Chapter 10: My Grandmother Knew Where My Mother Was
“Twenty-four hours?””
My father read the message on my phone twice, as if the words might change.
Then he grabbed his coat.
“Get the cars ready. We're going to find my mother.””
Robert stepped in front of him.
“Arthur, think carefully. Eleanor wants you to react emotionally. That's how she has controlled this family for years.””
“My wife could be dying!””
“And if you walk into a trap, you won't be able to help her.””
My father pushed past him.
I followed.
“Dad, wait.””
He turned toward me, his eyes red.
“What?””
“We need to find Mom. But we also need to find out where that photograph was taken.””
I held up my phone.
The photograph showed Catherine in a hospital bed. A white blanket covered her legs, and a small window appeared behind her.
On the windowsill was a vase containing three yellow flowers.
Olivia examined the picture.
“That's not a hospital.””
I looked at her.
“How do you know?””
“The wall behind her. It's too old. It looks like a private nursing facility.””
Robert leaned closer.
“She's right. Those windows are common in older residential medical buildings.””
Margaret spoke quietly.
“I know the place.””
Everyone turned toward her.
“Where?””
“St. Agnes Residence. It's outside the city. Catherine was transferred there after she escaped the first facility.””
My father grabbed her arm.
“Why didn't you tell us?””
“Because I believed it had been closed.””
Robert checked his phone.
“It's still registered. The building was purchased by a private medical group two years ago.””
I looked at the photograph again.
There was something written on the edge of the bed.
A small blue label.
I zoomed in.
*ROOM 214.*
“That's our starting point,” I said.
My father ordered two cars.
Olivia insisted on coming.
Margaret wanted to stay behind, but I refused to let her disappear again.
“You're coming with us,” I told her.
She nodded.
As we drove, I kept looking at the photograph.
My mother had been alive for six years without us.
Now someone was threatening to kill her.
And my grandmother had just announced that she knew who had killed her own husband.
I turned toward my father.
“Dad, what happened to Grandpa?””
He didn't answer immediately.
“My father died when I was twenty-eight.””
“Was it an accident?””
“He fell down the stairs at our old house. The police called it a tragic accident.””
“Did Grandma ever suspect anyone?””
My father stared out the window.
“She told everyone he had been drinking.””
Margaret spoke from the front seat.
“He wasn't drinking.””
My father turned.
“How would you know?””
“Catherine told me. Your father had discovered that Eleanor was transferring family assets into accounts he didn't recognize.””
My father looked devastated.
“Why didn't anyone tell me?””
“Because you were young, Arthur. And Eleanor convinced everyone that you were too unstable to handle the business.””
I felt a chill.
The same pattern.
A wealthy husband.
A medical explanation.
A wife controlling the paperwork.
And a family member disappearing.
When we reached St. Agnes, the building looked abandoned.
The entrance was locked, and weeds had grown around the front steps.
A security light flickered above the door.
My father pounded on it.
“Hello!””
No answer.
Robert checked the side entrance.
It was slightly open.
We entered a dim hallway that smelled of disinfectant and dust.
“Room 214,” I whispered.
We found it at the end of the corridor.
The door was unlocked.
Inside was an empty bed.
A folded blanket.
A glass of water.
And a photograph of my mother and me.
I picked it up.
It was taken on my tenth birthday.
I remembered that day.
I had cried because Mom wasn't there.
Now I understood why.
Someone had placed the photograph beside the bed.
A note was underneath it.
If you want Catherine alive, come alone.
My father snatched it from my hand.
“No.””
I looked at him.
“Dad—”
“No. We are not following another instruction from these people.””
A noise came from the corridor.
Footsteps.
Robert moved toward the door.
“Who's there?””
A young nurse appeared.
She looked frightened.
“Please,” she whispered.
“You need to leave.””
My father approached her.
“Where is Catherine Carter?””
The nurse shook her head.
“I don't know.””
“She's my wife.””
“I know who you are.””
“Then tell me where she is!””
The nurse glanced behind her.
“She's been moved.””
“When?””
“Last night.””
“By whom?””
The nurse hesitated.
Then she handed me a small envelope.
“Your mother asked me to give this to Emily.””
My hands shook as I opened it.
Inside was a handwritten message.
My darling Emily, if you are reading this, then Eleanor has finally made her move. Don't trust the photograph. Don't trust the hospital records. And whatever happens, don't let your father sign anything.
I looked up.
“Why would Dad sign anything?””
The nurse stepped backward.
“Because they have a document ready. They want him to surrender his shares before midnight.””
My father stared at her.
“Who wants that?””
The nurse looked toward the window.
A black car had stopped outside.
A woman stepped out.
Eleanor.
She was holding a folder.
And beside her stood Daniel Reed.
The nurse whispered:
“They're here.””
My father moved toward the window.
Eleanor looked up at the building.
May you like
Then she raised her hand and waved.
As though she had been expecting us all along.
