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Then he checked the distance from the stair wall to the far corner.

Things were not adding up.

According to the exterior measurements—and allowing nearly two feet for the foundation—the room should still have extended another six feet.

That meant there was hidden space there. Or a passage.

Nate found himself staring at the corner Leo had wanted him to step away from. What exactly had happened down here? What was this basement hiding?

Upstairs, something bumped repeatedly against wood.

“I said no!” Leo shouted. “Turn around!”

Trying to ignore the ruckus, Nate moved closer to the corner.

The wall looked old at first glance. The stones were irregular, the mortar dull and dirty, the same general color as the rest of the foundation.

But now that he knew what he was looking for, the differences stood out.

The stones were smaller here, the mortar joints tighter. Neater in some places, sloppier in others. And the wall did not quite meet the floor the way the original foundation did. There was a thin line along its base where the concrete had been patched afterward.

Nate crouched.

Someone had built this wall inside the basement.

He ran the beam of his flashlight up toward the ceiling. The joists disappeared over the top of it. No. Not disappeared. They continued beyond it.

There was space on the other side.

“Damn,” Nate murmured.

He put his palm against the cold stone, and then he knocked with one knuckle. It sounded like a solid wall, but when he moved six inches to the right and tried again, the sound changed. Only slightly, but still.

Nate took the screwdriver from his pocket and pressed its tip into one of the wider mortar joints.

The mortar crumbled immediately.

He stopped.

That was not good.

He scraped gently, dislodging a sandy gray flake. Behind the outer layer, instead of more mortar, he found darkness.

A gap.

Something slammed upstairs.

Nate looked toward the ceiling.

Silence followed.

But he could feel Leo’s presence approaching.

He turned back to the wall.

“Nate.” Leo’s voice came from the bottom of the stairs. “What are you doing?”

Nate slowly lowered the screwdriver.