40

Chapter 40

“It used to be a bathroom,” said Aidan conversationally. “Joseph Archer was a bit eccentric and had a lot of unused rooms bricked off. He claimed it would reduce heating costs. There’s a shared bathroom down the hall.”

Swallowing thickly, she turned slowly, not sure how to reply or even begin to justify her reasons for being here. “Uh…”

He smiled, and it was full of gentleness. “It’s okay. I know why you’re here.”

Madison couldn’t look away from the crossbow at his side. “Uh…”

Aidan glanced down at it before setting it on the nightstand. “I’m not going to shoot you, Madison.”

Relief surged through her. She had been wrong. Not about him being the missing twin, she was sure, but he clearly wasn’t the one who had killed Joan.

Shaking his head, he said, “No, then they’d know it was me. It has to look like rebels.”

Ice water coursed through her veins at his words, and she took a step back without thinking, running right into the brick wall. Her mind searched for a way out, but a