Chapter 5 - THE WOMAN IN ROOM 407
Emma remained in the hospital for two days.
The contractions eventually stopped, but Dr. Patel ordered strict bed rest.
A police officer remained outside her room.
Detective Ruiz believed Vanessa might attempt to intimidate her.
Ethan did not return the first night.
He sent three messages.
Emma did not answer them.
On the second morning, a nurse entered carrying fresh flowers.
“There’s a woman asking to see you,” she said.
“She says she knew your father.”
Emma sat upright.
“What is her name?”
“Claire Mercer.”
The name meant nothing to Emma.
A thin woman in her late sixties entered the room.
She wore a gray coat despite the warm weather.
Her eyes moved immediately toward the police officer outside.
“I cannot stay long,” she said.
“Who are you?”
“My husband was Charles Mercer’s older brother.”
Charles Mercer had served as the Hawthorne family attorney for nearly four decades.
Claire opened her handbag and removed a photograph.
It showed Owen Lawson standing beside a black sedan.
Maria stood behind him.
A younger Claire stood beside the driver’s door.
The date written on the back was six days before Owen’s arrest.
“My husband worked security for the Hawthornes,” Claire said.
“He helped your father copy the financial records.”
“What happened to those copies?”
“They were hidden.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
Emma studied the photograph.
“Why are you telling me this now?”
“Because my husband did not die in an accident.”
Claire’s voice broke.
“He was going to testify for your father.”
The police claimed Claire’s husband lost control of his vehicle on a wet road.
Claire had never believed it.
“He called me one hour before the crash,” she said.
“He told me Vanessa Hawthorne had followed him from the estate.”
Emma felt her pulse quicken.
“Did you tell the police?”
“The officer assigned to the case was Eleanor Hawthorne’s cousin.”
Claire reached into her bag again.
This time, she removed a brass key.
“My husband left this inside our daughter’s music box.”
“What does it open?”
“He wrote only one word.”
Claire placed the key in Emma’s hand.
“Guesthouse.”
Before Emma could ask another question, Claire looked toward the hallway.
Charles Mercer stood outside the room.
He was staring directly at them.
Claire rose so quickly that her chair struck the wall.
Charles entered with a calm smile.
“I see you have met my sister-in-law.”
Claire moved toward the door.
Charles blocked her path.
May you like
Then he looked down at the key in Emma’s hand.
For the first time, the Hawthorne attorney stopped smiling.
