Chapter 6: The Secret Danielle Carried Into the Mansion
Malcolm stood motionless, the hospital wristband clenched in his hand.
“Start talking,” he said.
Naomi sat on the edge of Eli's bed. Her carefully polished appearance had begun to unravel: mascara gathered beneath her eyes, and her fingers trembled against the beige fabric of her dress.
“Four years ago, Patricia called me in the middle of the night,” she began.
“She said she had proof that someone close to the family was stealing money and using your name to hide it.””
Malcolm frowned.
“My name?””
“Your business accounts. Your mother's estate. Several transfers had been made without her permission.””
“Who made them?””
“I never found out.””
“You helped her disappear without finding out who was doing it?””
“I was trying to keep her alive!””
Her voice echoed through the nursery.
Malcolm looked at the photograph again.
“Where does Danielle fit into this?””
Naomi swallowed.
“Danielle worked at the hospital where Patricia was taken after the accident. She wasn't a nurse. She was caring for a relative who was receiving treatment there.””
“And?””
“She saw your mother awake.””
Malcolm's chest tightened.
“You said she was in a coma.””
“That's what the doctors told me.””
“But Danielle saw her awake.””
Naomi nodded.
“She said Patricia grabbed her hand and begged her not to let anyone take her back to the house.””
Malcolm stared at the wristband.
“Back to this house?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Naomi shook her head.
“Danielle never told me everything. She said she would only explain it directly to you.””
“Then why did she spend three years working here without telling me?””
“Because she believed someone was watching the house.””
Malcolm looked toward the hallway.
“Who?””
“I don't know.””
He laughed bitterly.
“That's becoming your favorite answer.””
Naomi flinched.
“I deserve that.””
“No. You deserve to tell me the truth.””
She looked down at her hands.
“Danielle approached me six months before she started working here. She showed me the hospital photograph and told me Patricia might still be alive. She wanted access to the security system.””
Malcolm's expression hardened.
“You hired her because she wanted access to my cameras?””
“I hired her because she promised she could identify whoever had helped your mother disappear.””
“And you never thought to tell me?””
“Your mother specifically asked me not to.””
“Why would I believe anything she asked you to do?””
Naomi looked up.
“Because she was afraid of someone who knew every room in this house.””
A cold silence settled between them.
Malcolm thought of the camera footage.
The mirrored figure.
The velvet jewelry pouch.
The brass key.
“Was the jewelry planted?”” he asked.
Naomi's face crumpled.
“Yes.””
The admission came so quietly that he almost missed it.
He stared at her.
“You framed Danielle.””
“I didn't want her to release the footage.””
“You had her arrested!””
“I thought the recording would be erased before anyone saw it!””
Malcolm took a step back.
“You used our son as a weapon against a woman who loves him.””
“I didn't touch Eli!””
“You made him watch Danielle being dragged away in handcuffs!””
Naomi began crying harder.
“I thought I was protecting you.””
“From the truth?””
She nodded.
Malcolm turned away from her, unable to look at her face.
Then Eli appeared in the doorway.
He had been listening.
“Mom,” he whispered, “why did you say Danielle stole the necklace?””
Naomi wiped her cheeks.
“Eli, sweetheart—”
“Did she steal it?””
Naomi couldn't answer.
The boy's face crumpled.
“You lied?””
She reached for him.
Eli stepped backward.
“Don't touch me.””
Naomi's hand fell.
Malcolm knelt beside his son.
“Buddy, go downstairs and stay in the living room. I'll be right there.””
Eli looked at his father.
“Are you going to bring Danielle home?””
Malcolm glanced at the hospital photograph.
“Yes,” he said.
And for the first time that day, he meant it.
Eli hurried downstairs.
Malcolm waited until his footsteps faded before turning back to Naomi.
“Where is Patricia now?””
“I don't know.””
“Who took her?””
“I don't know.””
“Then what do you know?””
Naomi stared at the open floor compartment.
“I know she left something behind. Something she said would prove who betrayed her.””
“Where?””
“She never told me.””
Malcolm looked down at the letter again.
There was another line beneath the final paragraph, almost hidden by a fold.
He smoothed the paper.
If Danielle is arrested, do not trust the first person who offers to help.
Malcolm read the sentence aloud.
Naomi went pale.
“What does that mean?”” he demanded.
Before she could answer, his phone rang.
The screen displayed an unknown number.
Malcolm answered.
“Hello?””
A man's voice came through, low and distorted.
“Mr. Bennett, you need to stop looking at the nursery footage.””
Malcolm gripped the phone.
“Who is this?””
“You have no idea what you're reopening.””
“Where is my mother?””
A pause.
Then the caller laughed softly.
“Your mother isn't the person you should be looking for.””
Malcolm felt his stomach tighten.
“Then who?””
“The woman your wife just framed.””
The line went dead.
Malcolm lowered the phone slowly.
Naomi was staring at him.
“What did they say?””
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he opened the security app and returned to the nursery recording.
He scrolled backward, examining the footage frame by frame.
At 2:12 AM, the nursery was empty.
At 2:13 AM, Naomi entered with the velvet pouch.
At 2:14 AM, the mirrored figure vanished.
But at 2:15 AM, something else happened.
The nursery door opened.
A hand appeared around the edge.
Then a person stepped into view.
Malcolm enlarged the image.
The figure wore a dark jacket, gloves, and a baseball cap pulled low over the face.
But the person's left hand was bare.
On the ring finger was a distinctive silver ring shaped like a coiled serpent.
Malcolm knew that ring.
He had seen it on a man who attended his mother's funeral.
A man who had stood beside him, offered condolences, and promised to help settle Patricia's estate.
His mother's attorney.
Richard Cole.
Malcolm stared at the screen.
“No,” he whispered.
Naomi stepped closer.
“What is it?””
He turned the phone toward her.
The color drained from her face.
“Richard,” she breathed.
Malcolm replayed the moment.
The figure entered the nursery, looked directly toward the mirror, and raised one gloved hand.
In the reflection, the silver serpent ring caught the light.
Then the figure reached toward the camera.
The screen went black.
Malcolm's phone vibrated.
A new message appeared from the same unknown number.
*YOU HAVE TEN MINUTES TO FIND DANIELLE BEFORE RICHARD DOES.*
Beneath it was a photograph.
Danielle sat alone in the back of a police vehicle, her hands cuffed in front of her.
Someone had taken the picture from outside the station.
On the back window, written in the condensation, were four words:
*SHE KNOWS WHERE PATRICIA IS.*
Malcolm grabbed his keys.
Naomi caught his arm.
“Malcolm, wait.””
He turned.
“Not another lie.””
Her eyes filled with terror.
“I know where Richard is going.””
Malcolm went still.
“Where?””
May you like
Naomi swallowed hard.
Then she whispered, “To the one place Patricia told us never to return.””
