Chapter 4 - The Woman at Her Own Funeral Left Me a Warning Hidden Inside a Children's Book
I didn't sleep that night.
I sat against my bedroom door.
The travel bottle rested beside my shoes.
At dawn, I called a former nursing-school friend.
Her name was Tessa.
She worked at a private laboratory.
I asked whether she could examine the tea.
"What do you suspect?" she asked.
"Something that makes people sleep."
She fell silent.
"Bring it to me."
But Eleanor controlled the staff vehicles.
And Adrian's security team logged every exit.
I needed another way.
Noah found me in the library.
He placed a battered picture book beside me.
"Miss June said you would know."
I stared at him.
"When did you see Miss June?"
"Last night."
"Did she talk to you?"
He nodded.
"She said the new lady should read page nine."
I opened the book.
A strip of paper slipped from the binding.
It contained six words.
ASK WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BLUE ROOM.
The handwriting shook.
Below it was a date.
The day Adrian's wife had died.
I carried the book into the conservatory.
Noah climbed beside me.
"What color was Mommy's bedroom?" I asked.
"Blue," he said immediately.
"Was it in the east wing?"
He nodded.
"Grandma locked it."
"Why?"
"Because Mommy was naughty."
I felt cold despite the sunlight.
"Who told you that?"
"Grandma."
Before I could ask more, Adrian entered.
He saw the book in my hands.
His face changed.
"Where did you get that?"
"Noah gave it to me."
Adrian reached for the cover.
Then he noticed the date.
He sat down without speaking.
"This was Claire's favorite book," he whispered.
"She read it to him every night."
I showed him the note.
He read it twice.
Then he looked toward the locked east wing.
"That room burned," he said.
"The fire killed my wife."
Noah shook his head violently.
"No, Daddy."
May you like
His small voice filled the conservatory.
"Mommy was still talking after the fire."
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