Andrew Mercer stood beside his grandfather’s chair while Michael laughed behind him. The cabin smelled of damp wood and dust. Caroline folded her arms and stared at the cracked window. “You brought us all the way here for this?” she asked. Andrew said nothing. He bent down, pulled back the faded rug, and exposed an iron hatch fitted between the floorboards.
Michael’s smile vanished. Andrew took the brass key from his pocket and pushed it into the lock. The hatch opened with a heavy scrape. Below, narrow steps dropped into darkness. Their father stared at him. “How long have you known about this?” Andrew switched on his flashlight. “A few days.” One by one, they followed him toward the opening.
Andrew stopped them before anyone descended. “I haven’t gone all the way in yet,” he said. That silenced them. Caroline looked at the black space below. Michael leaned forward, suddenly serious. Andrew tightened his grip on the flashlight. Whatever Walter had hidden beneath the cabin had remained secret for years. Three weeks earlier, Andrew had not even known the hatch existed. Now his whole family was standing around it, waiting to discover why Walter had left the cabin to him.