The Room Nobody Was Allowed to Enter
Chapter 03 - The Room Nobody Was Allowed to Enter
Adrian returned to the mansion before dawn and went straight to the nursery. Its door had been locked since Rose's death. Vanessa called it a shrine and claimed opening it would reopen wounds. He had let her keep the key.
Daniel brought a locksmith. Inside, pale blue curtains hung over windows facing the garden. A wooden rocking horse stood beside a chest of drawers. A faded mobile of white stars turned whenever the heating vent switched on.
Adrian had chosen the rocking horse himself. It had arrived two weeks before Rose was hospitalized. Seeing it now caused a physical ache.
"Search without disturbing what might matter," he told Daniel.
Behind the wardrobe, they found a narrow panel secured with a brass latch. The space beyond held boxes of family albums, children’s blankets, correspondence, and the empty trunk Emma had described. A small white envelope was taped to the underside of a shelf.
Adrian opened it carefully. Rose's handwriting covered one sheet.
*My love, I know you think danger only comes from enemies. Please understand that some of the worst betrayal wears the face of someone who calls herself family. If our child and I become separated, don't let anyone convince you to stop looking.*
He read the note twice, then folded forward against the wardrobe.
Daniel said nothing. They had worked together for seventeen years; there were moments when loyalty meant having the decency to stay quiet.
Another page listed an appointment with a neonatal specialist at St. Agnes Medical Center, and an unfamiliar patient number. Adrian photographed it. He knew there would be legal barriers to accessing old medical files. This time he intended to use lawyers and court procedures, not intimidation.
He heard Vanessa in the hallway. "Adrian? Why is this door open?"
"Rose left letters."
Her smile faltered. "Grief does strange things to people. She wasn't well toward the end."
"You said she lost the baby."
"That's what the doctors told us."
"Which doctors?"
"I don't remember every name from three years ago."
"You remember every place setting from last night's dinner."
She flushed. "Don't be cruel."
He held up the appointment card. "Who was Miriam?"
Vanessa's face changed before she could stop it. A flicker of recognition, then something calculating.
"A nurse, perhaps."
"You know her."
"Adrian, please. You're exhausted."
"Go stay at your townhouse while this is investigated. Daniel will arrange for your belongings to be returned."
Vanessa's voice rose. "You would throw me out because of a maid's fantasy?"
He looked at the rocking horse. "No. I'm asking you to leave because you've answered every question with a reason I shouldn't ask it."
When she stormed out, he saw an envelope slip from her purse. She snatched it up too quickly to read, but not before he saw the return address: Bellwether Family Services.
That afternoon, his attorney discovered Bellwether had once handled confidential placements for children with medically complicated births. Its original office had closed the year after Rose died.
May you like
Adrian held the telephone against his ear and felt the first unmistakable shape of fear.
The child Rose had carried might still be alive.
