Chapter 3 - The Mother Bound in the Dark

A dull, rhythmic banging sound echoed from beneath the cellar doors, breaking the dead silence of the overgrown yard.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
I dropped the pool skimmer, grabbed the heavy iron gardening shears, and sprinted across the lawn to the metal cellar entrance. The double steel doors were secured with a hardened padlock and a heavy transport chain.
I wedged the hardened steel blades of the shears into the lock mechanism, set my boots against the concrete rim, and applied all my weight. The lock shattered with a loud, metallic snap.
I threw the steel doors open.
A blast of stale, damp air smelling of wet concrete and earth rushed out. At the foot of the wooden steps, illuminated by the grey afternoon light, sat Elena.
Her wrists were bound behind her back with industrial plastic zip-ties, her ankles taped securely to an iron support beam, and a thick cloth gag was tied across her mouth. Her face was bruised along the cheekbone, and her eyes were filled with absolute panic until she looked up and recognized me.
“Elena!”
I bounded down the stairs, pulling my pocketknife from my belt. I carefully slit the fabric gag and sliced through the thick plastic bindings around her wrists and ankles.
Elena collapsed into my arms, weeping in ragged, gasping breaths. “David... oh God, David! Where is Maya?! Did he hurt my baby?!”
“Maya is safe. She’s next door at Mrs. Harris’s house,” I assured her, rubbing her cold, trembling arms. “I broke her out of the cage. Elena, what happened here?”
Elena grabbed my jacket, her voice trembling with raw hysteria. “He’s a monster, David! Three days ago, I found out Julian never had an offshore investment fund. He ran a predatory elder-exploitation ring! Two years ago, he poisoned his own mother to steal her estate, and on Thursday, his former accounting partner, Arthur Pendelton, came here demanding a million dollars to stay silent before the grand jury.”
May you like
Elena choked back a sob, pointing toward the open yard.
“Arthur never left this house. Julian struck him with a crowbar in the garage, stuffed his body into those contractor bags, and weighed him down in the pool. When I threatened to call the police, he threw me down here and locked Maya outside.”