and Brandon shone the torch into the cellar. Tess couldn’t see anything from where she stood in the doorway, but both men’s eyes widened.
“Cool,” Ed said, glancing over at her. “You should see this.”
“You want to go down first?” Brandon asked, offering Ed the torch.
