Chapter 4 - THE PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN THROUGH MY WINDOW
Marisol called me at 2:13 a.m.
I answered before the second ring.
"Is Wren okay?"
"She's fine."
I closed my eyes.
"Thank God."
"But there's something you need to know."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"A man came to the building."
I sat upright.
"What man?"
"He said he was from the gas company."
"Did you let him in?"
"No."
I could hear Wren fussing in the background.
Marisol continued.
"He had a clipboard. He knew your name."
I felt cold.
"What did he want?"
"He said there was an emergency inspection."
"Did he leave?"
"Yes. But Claire, he looked directly at the camera above the door before he walked away."
Detective Brooks arranged for Newark police to inspect the building.
They found no signs of forced entry.
But the security camera had stopped recording for eleven minutes.
The same eleven minutes during which the stranger had stood outside.
I sat beside Gabriel in the hospital corridor.
He looked exhausted.
His tie was gone.
His sleeves were rolled up.
For the first time, he looked less like a criminal legend and more like a father who hadn't slept in weeks.
"Why would Calder target my daughter?" I asked.
Gabriel stared at the floor.
"Because he needed leverage."
"Over me?"
"Yes."
"But why?"
Gabriel looked up.
"Because you weren't supposed to ask questions."
Naomi joined us.
She had obtained records from Harbor Talent Solutions.
The agency had recruited dozens of financially vulnerable women.
Several were single mothers.
Some worked in healthcare.
Others had childcare experience.
Most had applied for jobs that never existed.
I stared at the list.
"Why?"
Naomi hesitated.
"We believe the agency may have been collecting personal information for coercion."
Gabriel's expression darkened.
"Calder was building a network."
Naomi nodded.
"Possibly."
Then she showed us a photograph.
A woman in a blue uniform.
Standing beside a hospital bed.
I recognized her.
"That's one of the nurses from the train."
Naomi nodded.
"Her name is Natalie Cross."
Gabriel leaned forward.
"What about her?"
"She worked for Harbor Talent Solutions before joining your household."
I felt sick.
"Was she part of it?"
"We don't know yet."
Naomi continued.
"There's another problem."
She placed a second photograph on the table.
A small warehouse near the waterfront.
Gabriel stared.
"That's Harbor Row."
Naomi nodded.
"The property is leased through a company connected to Calder."
Gabriel's face changed.
"That warehouse has been empty for years."
"Not anymore."
That night, I dreamed about Wren.
She was crying.
I could hear her.
But every door I opened led to another hallway.
When I finally reached her crib, it was empty.
I woke gasping.
Gabriel was sitting in the chair outside my room.
He looked up immediately.
"Claire?"
I pressed a hand against my chest.
"Bad dream."
He nodded.
"I know the feeling."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he said:
"Your daughter is safe tonight."
I looked at him.
"How do you know?"
He swallowed.
"Because Detective Brooks confirmed it herself."
I stared.
He continued.
"I asked her to tell you directly. I didn't want you taking my word for it."
Something inside me softened.
Not trust.
May you like
Not yet.
But the beginning of it.
