Chapter 2 - THE ROOM BELOW
The knocks came from beneath the floorboards, not the table.
Michael ordered everyone to stay still while police and a locksmith arrived.
The camera system had automatically notified him after detecting the plate strike.
Beneath the rug, officers found a hidden steel door.
Alana claimed she knew nothing about it.
Ellie looked away.
That told me she did.
The key from Robert’s envelope opened the door.
Below the dining room was a narrow archive room filled with cameras, trust records, and labeled family videos.
Each tape recorded a meal.
Each title described a child.
HUNGER TEST.
OBEDIENCE DINNER.
FAVORITE GRANDCHILD.
PUBLIC CORRECTION.
Robert had documented decades of Parker family rituals.
Alana used food to control children.
She gave one child abundance and another scraps, then watched which adults defended the victim.
The family called it tradition.
Robert called it abuse.
Then we found a live monitor.
A boy sat in another dining room wearing Dustin’s navy suit.
Same age.
Same face.
A cold potato rested on his plate.
The file beneath the screen read:
DUSTIN PARKER — ALTERNATE HEIR.
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My son was not the only Dustin.
Read Chapter 3 to learn why the Parker family had prepared a second boy.
