Chapter 5 - Whispers in the Dark
Twenty minutes passed like twenty years.
I paced the soft Persian rug in the master suite, my ears strained against the quiet room, listening for any elevated voices, gunshots, or screaming from the floor below.
The children slept peacefully on the velvet couch, wrapped in a plush wool blanket. Eli let out a tiny, cute snore, shifting slightly, while Sophia muttered something about yellow dresses in her sleep.
I walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the front courtyard.
Down on the driveway, parked directly under the bright security lanterns, was Julian Reed’s silver Aston Martin. A slick, expensive sports car that practically screamed arrogance.
Suddenly, I saw movement near the side entrance of the estate—the service door used by the kitchen staff and delivery drivers.
A figure in a dark trench coat slipped out of the side door, carrying a small leather briefcase.
I leaned closer to the glass, squinting through the falling autumn rain.
It was Dr. Harrison—the Reed family’s private physician, the man who had signed Evelyn’s official death certificate two years ago, claiming she died of a rare autoimmune heart complication.
What was Dr. Harrison doing at Reed Manor at nine o'clock on a Thursday night?
My heart hammered against my ribs. Oct 14: J. insisted it was herbal medicine from Dr. Harrison.
Dr. Harrison wasn't just a doctor who had been tricked. He was the accomplice who supplied the Thallium sulfate!
I ran to the desk, grabbed the intercom, and pressed the line for the library.
Static hummed through the speaker, but no one answered. Nathaniel had likely turned off the library extension to prevent Julian from noticing any interruptions.
“Damn it,” I muttered under my breath.
I couldn't leave the children alone, but if Dr. Harrison left the grounds right now, the primary physical link between Julian and the poison would drive right out of the front gates and disappear forever.
I rushed over to the sofa, gently shaking Sophia’s shoulder.
“Sophia, baby, wake up,” I whispered urgency.
Sophia rubbed her eyes, blinking sleepily. “Mommy? Is it morning?”
“No, sweetheart. Listen to me very carefully,” I said, placing my hands on her shoulders. “I need you to sit right here on this couch and hold Eli’s hand. Do not get up. Do not open the door for anyone except Mr. Nathaniel. Do you understand me?”
She saw the raw intensity in my eyes and nodded quickly, her small jaw setting with surprising discipline. “I’ll protect Eli, Mommy.”
“Good girl.”
I locked the master suite door behind me, slipping the brass key into my apron pocket, and sprinted down the dimly lit third-floor service stairs toward the kitchen.
The kitchen was dark, the stainless-steel appliances gleaming under the faint green light of the exit signs. Mrs. Higgins had already gone home for the night.
I slipped out the rear pantry door into the cold, rain-swept courtyard, pulling my cardigan tightly around my shoulders.
Dr. Harrison was hurrying across the wet cobblestones toward his black Mercedes sedan parked near the guest house garages. He was fumbling with his keys, his hands shaking so violently he dropped them twice onto the wet pavement.
“Dr. Harrison!” I called out, stepping out from the shadows of the ivy-covered archway.
The doctor froze. He spun around, his sharp, rat-like face slick with sweat and rain under the dim garden lights.
“Who... who are you?” he stammered, pulling his wet coat collars tight around his neck. “What are you doing out here?”
“I’m Clara Delgado. I’m Eli’s caregiver,” I said, stepping closer, keeping my hands hidden in my sweater pockets to make it look like I was holding something. “Mr. Reed sent me out to get you. He needs you in the library immediately.”
Dr. Harrison’s eyes widened in sudden, blind panic. “Nathaniel? No... no, I just left him. He said... he said he didn't need a medical checkup tonight.”
May you like
“He changed his mind, Doctor,” I lied smoothly, my voice dropping into a cold, accusing tone. “He just found Evelyn’s notebook under the soundboard of the Steinway piano.”
The doctor’s medical briefcase slipped from his numb fingers, slamming onto the wet cobblestones with a heavy, hollow thud.
