Chapter 11: The Room Without a Patient
The monitor at Brookhaven County Hospital was displaying a patient's vital signs.
Heart rate: seventy-two.
Blood pressure: normal.
Oxygen saturation: ninety-eight percent.
The patient name was Claire Williams.
I stared at the screen Chen had pulled up on her tablet.
“That's impossible.””
“It's either a live record or a manipulated display,” Chen replied.
“We're verifying which.””
“But the facility was closed.””
“Apparently, someone has access to the equipment.””
Renee called the hospital's security director and demanded immediate access to the pathology wing. He refused until she identified the legal authority behind the request.
She handed the phone to Chen.
Within minutes, the prosecutor had authorized an emergency search based on the missing child, the suspected abduction, and evidence of unauthorized activity.
We drove back toward the hospital.
I kept looking at Nia's pink hair clip inside the evidence sleeve.
She had worn it that morning when I'd braided her hair before school. She had complained that the elastic was too tight, then laughed when I accidentally tied one braid higher than the other.
I had promised to fix it after dinner.
Now I couldn't stop thinking about the promise.
Renee glanced at me.
“Daniel, we'll get her back.””
“You can't promise that.””
“No. But I can promise we won't stop looking.””
I looked out the window.
“That's what everyone said when Claire disappeared from my life.””
Neither of us spoke again until we reached the hospital.
The pathology wing occupied the oldest section of the building, behind a set of heavy doors marked with restricted-access warnings. Most of the rooms had been renovated, but the corridor near the archive still had cracked tiles and faded green paint.
Marcus met us at the entrance.
“I've never seen this wing open at night,” he said.
“The access system was deactivated five years ago.””
Chen showed him the authorization.
“Who can override it?””
“The hospital administrator, the security director, and anyone with the master maintenance code.””
“Do you have that code?””
Marcus shook his head.
“No. The system was replaced, and my permissions were revoked.””
I studied the keypad.
The display was active.
A small green light glowed beside the lock.
“Someone has already opened it,” I said.
Chen nodded.
“Stay behind the search team.””
The officers entered first.
I followed with Renee and Marcus.
The corridor smelled of cold metal and antiseptic. A portable monitor beeped somewhere behind a closed door.
We followed the sound to Room 214.
The door stood open.
Inside was a narrow hospital bed, an IV stand, and a monitor displaying Claire's name. A green coat hung on the back of a chair.
The bed was empty.
I walked toward it.
A white sheet had been pulled tight across the mattress. A plastic wristband lay on the bedside table.
*CLAIRE WILLIAMS.*
The patient number matched the one displayed on the monitor.
I picked up the band.
It was warm.
“Someone was here recently.””
Chen examined the monitor.
“The readings are being generated by a simulator.””
I stared at her.
“What does that mean?””
“It means this equipment can produce realistic vital signs without being connected to a patient.””
“So the entire display is fake.””
“Yes.””
Renee checked the room's cupboards while two officers examined the adjoining storage area.
I turned toward the window.
It was sealed shut.
There was no second door.
No patient.
No sign of where Claire had gone.
Then I noticed something scratched into the metal bed frame.
A series of letters and numbers.
*M.V. — 09/17 — 214.*
I showed Chen.
She photographed it.
“Margaret Vale,” Renee said quietly.
“Why would Claire leave Margaret's initials here?””
“Maybe she wanted us to know they were connected.””
A noise came from the corridor.
One of the officers called out.
“Captain! We've found something.””
We hurried outside.
The officer stood beside a maintenance cabinet that had been pushed away from the wall. Behind it was a narrow service door, partially concealed by old piping.
The lock had been cut.
Chen crouched to inspect it.
“This passage connects to the basement loading area.””
“Can it lead outside?”” I asked.
“Yes.””
Renee looked at the officer.
“Secure both exits. Nobody leaves without being identified.””
The officer moved away.
I stared into the dark passage.
Claire could have escaped through here.
Or someone could have taken her through it.
A faint sound came from the other side of the door.
Three knocks.
Then two.
I froze.
It was the same rhythm Claire used when she came home late and didn't want to wake Nia.
Three knocks. Two knocks.
A private signal we'd used for years.
“Claire?””
I stepped toward the door.
Renee caught my arm.
“Wait.””
Another three knocks sounded.
Then a whisper.
“Daniel?””
My heart nearly stopped.
“Claire, it's me!””
The door opened a few inches.
A woman's hand appeared through the gap.
A wedding ring gleamed beneath the corridor light.
My wedding ring.
The one Claire had worn the night she died.
I reached for her hand.
Then a voice behind me said, “Don't touch her.””
I turned.
Dr. Samuel Price stood at the end of the corridor.
He wore a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. A pale scar ran across his left palm.
In one hand, he held a small remote control.
In the other, he held a photograph of Nia.
“Step away from the door, Daniel.””
Renee drew her weapon.
“Samuel Price, put your hands where I can see them.””
Price smiled.
“Captain Mitchell. Still trying to save everyone?””
“Put the remote down.””
“Do you know what this device controls?””
“No.””
“The door lock. The ventilation system. And the emergency alarm.””
He pressed a button.
A harsh siren erupted throughout the wing.
Red lights began flashing.
Price looked at me.
“You should have stopped searching.””
“Where is my daughter?””
“Safe. For now.””
“Bring her here.””
“I can't do that.””
“Why?””
“Because you're still holding something that belongs to me.””
“The black book?””
Price nodded.
“Give it to me, and you'll see your daughter again.””
Chen stepped forward.
“The black book is in secure county custody. You don't get to negotiate for evidence.””
Price laughed.
“You think that book matters? Half the entries are fabricated. The other half were planted to make one person look guilty.””
“Then why are you trying to get it back?”” I demanded.
His smile disappeared.
“Because the person who created it is still alive.””
I looked at the hidden door.
“Margaret Vale?””
Price's eyes flickered.
It was only a fraction of a second.
But Renee noticed.
“Where is Margaret?”” she asked.
Price pressed another button.
The lights went out.
Someone grabbed my arm.
I heard Renee shout my name, then the crash of a chair overturning.
A door slammed.
When the emergency lights came on, Price was gone.
The hidden service door stood open.
And the hand wearing Claire's wedding ring had disappeared.
Chen rushed toward the passage.
“Secure the exits!””
I followed her into the corridor.
A small piece of paper lay on the floor.
I picked it up.
Claire's handwriting covered the front.
Daniel, I'm sorry. I had to make them believe I was dead.
Beneath it was a second sentence.
But the woman you called your wife was not the only person who disappeared that night.
I read the words again.
Then I understood why Price had reacted to Margaret Vale's name.
Margaret hadn't simply been a witness in an old case.
She had been part of whatever happened to Claire.
And if the woman behind the door had really been my wife, she had just escaped without letting me see her face.
My phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
Nia's voice came through, faint and frightened.
“Daddy?””
I nearly collapsed with relief.
“Baby! Where are you?””
“I don't know. There's a man here. He said you were coming.””
“Listen to me, sweetheart. Are you hurt?””
“No.””
“Can you see a window?””
“Yes. There's a big clock outside.””
I looked at Chen.
“Ask her what kind of clock,” Renee said.
“Nia, baby, what does the clock look like?””
“It's a big black clock with gold hands. And there's a statue of a man holding a book.””
Chen's face changed.
She mouthed two words.
“Old courthouse.””
The abandoned courthouse stood across town, less than a mile from the municipal records building.
“Nia, I need you to stay quiet and listen for me. Don't go anywhere with that man.””
“I won't.””
Then a man's voice came through the phone.
“Time's up, Daniel.””
The call ended.
I stared at the screen.
A message appeared immediately afterward.
*Bring the black book to the old courthouse by 2:00 a.m. Or your daughter learns what happened to her mother.*
Renee checked the time.
1:12 a.m.
May you like
We had less than an hour.
And the black book was locked inside a secure evidence facility.
