Chapter 5: The Woman Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Malcolm reached the staircase first.
“Stay here with Eli,” he ordered.
Naomi grabbed his arm.
“Don't go upstairs.””
He pulled free.
“Someone just slammed a door.””
“It's an old house. The air pressure—”
“Stop lying to me!””
His shout startled Eli into silence.
Malcolm immediately turned back, crouching to meet his son's eyes.
“I'm sorry, buddy. I didn't mean to scare you.””
Eli wiped his cheeks with his sleeves.
“Is Grandma coming back?””
Malcolm had no answer.
He picked up the brass key from the marble floor and slipped it into his pocket.
Then he looked at Naomi.
“You're coming with me.””
Her face paled.
“Malcolm, please.””
“Now.””
They climbed the wide staircase together, their footsteps echoing beneath the high ceiling. Bright daylight streamed through the tall landing windows, illuminating the framed family portraits along the wall.
Malcolm stopped before the nursery.
The door stood open.
Inside, the white curtains moved gently in the breeze from a slightly ajar window. The crib had been replaced years earlier by a small bed, and Eli's stuffed animals were arranged neatly against the pillows.
Nothing appeared disturbed.
Malcolm stepped inside.
“Hello?””
Silence.
He checked behind the door, inside the closet, and beneath the bed.
No one.
Naomi remained in the doorway, rubbing her palms together.
“See? Nobody's here.””
Malcolm turned toward her.
“Then explain the door.””
“I don't know.””
“Explain the footage.””
“I already told you. It could be manipulated.””
“Explain why Danielle knew about the key.””
Naomi's lips trembled.
“Maybe she found it while cleaning.””
“It's kept in a locked cabinet.””
She looked away.
Malcolm walked to the window and examined the latch.
The window opened onto the mansion's side garden, several feet above a sloping section of lawn. Beneath it, the white gravel path showed no obvious footprints.
But on the windowsill lay a tiny piece of paper.
Malcolm picked it up.
Three words had been written in blue ink.
*ASK ABOUT THE HOSPITAL.*
He read them twice.
Then he turned to Naomi.
“What hospital?””
She stared at the paper as if it were a weapon.
“Malcolm, we need to talk downstairs.””
“Answer me.””
“Not here.””
He stepped closer.
“What happened at the hospital?””
Naomi pressed her lips together.
For a long moment, the only sound was the distant hum of the mansion's air conditioning.
Then she whispered, “Your mother was admitted under a different name.””
Malcolm felt as though the floor had shifted beneath him.
“What?””
“The night of the accident.””
He gripped the edge of the windowsill.
“What accident?””
Naomi's eyes filled.
“The accident that supposedly killed her.””
Malcolm shook his head.
“You told me she died at home.””
“I know.””
“You stood beside me at the funeral.””
“I know.””
“You watched me lower her coffin into the ground.””
Naomi closed her eyes.
“I know, Malcolm.””
He stepped away from her.
“Was there even a body in that coffin?””
She didn't answer.
He stared at her, waiting for a denial, a furious accusation, anything that would make the last few minutes less impossible.
Instead, Naomi whispered, “I never saw the body.””
Malcolm backed toward the door.
“You let me bury an empty coffin?””
“I didn't know it was empty!””
“Then what did you know?””
Naomi's shoulders began to shake.
“I knew your mother had been involved in something dangerous. I knew people were looking for her. And I knew that if she came back into your life, they would use you to get to her.””
“Who are they?””
“I don't know.””
“You expect me to believe that?””
“No,” she said, tears spilling down her cheeks.
“I expect you to hate me.””
For the first time, she sounded sincere.
That frightened him.
Malcolm returned downstairs and found Eli sitting on the sofa with his smartwatch held between both hands.
The boy immediately jumped up.
“Dad! There's another one!””
He pressed the screen.
Danielle's voice played again, quieter this time.
“If Malcolm asks about the hospital, tell him to look beneath the nursery floorboard beside the radiator.””
Malcolm stared toward the staircase.
Naomi stopped halfway down.
“No,” she whispered.
He turned toward her.
“You knew about this message.””
“No.””
“Then why are you afraid?””
She covered her mouth.
Malcolm hurried upstairs again, with Eli following close behind until he gently instructed him to stay with Naomi.
Inside the nursery, Malcolm knelt beside the radiator. He examined the polished wooden floorboards, running his fingers along the seams.
One board shifted beneath his palm.
He pulled.
A narrow compartment opened beneath the floor.
Inside lay a sealed plastic envelope, a faded hospital wristband, and a photograph.
Malcolm picked up the wristband first.
The printed name was barely legible.
*PATRICIA BENNETT.*
The date was four years earlier.
He turned the photograph over.
On the front, his mother lay in a hospital bed, her silver hair spread across a white pillow. A bandage covered her forehead. Her eyes were closed.
Beside the bed stood Danielle.
Much younger, perhaps in her late twenties, but unmistakably the same woman.
Malcolm stared at the image.
“Why were you there?”” he whispered.
He opened the envelope.
Inside was a single handwritten letter.
Malcolm, if you ever find this, understand that I did not abandon you. I was told you would be safer believing I was dead.
His hands began to shake.
The letter continued.
The woman who told you I was gone was not the only person who knew the truth. Someone inside your home helped make me disappear.
Malcolm stopped reading.
A soft sound came from behind him.
He turned.
Naomi stood in the doorway, her face drained of color.
“You shouldn't have opened that,” she whispered.
He rose slowly, holding the letter.
“Who helped my mother disappear?””
Naomi looked at the photograph.
Then at him.
And finally, she said the words that shattered the last piece of certainty he had left.
“I did.””
Malcolm couldn't speak.
Naomi stepped into the room, tears sliding down her face.
“I was twenty-nine. Your mother came to me because she believed someone was trying to kill her. She begged me to help her escape.””
“You told me she was dead.””
“I thought it would keep you safe.””
“You let me grieve her!””
“I know.””
“You let Eli grow up believing his grandmother was gone!””
“I know!””
Her voice broke.
Then she reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a second hospital wristband.
This one bore a different name.
*DANIELLE CARTER.*
Malcolm stared at it.
“Why does Danielle have a hospital record connected to my mother?””
Naomi shook her head.
“Because she wasn't just your nanny.””
May you like
She took a trembling breath.
“She was the last person who saw your mother before she disappeared.””
