Chapter 14 - The House Goes Dark
Nobody moved.
Denise’s building did not have scheduled maintenance.
Elena silently called 911.
Clare took Maya into the bedroom and locked the door.
Gabriel stayed on the phone.
“Do not open anything,” he said.
“I know.”
“I know you know.”
The correction mattered.
Another knock.
Harder.
“Ms. Warren? We have a water leak from the unit above.”
Denise whispered, “The unit above is empty.”
Footsteps moved away.
Police arrived six minutes later.
The hallway was empty.
The stairwell camera had been covered with black tape.
A rear door stood open.
No one could prove Richard had sent the man.
But Clare stopped believing coincidence deserved politeness.
They moved to a secure hotel selected by Elena, not Gabriel.
That night the building lights flickered out at 2:13 a.m.
Emergency power came on.
Then Clare’s room phone rang.
She answered without speaking.
Richard whispered, “You used to sleep on your left side.”
Clare dropped the receiver.
Maya woke.
“Mama?”
Clare scooped her up and moved into the bathroom while hotel security swept the floor.
No intruder was found.
The call had been routed through the hotel system from an outside number using social engineering.
But it did what Richard wanted.
It put him in the room without entering.
Clare sat on the tile with Maya in her lap until sunrise.
At seven, Gabriel knocked once and waited for permission.
Leo slept against his chest.
Clare opened the door.
One look at her face and his expression changed.
“He called.”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
She told him.
Gabriel’s jaw flexed.
“I want to break something.”
“So do I.”
“But we’re not going to.”
“No.”
They stood there in exhausted agreement.
Then Maya pointed at Leo.
“Baby drool.”
Gabriel looked down at the wet shoulder of his shirt.
Clare laughed unexpectedly.
The sound startled all three adults.
By noon, the court approved a temporary no-contact extension and ordered Richard to remain fifty yards from Clare and Maya.
At 12:26, Vincent called.
“We found the man from Denise’s building on traffic footage.”
Elena straightened. “Who is he?”
“A licensed private investigator Richard hired two months ago.”
Clare’s hands went cold.
May you like
Vincent continued.
“And he just entered the same Manhattan courthouse where tomorrow’s hearing will be held.”
