Chapter 7 - The Visit Nobody Mentioned|
The memory came back in pieces.
A Saturday morning.
A business call.
Margaret standing beside the front entrance with Zion's stroller.
I had asked where she was going.
"Just a little outing," she had replied.
I hadn't asked anything else.
Now I sat in the hospital room, trying to remember every detail.
"Who did she visit?" Dr. Hayes asked.
"I don't know."
"Was it a family member?"
"She never mentioned one."
I called the household manager.
"Find Margaret's visitor records. Every time she left the property with Zion."
"Yes, sir."
I also contacted my security director and asked him to review the exterior cameras.
Within twenty minutes, he called back.
"Mr. Whitaker, we found something."
"What?"
"Margaret took Zion off the property four times in the last month."
"Where did she go?"
"Three trips were to a private residence in Westchester. One was to a medical office in Stamford."
"Did she have permission?"
"Your household manager approved the trips because Margaret said they were routine appointments."
"Who authorized the appointments?"
"She said you had."
I closed my eyes.
I had authorized nothing.
"Send me the addresses."
The private residence belonged to a woman named Patricia Collins.
Margaret's older sister.
The medical office was registered to a pediatric wellness consultant whose name I didn't recognize.
I searched the name.
The clinic had closed six months earlier.
"Why was Margaret taking my son to a closed clinic?"
My security director didn't answer.
"Find out who owns the property now."
I called Detective Bennett.
She listened carefully.
"Don't go to either address yourself," she warned. "We'll investigate."
"How long?"
"As long as it takes to do it properly."
"My son nearly died."
"I know. And I don't want you doing something that could compromise the investigation."
I paced the room.
Then Zion made a small sound.
I turned immediately.
His eyes were open.
"Daddy's here," I whispered.
I reached for his hand.
He wrapped his tiny fingers around mine.
For the first time that night, I cried.
A nurse quietly stepped away.
A few minutes later, Emily arrived.
She had brought a small stuffed rabbit.
"I thought he might like this when he's feeling better."
I stood.
"You came back."
"I wanted to see him."
I looked at the rabbit.
"Thank you."
Emily approached the bed and gently placed it beside Zion.
"He used to smile when I showed him things that made little noises."
"How did you know?"
"Because I paid attention."
There was no accusation in her voice.
That made it worse.
"Emily, I owe you an apology."
She looked at me.
"You don't have to do that."
"Yes, I do. I humiliated you. I dismissed your concerns. And I treated you as if your job title meant you couldn't possibly know more than the person I trusted."
She was silent.
"I was wrong."
Emily lowered her eyes.
"Please just make sure he gets better."
Before I could answer, Detective Bennett entered.
"Mr. Whitaker, we found something at the Westchester address."
"What?"
She looked toward Emily, then back at me.
"A storage room containing medical supplies and several documents connected to your son."
"What documents?"
"Records with his name on them."
May you like
She paused.
"And one of them appears to have been signed by you."
