Chapter 6
The police searched the country estate the following morning.
I wasn't allowed to go.
Neither was Adrian.
That was difficult for him to accept.
He had spent his life believing money, influence, and determination could open any door.
But Detective Price made it clear that the investigation would proceed according to evidence, not Adrian's demands.
So we waited.
I stayed with Lily.
Adrian paced the apartment.
Every few minutes, he checked his phone.
At eleven, Detective Price called.
They had found signs that the blue-door house had been used for secret meetings.
There were financial documents.
Discarded electronics.
And a locked room in the basement.
Adrian put the phone on speaker.
"What was inside?"
Detective Price hesitated.
"Recording equipment. Medical supplies. Children's toys."
My breath caught.
"Was Lily kept there?"
"We haven't established that."
"Was anyone else?"
"We're still investigating."
Adrian looked at me.
The detective continued.
"We also found a photograph of Elena."
My hand tightened around the chair.
"Where?"
"Inside the basement room."
"Why would her photograph be there?"
"We don't know yet."
Then he asked Adrian something unexpected.
"Did your wife ever tell you she was receiving treatment for anxiety?"
Adrian frowned.
"She saw a therapist occasionally."
"Do you know the therapist's name?"
"No."
"All right."
After the call ended, Adrian stood motionless.
I went to the kitchen and poured him a glass of water.
He didn't touch it.
"Lily was in that house," he said.
"We don't know everything yet."
"She told us she was."
"Yes."
He looked toward her bedroom.
"I let Vivian take her away for weekends. I didn't even ask where they were going."
I didn't soften my answer.
"You need to remember that feeling, Adrian."
He stared at me.
"Why?"
"Because Lily will need you to keep showing up after this investigation ends."
His eyes filled.
"I will."
I believed he wanted to.
But love had to become more than a promise.
That afternoon, Dr. Foster called.
She had completed Lily's first two assessment sessions.
She explained that Lily was showing signs of sustained emotional abuse.
Her fear of making mistakes, her reluctance to answer questions, and her tendency to apologize repeatedly were all concerning.
"She's also describing confusing experiences involving photographs of her mother," Dr. Foster said.
I looked at Adrian.
"What kind of experiences?"
"She says Mrs. Cross took her to a room where her mother's voice played from speakers."
I felt my skin turn cold.
"Why?"
"We're taking our time understanding that. I don't want anyone questioning Lily outside the formal process."
Adrian nodded.
"Of course."
Dr. Foster continued.
"She also says Mrs. Cross told her the voice belonged to a ghost who would punish her if she disobeyed."
I put a hand over my mouth.
Vivian had taken Elena's memory and turned it into a weapon against her own child.
I had thought I understood cruelty.
I had been wrong.
After the call, Adrian went into Lily's room.
I followed a moment later.
She was sitting on the floor building a tower from wooden blocks.
"Daddy, look!"
He knelt beside her.
"That's beautiful."
She smiled shyly.
Then one block slipped.
The tower collapsed.
Lily flinched.
"I'm sorry!"
Adrian froze.
She scrambled to gather the blocks.
"I can fix it. I can fix it."
He gently placed his hand over hers.
"Sweetheart, you don't need to apologize."
Her breathing quickened.
"I broke it."
"That's okay."
"Vivi says breaking things makes people leave."
Adrian's face crumpled.
He pulled her into his arms.
"I'm not leaving."
She looked up.
"Even if I break everything?"
"Even then."
"What if I make a big mess?"
"I'll help you clean it."
"What if I get angry?"
"I'll listen."
Lily stared at him.
Then she began crying.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
She simply folded against his chest and let herself be held.
I stood in the doorway wiping my eyes.
That evening, Detective Price called again.
They had recovered several recordings from the basement equipment.
One contained Vivian instructing Lily to repeat statements about Maya.
Another featured Grant telling Vivian she was pushing the child too hard.
But the most disturbing recording was dated eight months before I became Lily's nanny.
Vivian had been speaking to someone who sounded like a medical professional.
"You promised she wouldn't remember," Vivian said.
A man answered, "Children can retain fragments of traumatic experiences."
Vivian replied, "Then make sure she stops talking about the song."
Adrian listened without moving.
Detective Price continued.
"We're working to identify the man."
"Was Lily injured?" Adrian asked.
"We're investigating the full circumstances."
"Tell me the truth."
"Mr. Cross, the safest thing you can do right now is cooperate and let us finish."
Adrian lowered his head.
Then I noticed something.
"Detective, did Vivian mention a name?"
"Which name?"
"The medical professional."
Papers rustled.
"She referred to him as Doctor K."
Adrian looked up sharply.
I watched his face.
"Do you know him?"
His voice was almost inaudible.
"Dr. Julian Keller."
"Who is that?" I asked.
Adrian swallowed.
"He treated Elena after Lily was born."
I felt a terrible chill.
Adrian continued.
"Vivian told me Elena was suffering from severe anxiety. She convinced us Keller was the best specialist available."
Detective Price said, "We need his records."
Adrian looked toward Elena's photograph.
His face went white.
"Vivian chose him."
I stared at him.
"What?"
"Elena didn't want to see Keller anymore. She told me he made her uncomfortable."
"What did you do?"
His eyes closed.
"I told her Vivian was only trying to help."
The silence that followed felt endless.
Then his phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph of Elena taken shortly before her death.
May you like
Beneath it were five words.
"Ask Adrian what he ignored."
