Chapter 4 - The Woman in the Nursery
Ethan moved first.
Sarah grabbed his sleeve.
“Wait.”
He looked at her.
“The nursery.”
“Leo isn’t there.”
“I know.”
“Whoever went inside doesn’t.”
Ethan understood.
A trap had already been created without them planning one.
The portable crib in the library had saved Leo.
Sarah whispered, “Call the police.”
“No signal.”
Ethan checked his phone.
Nothing.
The estate’s signal boosters had gone down with the security system.
He handed Sarah the keys to a side entrance.
“Take Leo through the service corridor.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“That wasn’t a request.”
Sarah looked at him.
“And if the person inside is waiting outside?”
That stopped him.
Sarah knew the property better than most executives knew their offices.
“There’s an old wine-storage room behind the kitchen,” she said. “Reinforced door. No exterior windows.”
Ethan nodded.
“Go.”
“And you?”
“I’m going upstairs.”
“Ethan—”
“If someone came into my house intending to reach my son, I need to know who.”
Sarah tightened her hold on Leo.
“Then don’t be stupid.”
Despite everything, Ethan almost smiled.
“Yes, ma’am.”
He disappeared into the dark hallway.
Sarah carried Leo through the service passage.
His crying had softened to frightened whimpers.
“I know, sweetheart.”
She kissed the top of his head.
“I know.”
Upstairs, Ethan climbed silently.
The emergency lights had failed.
That meant this wasn’t a simple outage.
Someone had disabled systems deliberately.
At the top of the stairs, the nursery door stood closed.
A faint light moved beneath it.
Flashlight.
Ethan approached from the side.
He could hear someone opening drawers.
Then a woman whispered.
“Where is he?”
Ethan’s blood ran cold.
He pushed open the door.
“Looking for someone?”
The flashlight swung toward him.
A woman screamed.
Not Victoria.
She was older.
Maybe fifty.
Dressed in black.
Ethan raised his weapon but kept it pointed low.
“Hands where I can see them.”
The woman backed toward the crib.
“You don’t understand.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m not here to hurt him.”
“You broke into my house.”
“I was told the baby was here.”
“By whom?”
Her lips trembled.
“I can’t.”
Ethan stepped closer.
“Then you can explain it to the police.”
The woman suddenly reached inside her coat.
Ethan raised the gun.
“Don’t.”
She froze.
Slowly, she removed an envelope.
“I came to give you this.”
Ethan stared at it.
“Put it down.”
She laid the envelope on the floor.
“What is it?”
“Something Rebecca wanted you to have.”
Ethan’s heart slammed against his ribs.
“You knew my wife?”
The woman looked toward the hallway.
“I worked for her.”
“You didn’t work here.”
“No. At the clinic.”
“What clinic?”
Before she could answer, a crash sounded downstairs.
The woman flinched.
“They found me.”
“Who?”
She rushed toward the window.
Ethan grabbed her arm.
“Who found you?”
“Victoria’s people.”
Ethan stared.
“Victoria has people?”
“You think she’s just some rich woman who wants your money?”
The woman laughed bitterly.
“You have no idea what you invited into this house.”
Another crash.
Then Graham shouted from downstairs.
“Mr. Cole!”
The woman’s face went white.
“Don’t trust him.”
Ethan tightened his grip.
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.”
She leaned close.
“He was there the night Rebecca died.”
Ethan stopped breathing.
“What?”
Footsteps thundered up the stairs.
The woman pulled away.
“If they take me, find Rebecca’s blue ledger.”
“Where?”
“Box 417.”
Ethan remembered the key.
“What’s in the box?”
“Everything.”
Graham appeared at the end of the hallway holding a flashlight.
“Sir!”
Ethan turned.
Graham’s light moved across the woman.
His face changed.
“You.”
The woman ran.
Graham lunged.
Ethan stepped between them.
“Stop.”
“She’s an intruder.”
“So are you, if you disabled my security.”
Graham froze.
Ethan saw it.
Confirmation.
“Sir, I can explain.”
“Back away.”
“Give me the woman.”
“No.”
Graham’s hand moved toward his jacket.
Ethan raised the gun.
“Do not.”
For several seconds, they stared at each other.
Then blue lights flashed through the windows outside.
Police.
Sarah had found an old landline in the wine room.
Graham’s face collapsed.
The woman whispered, “Thank God.”
Within minutes, deputies filled the estate.
Graham was separated from the others.
The intruder identified herself as Margaret Shaw, a former nurse at Saint Catherine Women’s Clinic.
Ethan sat across from her in the library while a detective recorded the conversation.
Sarah remained nearby with Leo.
Detective Rosa Martinez folded her arms.
“Ms. Shaw, start at the beginning.”
Margaret looked at Ethan.
“I met Rebecca during her pregnancy.”
“Why?”
“She began coming to the clinic for private bloodwork.”
Ethan frowned.
“She already had an obstetrician.”
“She didn’t trust the results from his office.”
“Why?”
“She thought something was wrong with her medication.”
Ethan went still.
“What medication?”
“Prenatal supplements. Anti-nausea medicine. Later, medication for heart palpitations.”
Ethan stared.
“She never told me she had palpitations.”
Margaret nodded sadly.
“She didn’t want to frighten you until she knew what caused them.”
“What did she find?”
Margaret looked at Detective Martinez.
“Someone had been tampering with her pills.”
Sarah covered her mouth.
Ethan’s face lost all color.
“With what?”
“I don’t know exactly. The samples were taken before full testing could be completed.”
“Taken by whom?”
“Two men came to the clinic claiming to represent the hospital’s legal department. My supervisor gave them the samples.”
“Names?”
“False ones.”
Detective Martinez made notes.
Margaret continued.
“Rebecca became terrified. She started recording dates, symptoms, visitors, staff access. She called it her blue ledger.”
“Where is it?”
“She told me she put it in a bank box.”
“417?”
Margaret nodded.
Ethan stood abruptly.
Daniel’s safe-deposit key.
Everything was connecting.
Victoria.
Graham.
Rebecca.
The missing camera footage.
Ethan looked at Margaret.
“Why wait a year?”
Her eyes filled with shame.
“Because I was scared.”
“Of Victoria?”
“No.”
That answer surprised everyone.
“Then who?”
Margaret looked toward the hall.
“Victoria wasn’t the one Rebecca feared most.”
Ethan leaned forward.
“Who was?”
Margaret’s eyes met his.
“Your brother.”
Silence.
Sarah knew Ethan had only one brother.
Caleb Cole.
Five years older.
Chairman of the Cole Family Trust.
The man who had introduced Ethan to Victoria six months ago.
Ethan sat back slowly.
“That’s impossible.”
Margaret shook her head.
“Rebecca said Caleb had been asking questions about your inheritance structure.”
“He manages family trusts.”
“She said he wanted to know what happened to your voting shares if both you and Leo died.”
Sarah looked at the baby in her arms.
Detective Martinez leaned forward.
“What would happen?”
Ethan’s mouth became dry.
“If I die, controlling shares pass to Leo.”
“And if Leo dies?”
Ethan’s eyes lifted.
“To the Cole Family Trust.”
Margaret whispered, “Controlled by Caleb.”
No one spoke.
Then Ethan’s phone rang.
The screen displayed:
CALEB COLE.
Everyone looked at it.
Ethan answered on speaker.
“Caleb.”
His brother sounded cheerful.
“Heard you had some excitement at the estate.”
Ethan looked at Detective Martinez.
“How did you hear that?”
A pause.
“Graham texted me.”
Graham was already in police custody.
Ethan’s eyes hardened.
“Interesting.”
“What’s going on?”
“Why don’t you tell me?”
Another pause.
“Ethan?”
“Did you know Rebecca was investigating someone before she died?”
The silence lasted too long.
Then Caleb laughed.
“I think you’ve had a difficult night.”
“That wasn’t an answer.”
“Get some sleep.”
“Did you know Victoria knew Rebecca?”
Caleb stopped laughing.
Ethan looked at Sarah.
There it was again.
The hesitation of a person caught with information they weren’t supposed to have.
Finally Caleb said, “We should talk tomorrow.”
“We’ll talk now.”
“I’m not doing this over the phone.”
“Fine.”
Ethan’s voice became cold.
“Then come to the house.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
Caleb inhaled.
“Because I’m already on a plane.”
Ethan frowned.
“Where are you going?”
Caleb disconnected.
Detective Martinez immediately turned to an officer.
“Find out.”
Ethan stared at the phone.
A message appeared less than thirty seconds later.
From Daniel.
I got access authorization for Box 417. We can open it first thing tomorrow.
Then another message appeared.
A bank security alert.
Daniel called immediately.
Ethan answered.
“What?”
Daniel’s voice was urgent.
“Someone just accessed Rebecca’s box.”
Ethan stood.
“Right now?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Sarah looked at him.
Caleb was on a plane.
Victoria was somewhere outside the estate.
And someone had reached the box before them.
Daniel’s voice dropped.
“Ethan, if the blue ledger was still there…”
May you like
Ethan finished the sentence.
“It won’t be tomorrow.”
