Chapter 7 - The Infiltration
By 5:00 AM, the sky was turning a bruised shade of purple over the coastal cliffs of Ashford Manor.
The storm had passed, leaving behind a thick, suffocating sea fog that blanketed the estate grounds. Outside the front gates, heavy construction machinery, flatbed trucks, and demolition bulldozers were already lining up, waiting for the 7:00 AM demolition order.
In the woods bordering the estate’s wine cellar sea-cave, Ethan and Claire pulled the aluminum boat onto the jagged rocks.
Claire was soaked, her face smudged with mud, but her stance was rigid, her dark eyes glowing with an unyielding fire.
"The demolition starts in two hours," Ethan said, checking his shotgun shells. "Once those bulldozers hit the east wing, the cellar could collapse."
"Then we have ninety minutes to get inside, open the safe, and expose Vivian to the world," Claire replied, adjusting the copper key around her neck.
They climbed up the wet granite cliff face, using an ancient iron drainage pipe to slip into the manor's lower wine cellar through a rusty iron grate.
The cellar was ice-cold, smelling of damp earth, cork, and centuries of dust. Heavy stone arches supported the massive weight of the mansion above.
Claire walked straight toward the third stone arch on the north wall. She ran her fingers across the damp masonry until her fingernail caught a small seam in the mortar. She pushed hard.
A section of stone slid backward with a heavy grinding noise, revealing a heavy iron safe door forged in 1920, featuring a dual-key mechanism and an analog combination dial.
"This is it," Claire whispered, her heart pounding.
She inserted the copper key into the top keyhole, turning it ninety degrees to the left. A loud, heavy CLACK echoed through the stone chamber.
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Before she could touch the combination dial, a blinding halogen spotlight snapped on from the top of the cellar stairs, illuminating the entire chamber in harsh, white light.
"I must admit, Claire," Vivian Ashford's voice echoed smoothly down the stone steps. "You always were a stubborn little beast."
