Chapter 17 - The Room Nobody Was Allowed to Enter|
The north wing smelled like dust, old wood, and secrets.
For two years, Dominic had forbidden everyone from entering the rooms Elena once used as her private office.
Now he stood before the locked door with Gabriel on one side and me on the other.
The brass key turned.
The lock clicked.
Inside was a small office filled with covered furniture, bookshelves, and a large painting of Ethan as a baby.
A single desk stood beneath the window.
Dominic slowly approached it.
“Elena loved this room.”
His voice was quiet.
“She used to say it was the only place in the house where she could think.”
I looked around.
Everything seemed ordinary.
Until I noticed a thin black cable disappearing beneath the carpet.
“Gabriel?”
He followed my gaze.
“What is it?”
“That cable.”
He knelt and examined it.
Then pulled back a corner of the carpet.
Beneath it was a narrow access panel.
Inside sat a small recording device connected to a concealed camera system.
Gabriel stared.
“This isn't part of our security network.”
Dominic looked at him.
“Can you access it?”
“Probably.”
Twenty minutes later, Gabriel connected the device to a monitor.
Rows of archived recordings appeared.
Most were from the months before Elena's reported death.
But one folder had been updated the night of Ethan's birthday.
My heart began pounding.
Gabriel opened it.
The screen showed the east service corridor.
At 5:38 p.m., Owen Mercer entered the kitchen carrying a small silver container.
He wore a chef's jacket.
A minute later, Celeste Moretti appeared outside the service window in her emerald gown.
She leaned toward Owen.
The recording had no audio.
But her gestures were unmistakable.
She pointed toward the cake.
Then checked her watch.
Owen nodded.
I covered my mouth.
“Lily was right.”
Dominic didn't move.
Gabriel continued watching.
At 5:41, someone accessed the main security network.
The public camera feeds disappeared.
But Elena's concealed recording device continued operating.
A clear image captured Owen approaching the finished birthday cake.
Dominic looked away.
His hands had curled into fists.
Gabriel paused the recording.
“Boss, this is evidence.”
Dominic stared at Celeste's face on the screen.
“Save everything. Three independent copies. One goes straight to investigators.”
Then I noticed another figure crossing the background.
A man in an expensive gray suit.
He appeared only briefly.
But I recognized him.
“Simon.”
Gabriel enlarged the image.
Simon Voss stood near the service door, speaking into his phone.
On his wrist was a distinctive black watch.
The same watch he wore at every Moretti family meeting.
Dominic's voice became deadly quiet.
“They were both there.”
I looked toward the painting of Elena.
For two years, the entire household had believed her office contained nothing but memories.
Instead, it held the evidence needed to expose the people who had nearly murdered her son.
Then Gabriel opened the final archived file.
It was a short recording of Elena herself.
She stood inside that very office, looking directly into the camera.
“If they discover this system, they'll know I was right.”
She swallowed.
“Simon is dangerous. But the person protecting him has access to Ethan's medical records.”
Dominic looked sharply at Gabriel.
The recording continued.
“And if anything happens to me, don't assume the person helping my son is innocent.”
The screen went black.
I felt a cold sensation crawl across my skin.
May you like
Because I suddenly remembered the woman who had tried to take Lily.
She had claimed to be acting on Dr. Harris's orders.
