Charlie Hooper, Detective:

. . . Nancy stepped inside. “Glad it’s not dark.”
Charlie led the way. “Let’s explore the ballroom. The legend told about people hearing beautiful music coming from there.” White sheets covered the piano and some chairs. A chandelier with missing crystals hung from the ceiling. Bang! A cracked mirror fell to the floor, inches from Charlie. “Wow! That was close!”
Creeeak!
“W-what’s that?” Nancy stammered as she took a step back, bumping into Rae and Rick.
The sleuths stood, petrified. There was the sound again: Creeeak! It almost sounded like a groan.
“Is it the old floors?” Rae whispered. “Or, maybe someone is in here.”
Inching nearer to the creaking sound, Charlie heard faint voices and the rustling of papers. Rick peeked around the ballroom door into the entryway. There stood the strange man again—the one with gray hair, a beard, and a greenish tattoo. He was talking to a short, fat, bald guy.
Rick nudged Charlie. “That’s one of the men from the warehouse.”
“What was that noise, Joe?” the bearded man growled in a harsh voice.
“Probably one of those crooked mirrors fell. This old place is full of creaky noises, too. Let’s go. We have things to do.” The men headed out the front door.
“Come on,” Charlie said. “We’ve got to find the secret room before they come back. We need to get our proof. Let’s start over here.”
“See this old fireplace,” Rae said. “It’s really dirty.”
Charlie leaned over to look and accidentally fell against it. Without his noticing, the chief’s cell phone slipped out of his pocket and landed in the far corner of the blackened fireplace. He grabbed the mantel to catch his balance. Whoosh! A panel next to it opened. Charlie grasped Rae’s and Nancy’s hands, pulling them into a room. “Come on, Rick.”
The panel slid closed, leaving them in total darkness. It felt damp and smelled musty. Charlie pulled out a pocket flashlight, and the dim light shone on a rough floor.
Nancy clutched Rae’s hand. “Where are we?”
“Maybe the secret room,” Charlie warned. “Shhh! I hear something moving over there.”
“Can you see anything?” Rick asked.
“No, this light isn’t very bright.” The flashlight went out. “Oh, no,” Charlie grumbled, giving it a shake. “I forgot to check the batteries. Let’s find what’s making the noise.”
On hands and knees, the sleuths crawled forward on the cold floor, feeling their way toward the sound. They moved slowly, scared of what they might find.
As they crept along, something scampered across Rae’s hand. “Eeeeek! What was that thing?” she screamed.
“Don’t be so loud,” Rick whispered. “Probably just a little mouse, more afraid of you than you are of it. Now, shhh! Somebody might hear us.”
“This place is creepy,” Rae said. “Let’s walk instead of crawl. There are too many gross things on the floor.”
Inside the hidden room, the sleuths stumbled their way in the darkness.
“It’s sure dark in here,” Nancy complained. “How will we ever get out?”
“Hey, I hear a noise,” Rick said. “You think it’s those men?”
Charlie paused to listen. “Shhh! I hear a door opening. Hide!”
“But where?” Rae asked. “It’s so dark.”
“I feel a desk or something over here,” Rick answered. “Hurry! Get behind it.” A flash of light swept past them. They sat in silent panic. Charlie reached into his pocket for the cell phone. It’s not here! How did I lose it? Where is it?
“Let’s get this out and ready to load up,” a rough voice said.
After a short while, Charlie heard only silence. “Y’all, I’ve got some bad news. I can’t find the cell phone. Looks like we are on our own. We’ve got to get out of here before they come back and find us!”
In desperation, Charlie groped the wall for a way out. Finally, his head bumped an odd metal object that swung away from him like a pendulum. “Wait, I think I found something.” He felt around, discovering what seemed to be a knob. Twisting it to the right, a flickering light began to beam. “It’s a lantern, probably left here by the thieves. This is definitely the Mason Mansion secret room!”
Sticky cobwebs drooped from the ceiling and corners. The friends huddled together, trying to figure a way out. Nancy pointed to the floor. “What’s this gold sparkling thing?”
“It might be from the stolen coin collection,” Charlie said. “Let me see it, Nancy. It is a stolen coin! And look here. Is this drugs?” He held up a small plastic bag. “It has white powdery stuff in it!”
“Oh, wow! You’re right,” Rick agreed. “The thieves sure missed it.”
Charlie wrapped the coin and bag in his handkerchief and put it in his pocket. “Think, everybody. There’s got to be a way out of here.” He closed his eyes, trying to picture where a door might be. The lantern tilted back and forth, and hit against something next to him.
“Hey, what’s that noise?” Rae asked. She looked twice before seeing a small wooden chest covered with dust. “Rick, help me open this.”
He fiddled with the tight clasp until it popped open. “Whoa! Will you look at this? A chest full of silverware! The thieves must have been in a real hurry to leave something so valuable.”
“It looks like the chest in the picture you found in the dining room,” Nancy said.
Rae remembered the one they found earlier. “Sure, the mother and the daughter.”
“Do you think we have enough proof now, Charlie?” Nancy asked.
“Oh yeah. A gold coin, a silver chest, and powdery stuff that might be drugs. I would say so!”
“And my pictures,” Rae piped up.
“Yeah, your pictures,” Charlie said. “Right now, we need to find a way out.”
“Looks as if we’ve come to a dead end,” Charlie grumbled. “Thought we found the way out, but guess we didn’t. I think we’re in trouble!”
“Oh, no!” Nancy groaned. “I don’t want to stay here. It’s too scary.”
The room does feel eerie. Something isn’t right. “These robbers have a smooth operation. Now I know why Nate wanted us to think the mansion was haunted. My theory is right. Nate’s one of the ‘phantoms.’”
“Well, he didn’t want us to find the secret room, that’s for sure,” Rick said.
“Or the stolen items,” Nancy added.
“What’ll we do now?” Rae asked.
“None of us are quitters,” Charlie answered. “We’ll keep looking for a way out. At least we have a light. Let’s keep going.”
God, please help us escape. Charlie slid his shaking hand along the wall. Holding up the lantern, his eyes tried to focus. Finally, he caught sight of a strange object. He turned a hook-shaped handle and a door flew open! He stepped into the kitchen.
“Way to go, Charlie.” Rick slapped him on the back.
When Charlie turned to leave, he saw a stairway leading to the second floor. “I’m curious to see where this goes. How about the rest of you?”
“I don’t know,” Rick replied. “It was scary in the secret room.”
“I thought we’d never get out,” Rae added.
“Bet this was the stairs for the servants,” Nancy said. “I’ve read a lot about old houses.”
“Come on. Let’s check it out,” Charlie suggested.
“Maybe there’s an attic with some hidden treasures!” Rae smiled.
“Sure hope we won’t get in trouble up there,” Nancy said.
They began climbing the creaking staircase, trying to make as little noise as possible. The steps brought them to a landing on the second floor. The long hallway had several doors on either side. Opening the first one on his right, Charlie peered inside to find a large room, empty except for an ornate fireplace. “These bedrooms must have been for the family and their guests.”