Chapter 2 - The Perfect Explanation
Vanessa’s eyes settled on the baby carrier.
“What is Noah doing down here?”
I did not answer.
Emma moved closer to the desk.
Vanessa crossed the threshold. “Emma, honey, I told you not to wake your father.”
There it was.
Not a confession.
But close enough.
I looked at her. “You told her something.”
Vanessa blinked once. “I told her if she woke up, she should go back to bed.”
“Then why is she cleaning?”
A soft laugh. “She likes helping.”
“At two in the morning?”
“Adrian, don’t make this dramatic.”
That phrase always worked on other people. Not tonight.
I pointed at the baby carrier. “Why is my daughter carrying my infant son while vacuuming?”
Vanessa’s smile thinned.
Emma whispered, “He was crying.”
Vanessa turned sharply. “Emma.”
I heard the warning in her voice.
So did my daughter.
I stepped between them.
“Keep talking, Em.”
She twisted the cloth in her hands. “Noah woke up. I tried to give him his bottle.”
My chest went tight. “Where was Maria?”
Maria was our night nanny. She had been with Noah since he came home from the hospital.
Emma looked at Vanessa.
Vanessa answered first. “Maria quit.”
“What?”
“Earlier tonight.”
“You didn’t tell me.”
“You were asleep.”
“I wasn’t asleep until midnight.”
Vanessa shrugged. “I didn’t want to bother you.”
I pulled out my phone.
Three missed calls from Maria.
All between 12:17 and 12:29.
I had never heard the phone ring.
I checked the settings.
Silent mode was on.
I never used silent mode.
Vanessa watched my face.
“Maria was emotional,” she said. “She made a scene.”
“What kind of scene?”
“She accused me of things.”
“What things?”
Vanessa’s expression hardened. “This is exactly why I didn’t wake you.”
I called Maria.
Straight to voicemail.
Then I noticed something else.
A tiny red smear on Emma’s wrist.
Not blood.
Ink.
I took her hand gently.
“What is this?”
Emma tried to pull away.
Vanessa said quickly, “Probably a marker.”
Emma whispered, “It’s from the list.”
“What list?”
She looked at Vanessa again.
I crouched. “Show me.”
After a long pause, Emma reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
A cleaning schedule.
Every room in the mansion.
Every hour.
And next to the final line—LIBRARY, 1:30 A.M.—was Vanessa’s handwriting.
May you like
At the bottom, one sentence was underlined twice.
IF YOUR FATHER FINDS OUT, YOUR BROTHER GOES AWAY.
