a cold summer

Chapter Ten ~ The Secret Room

Their house sat at the end of a small lane on the outskirts of the main village. Usually the house was full of life, thanks to Jesse and Isa keeping the place alive. It felt eerily quiet without them. No one had been here since their murder so everything was exactly where they left it.

I walked into the living room and looked around. Three grey sofas were arranged in a U shape around a large TV. A small kitchen and dining room lay adjacent to the living room. On the opposite side was the staircase which lead to the bathroom. That's where I need to go.

I made my way up the stairs. The walls were adorned with photographs of us. I smiled as I walked past them. Eventually, I reached the bathroom which sat at the end of the corridor upstairs. Green and blue tiles lined the floor and walls which made the room feel like it was underwater. Dozens of bottles of perfume and makeup littered the edge of the sink. With all of this, I wondered why Jesse needed to borrow my perfume.

I spotted it instantly. The clear, pink bottle sat upright on the edge of the sink. I picked it up and put it in my bag. Part of me wanted to explore the rest of their house, but I knew I needed to get out of here. For all I know those ghosts could suddenly reappear and attack me again. I shook my head and walked back out to the hallway. I wandered back down the hallway and down the stairs, taking in the scenery. I knew that this was probably the last time I would ever come here.

If this was the last time I would be allowed in here, I had to make it count. Curiosity got the better of me and so I had a good snoop around. Upstairs only had three rooms: the bathroom and the two bedrooms. I went to Jesse's room first as it was the closet to the bathroom.

The room had pale blue walls, almost white, with a cream carpeted floor. A dark grey trundle bed sat in the corner opposite a large window which looked out onto the garden. I couldn't really see anything else. There was just stuff everywhere. Jesse is just so disorganised.

You mean she was disorganised.

I didn't want to think about them in the past tense. It felt so wrong.

I moved onto Isa's room which was the polar opposite. So neat and tidy. Her wall were a faint purple, almost lilac. She had a loft bed which represented how she used the room space carefully. Everything was so organised.

I decided I'd had enough snooping around their house and made my way downstairs to head back to my motel room. I took one last glimpse at the downstairs room which was a combination of the living room, kitchen and dining room. I suddenly remembered that Jesse and Isa had a basement. That was worth checking out.

What was cool about it was the fact that it was a secret basement, hidden under a trap door which was hidden under a carpet in the dining area. They had shown it to me when it was my birthday and they threw me a surprise party. I had arrived at their house only to find that there wasn't any sort of party mood whatsoever. That's when they opened up the trapdoor to reveal a full blown party in the basement.

I found the exact spot where I knew the door was located. I lifted up the rug and sure enough, the trapdoor was there. It was unlocked. Isa had mentioned that they never bothered to lock it because no one knew it was there. Jesse joked that it was the place where she hid all of her snacks.

I felt a bit guilty sneaking around, but I really wanted to have a snoop around. I pulled up the door and jumped down into the basement. It was dark but I found the light and switched it on. The room seemed to be a storage area. Old Christmas decorations littered the floor whilst other random things were stuffed in various cardboard boxes piled up in stacks which were threatening to collapse at any minute.

I saw an old fridge in the corner and suddenly wondered if Jesse was serious about those snacks. I stepped over to the fridge to find out. It was silver, with a couple of cheap looking magnets and one door. That meant there was no freezer attached.

I opened the fridge, only to be disappointed. It was completed empty, and not even turned on. I stepped backwards. But in doing so, I heard a hollow creak. That was odd. I stepped to the side which didn't make a noise. I then stepped directly in front of the fridge and heard that hollow noise.

I was standing on a trapdoor.

Another one? There was a sub basement? I smiled and brushed away the dirt to reveal a wooden trapdoor. I tugged at it and it opened. Adrenaline began to course through my veins. Excited, I jumped down into the secret room.

A dim light hung from the ceiling which revealed some sort of study. Two desks sat against the wall which was opposite a massive bookcase. The floor was still covered in dirt and dust. I looked at the desks which were piled with books. One had books on criminology and psychology which had to be Jesse's. The other as scattered with forensic science and biology books which I could only assume was Isa's. This made sense; their house didn't have a study. But why have it in such a secret location?

I turned my attention to the bookcase which was absolutely stuffed with books. Nothing interesting. Just more books on criminology and forensics science. I even saw a couple of Harry Potter books. But it was what was on the floor that really got my attention.

Scuff marks. I'd seen enough detective movies to know what that meant.

This bookcase was moved. Regularly. There was something behind it.

I pulled at the bookcase with all of my strength until it eventually moved outwards, following the outlines on the floor to reveal another secret room. How many secret rooms did this house have?

I stared into the secret room. It was actually quite big and full of stuff. Boxes filled with lots of random items were stacked in piles around the room. The bookcase which I had moved actually had shelves on the other side. From what I could tell, these books were detailed accounts of previous murders, court cases and other various crimes. But it was the wall which really got my attention. Hundreds of photographs, newspaper clippings and portions of map had been stuck on the wall and interconnected with red string. It was an evidence board.