Chapter 2 - The Second Page
The first line on page two made Santiago stand so fast his chair hit the wall.
RUBY BRENNAN — FORMER NIGHT HOUSEKEEPER, LAKEVIEW NEUROBEHAVIORAL INSTITUTE.
Sophia had spent ten days at Lakeview three years earlier.
Santiago remembered the place immediately.
It had been one of Dr. Elias Voss’s “last serious options.”
A private facility outside Chicago where patients were evaluated behind gates, cameras, and polished language about advanced neurological care.
Sophia had come home quieter than before.
Santiago had been told the evaluation showed no meaningful improvement.
He had never questioned it.
Tomas placed a second folder on the desk.
“Ruby worked nights there for eight months.”
“As a maid?”
“Housekeeping and laundry.”
Santiago looked at him.
“That’s how she learned sign language?”
“No.”
Tomas hesitated.
“Her mother was Deaf. Ruby grew up using ASL at home.”
Santiago looked back at the report.
Another line had been highlighted.
EMPLOYMENT TERMINATED: UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO PATIENT RECORDS.
His expression hardened.
“There it is.”
Tomas did not agree.
“What?” Santiago asked.
“The termination happened the same night her brother disappeared.”
Santiago’s attention sharpened.
“Owen Brennan. Twenty-seven at the time. Network technician at Lakeview.”
“Missing?”
“Officially, yes.”
“For three years?”
“Yes.”
“And Ruby never reported him?”
“She did. The report was closed after six weeks. Police were told he stole money from the clinic and fled.”
Santiago’s voice went cold.
“Who told them that?”
“Dr. Voss.”
Silence settled over the office.
Dr. Elias Voss had treated Sophia for seven years.
He had sat in this mansion dozens of times and explained why Sophia would not respond, why pressure was dangerous, why Santiago should accept that some trauma never opened again.
Santiago had trusted him because Voss never promised miracles.
Now the trust felt less like wisdom and more like a trap.
Tomas slid a photograph across the desk.
Ruby stood outside Lakeview three years earlier wearing gray housekeeping scrubs.
Beside her was Owen.
He was tall, sandy-haired, and smiling at the camera.
In the background, barely visible through a glass corridor, stood Sophia.
She was looking directly at Ruby.
Her right hand was raised.
Two fingers touched her chin.
Santiago did not know the sign.
Tomas did.
“Thank you.”
Santiago stared.
“There’s more.”
“Of course there is.”
Tomas opened another page.
“Ruby applied to work here four times.”
“When?”
“Over the last two years.”
“She was rejected three times because she had no formal domestic references.”
“And the fourth?”
“She submitted a recommendation from a woman named Margaret Hale.”
“Who is that?”
Tomas’s mouth tightened.
“She died nine years ago.”
Santiago looked up slowly.
“A fake reference.”
“Yes.”
“Meaning she lied to get inside my house.”
“Yes.”
The door opened.
Matteo Moretti walked in without knocking.
At sixty-two, Santiago’s uncle had the calm confidence of a man who had survived four decades by never appearing surprised.
He had helped Santiago bury their father.
Helped him take control when enemies circled.
Helped raise Sophia after their mother died.
Matteo glanced at the open file.
“Problem?”
Santiago closed it.
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
Matteo smiled.
“That usually means there is.”
He poured himself an espresso from the sideboard.
“I heard you fired the new maid.”
Santiago watched him.
“News travels fast.”
“In this house? Everything does.”
That sentence stayed in the air longer than it should have.
Matteo took one sip.
“Good decision.”
Santiago’s eyes narrowed.
“You met Ruby?”
“Once.”
“When?”
“Hallway. Two weeks ago.”
“What did you think of her?”
Matteo shrugged.
“Too curious.”
Tomas said nothing.
Santiago felt something small and cold settle under his ribs.
“Curious about what?”
Matteo smiled.
“People like us.”
He set down the cup.
“You know how outsiders are.”
Then he left.
Santiago waited until the door closed.
“Tomas.”
“Yes?”
“Find Ruby before Matteo does.”
Tomas’s expression changed.
“You think he knows something?”
“I think I’ve spent seven years letting other people tell me what my sister thinks.”
Santiago looked toward the ceiling, toward Sophia’s room one floor above.
“I’m done doing that.”
Forty minutes later, Tomas called from the car.
“I found Ruby.”
“Where?”
“South Side. Packing.”
Santiago grabbed his coat.
Then Tomas added one more thing.
“She isn’t alone.”
Santiago stopped.
“Who’s with her?”
“No one.”
“That’s not what you just said.”
Tomas lowered his voice.
“I mean she’s talking to someone through a burner phone.”
“And?”
“I heard one sentence before she hung up.”
“What sentence?”
Tomas paused.
May you like
“Tell Sophia I kept the promise.”
