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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/43507
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/43507
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

 **I would hide the basement but not the locked door.**

A coded padlock on a door inside a house is really weird, and the sort of thing someone would notice and probably comment on. If the MC has a guest, the guest could ask about it and the MC might reply "I don't know. He only opens it when I'm not around."

Mentioning the existence of this door will not lead your readers to think "oh that's a basement and the MC will get trapped there." Not most readers anyway. It would make me think "the housemate has a secret."

In this case, you're foreshadowing the secret, in the sense that we expect to find out what it is. You can drop other hints as to what the secret is and also throw in some red herrings. For example, if the MC knows or suspects the housemate sells drugs, the reader (or MC) might think the locked door could be to a room where drugs are stored or packaged/made. You don't have to make that connection obvious, but a couple hints like that will allow the reader to speculate.

At some point, the MC discovers what's behind the mystery door. And _boom_ is trapped there. It may or may not take more time to discover the secret (in part that depends on how dark the basement is or how obvious the stuff in there is).

A basement is a common feature in a house (mostly in areas with cold winters) and in retrospect the fact that the locked door led to a basement will be fairly obvious, even if it wasn't considered beforehand (it could be a closet or pantry or spare bedroom).

Original score: 9