Chương 10
Before Bernice’s jokes sharpened.
Before Gavin started talking constantly about needing more independence at work.
Before my pregnancy became difficult enough for him to call me stressed.
“How much?”
“Four hundred eighty-five.”
“Thousand?”
“Yes.”
I laughed once because the alternative was screaming.
“We didn’t have that much cash.”
“No.”
“Mortgage?”
“Likely.”
“Down payment?”
“I’m working on it.”
“From where?”
“I’m working on it.”
The repetition shut me up.
Elena softened.
“Don’t turn guesses into facts.”
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
“Because you keep trying.”
Samuel came back holding coffee and a packet of crackers.
I ended the call after making Elena promise to send everything to Denise first.
He placed the crackers beside me.
“You look worse.”
“Thank you.”
“What did she find?”
“Stonebridge owns a house.”
Samuel sat down.
“Actually owns one?”
“Yes.”
“Address?”
I handed him the menu.
He read it.
“Do you know this neighborhood?”
“No.”
“I do.”
I looked at him.
“Why?”
“My nephew lives out there.”
I waited.
Samuel unfolded his glasses and put them on.
“That development is expensive.”
“I figured that out when Elena said four hundred eighty-five thousand dollars.”
He handed the paper back.
“New builds?”
“Mostly.”
“Gated?”
“No.”
I knew what he was thinking.
“No.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You were about to tell me not to go there.”
“I was about to tell you not to go there.”
“I’m not going tonight.”
“Or tomorrow.”
I looked away.
“Madeline.”
“I heard you.”
“Your body just threatened early labor.”
“My body threatened something.”
“That is close enough.”
At midnight, Dr. Patel discharged me with instructions to hydrate, rest, return if contractions became regular again, and call immediately for bleeding, fluid loss, or decreased movement.
Samuel read the discharge paperwork more carefully than I did.
In the parking garage, my phone finally received a text from Gavin instead of a call.
Where are you?
I did not answer.
A second message appeared.
I’m sorry about Lauren.
Then another.
I should have told you.
I stared at the words until Samuel unlocked the car.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“That is clearly not nothing.”
I handed him the phone.
He read the messages.
“Do not respond tonight.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“You say that frequently.”
“And sometimes I mean it.”
We drove back to the apartment.
The city had gone quiet in that strange way it only did after midnight, when traffic lights kept working for almost nobody.
At the apartment entrance, Samuel waited until I was inside before leaving.
I showered.
I drank water.
I put the phone on the nightstand.
At twelve-fifty-three, I was still awake.
At one-twelve, a new message from Gavin lit the room.
Please tell me the baby is okay.
I sat up.
He knew.
My first thought was Samuel.
Impossible.
Then Elena.
She would never.
I typed nothing.
Another message appeared.
Mom said you were at the hospital.
Cold moved across my skin.
I called Bernice.
She answered immediately.
“Where are you?”
“Who told you I was at the hospital?”
She ignored the question.
“Is my grandson all right?”
“Who told you?”
“Gavin is out of his mind.”
“Bernice.”
She exhaled.
“Paisley saw Samuel’s car.”
I frowned.
“Where?”
“At the hospital.”
My mouth went dry.
“How?”
“She was there.”
“Why?”
A pause.
“Her friend works there.”
“At midnight?”
“I don’t know her schedule.”
“That makes no sense.”
“Not everything is a conspiracy, Madeline.”
The word sounded too familiar.
“Did Paisley follow me?”
“No.”
“Did she follow Samuel?”
“No.”
“You answered too fast.”
“Oh, for God’s sake.”
I swung my feet onto the floor.
“What was Paisley doing at the hospital?”
Bernice went quiet.
Then, unexpectedly, her voice changed.
“She wasn’t.”
I gripped the phone.
“What?”
“She lied.”
A second passed.
Then another.
“About what?”
“I asked her.”
Bernice sounded shaken now.
“She wasn’t there.”
“Then how did she know?”
“I don’t know.”
My heart began beating harder.
Behind Bernice, I heard a door open.
Gavin said, “Mom?”
Bernice lowered her voice.
“Don’t tell him I called.”
“You didn’t call me.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Bernice, how did Paisley know?”
“I said I don’t know.”
Gavin’s voice came closer.
“Who are you talking to?”
Bernice whispered, “I have to go.”
The line disconnected.
I stared at the dark screen.
Then I opened the security application.
The house system showed no unusual activity after the family had left.
I checked account logins.
Nothing obvious.
I opened location sharing.
Gavin had stopped sharing with me two months earlier, claiming a software update had reset it.
I had never questioned it.
Paisley had never shared hers.
Then I remembered something smaller.
The family calendar.
Years ago, Bernice had insisted everyone use it because she was tired of asking where people were.
Medical appointments.
Birthdays.
Work events.
Dinner reservations.
My prenatal schedule had been on it until I stopped updating the family calendar in June.
Tonight’s hospital visit had not been.
I opened my phone settings.
One shared account remained connected.
Our vehicle app.
Gavin’s truck and my SUV were both registered under the company fleet profile.
The app recorded vehicle locations for mileage and insurance.
My SUV was parked at the apartment.
Samuel had driven me.
That told them nothing.
Unless someone had access to Samuel’s location, which they did not.
I opened Gavin’s messages again.
Please tell me the baby is okay.
He had sent it twenty-one minutes after my discharge.
Not while I was being monitored.
After.
I called Samuel.
He answered sleepily.
“What?”
“How did Gavin know I was at the hospital?”
A pause.
“Who says he knew?”
“He texted me.”
Samuel became fully awake.
“Do not call him.”
“I didn’t.”
“Did you post anything?”
“No.”
“Did Elena?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Did anyone at the hospital know your relationship?”
“The nurse.”
“Did she contact him?”
“No.”
“You can’t know that.”
“She asked if I felt safe from him.”
Samuel went quiet.
“Interesting.”
“That’s not comforting.”
“Check whether your phone shares location through any family service.”
“I did.”
“Anything?”
May you like
“Nothing obvious.”
I paced toward the window.
