Proof of Murder (Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery #4) - Lauren Elliott Page 0,87

it should be. No worries there.”

“Good. This is the last of it. Take it, and be gone.”

Philip handed Blake a white envelope. “This should cover it.”

Blake stuffed it into his jacket pocket. “You’d better not contact me again until this is all over with. We can’t take the chance of—”

“I know,” Philip hissed and picked up the box, balancing it on his hip. Addie scooted backward down the stairs crab-style and ducked inside an open doorway, pressing her back up against the oak wall panelling. When Blake’s and Philip’s voices stopped right outside the doorway, she sucked in a deep breath and pressed back harder. “At least we won’t have to worry about him showing his face around here again.”

A shadowy figure hovered in the doorway. Addie’s teeth gnashed together. It seemed her old family friend definitely wasn’t the person she thought he was, and until she could figure out whom they were talking about and why they didn’t have to worry anymore. She couldn’t risk being discovered.

Making herself as small as she could against the wall, she slid toward an ancient wardrobe behind the door. If she could just get inside that, maybe she could stay hidden long enough to try and hear what they were saying.

“Where did you leave it?” Addie’s ears perked up at the uneasiness in Blake’s voice.

“At the place we discussed earlier.”

“And you’re sure no one’s going to stumble across it before it can permanently disappear.” By the exasperation in Blake’s voice Addie could picture him raking his fingers through his hair.

“Not a chance. Even with that snoopy Addison Greyborne, asking her questions and stirring everything up.”

“Do you think she knows?” There was no mistaking the concern in Blake’s strangled tone.

“I think she’s been too consumed with her arrest that she hasn’t had time to put all the pieces together.” Philip’s voice changed from his usual singsong lilt to all-out full Irish brogue.

“Do you think the plan is working?”

Addie’s hand shot to her mouth to stifle the gasp in her heaving chest. She pressed herself harder against the paneled wall surface, wishing she could disappear inside it. A soft click, a blast of cold air, and a five-foot drop to wooden floor planks knocked her senseless. The wall in front of her slid closed, and complete blackness enveloped her. Addie felt around her on hands and knees until she touched what she knew to be her tote bag that had fallen through the doorway with her. She fished around inside it, yanked out her phone, and hit the flashlight app.

The walls were rough brick, just as they were in the hidden chamber behind the fireplace, and the floor was constructed of smooth wide-planked boards. Her one beam didn’t show a wide swath of light, but it was enough to make out a passageway of sorts. No mildew, just stale air, and judging by the strands clinging to her face from time to time, a whole lot of cobwebs. Please don’t be spiderwebs. Please don’t be spiderwebs. Her hatred for spiders had her edging herself to the center of the passageway to avoid them and their probable inhabitants. Goose bumps exploded on her arms as she stumbled along the path.

The passage twisted and turned and came to an abrupt halt at a fork. Left or right? She shone her light down the fork to the right and could make out the start of a staircase going down. The fork to the left revealed the same thing, only the stairs were going up. She flashed the light over the walls to figure out where she was in the house. So far, she had walked on a flat surface, so she knew she was still on the second floor. That meant the staircase to her right led to the main floor. She had a hunch. Now that she knew this tunnel existed, she could always come back later and explore the stairs leading up to the third floor. Right now, she wanted to test the theory she had literally fallen into.

Addie braced her hand against the cool, damp surface of the wall, shining the light on every step before she placed her foot. It certainly wouldn’t help to step on a rat or even feel one scurry from beneath her feet. On her third step, the sidewall ended, and she felt nothing but air. She flashed the light beam into the space and discovered a small nook with a one-foot-deep ledge covered with an ornate grate on the