Chapter 3 - The Warning I Ignored|
Emily finally allowed me inside.
Her apartment was small, clean, and modest. A secondhand sofa stood against one wall. A narrow bookshelf held several nursing textbooks, and a framed photograph showed Emily standing beside a little boy with a bright smile.
I noticed the picture immediately.
"Your son?"
She nodded.
"My brother, actually. Toby. He's ten."
"Where are your parents?"
"Both gone. I've been raising him with help from a few relatives."
I looked around.
There was nothing luxurious in the apartment. No expensive furniture, no designer decorations, no sign of the lifestyle people associated with working in a mansion like mine.
"Why did you take a housemaid position if you studied nursing?"
"Because my brother needed me close to home. The hospital shifts were unpredictable, and I couldn't leave him alone."
She spoke without bitterness.
I sat on the edge of the sofa.
"Start from the beginning."
Emily folded her arms.
"The first week, I thought Margaret was wonderful. She knew exactly how to calm Zion. She told everyone she had raised dozens of children."
"She has excellent references."
"Maybe she did good work before. I don't know. But something changed."
"What changed?"
"Zion began sleeping for unusually long periods. Sometimes he wouldn't wake up when I changed his diaper. He would open his eyes, stare at the ceiling, and fall asleep again."
"Babies have different sleep patterns."
"I know. But I used to work in a hospital nursery. I know when a baby is simply tired and when something doesn't look right."
I leaned forward.
"What else?"
"His breathing became slow after his evening bottle. Not every time, but often enough that I started watching him."
"Did you tell Margaret?"
"Yes."
"What did she say?"
"She said I was inexperienced and should focus on cleaning."
I felt my jaw tighten.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Emily gave me a tired look.
"I tried."
"When?"
"Last Monday. You were leaving for a business trip. I approached you near the front door, but Margaret told you I was asking for an advance on my wages."
I remembered that morning.
I remembered signing a document while checking emails.
I remembered waving her away.
"I didn't know."
"That's the problem, sir. Nobody tells you anything because Margaret says you don't like being interrupted."
I stared at the floor.
Emily continued.
"Two nights ago, I found a small bottle in the nursery cabinet. It wasn't labeled like Zion's prescribed medicine. Margaret told me it was a supplement."
"What was in it?"
"I don't know. I tried to read the label, but she took it away."
"Why didn't you photograph it?"
"I did."
My head lifted.
Emily reached for her phone.
She showed me a photograph of a small amber bottle sitting beside a container of baby formula.
The label was partly turned away.
There was a handwritten sticker on the front.
NIGHT CALM.
My stomach tightened.
"Where did you take this?"
"Inside the nursery cabinet. I was cleaning."
"Was Margaret using it?"
"She gave Zion something from that bottle. I saw her do it twice."
"Did you see what she gave him?"
"No. But afterward, he became sleepy."
I stood up.
"We're going to the police."
Emily shook her head.
"Not yet."
I stared at her.
"What do you mean, not yet?"
"Because I don't think Margaret was acting alone."
I looked at the photograph again.
"What makes you say that?"
"Yesterday, I heard her talking on the phone in the laundry room. She said, 'The father won't notice. He never checks.'"
My chest tightened.
"Who was she speaking to?"
"I couldn't hear the other person."
"Did she say anything else?"
Emily hesitated.
Then she lowered her voice.
"She said the plan would be finished once the inheritance papers were signed."
I felt the room tilt.
My wife had left Zion a substantial trust.
The money was protected until he turned twenty-five, but I controlled the company shares assigned to him.
"You're telling me someone is targeting my son's inheritance?"
"I'm telling you I heard something that frightened me."
My phone rang.
It was Dr. Hayes.
I answered immediately.
"Doctor?"
"We have preliminary results that require further investigation. Please return to the hospital."
"What did you find?"
A pause.
"There's an unexpected substance in Zion's system. We need to confirm the result, but we have reason to suspect medication exposure."
I looked at Emily.
She had gone pale.
Then the doctor added:
"Mr. Whitaker, please bring any photographs or information about the products used in your son's care."
I ended the call.
Emily stood.
"Sir, I need to tell you one more thing."
"What?"
May you like
She looked toward the door.
"Margaret knew I was going to talk to you today."
