Chapter 6 - The Spy Behind the Locked Door
Nico ordered a quiet security review rather than a noisy lockdown. I watched him speak with every employee, from the gardeners to the night porter, without accusations. He told them the truth: someone had endangered Antonio, and anyone who came forward voluntarily would be heard. Mrs. Ellis stood beside him, her expression wounded. “This house has always been our home,” she said. “Whoever did this forgot that.”
The camera image had been taken at 2:14 a.m. Leah checked her medication log. At that hour, she had been downstairs collecting supplies. Only four people had access to Antonio's room. One was a temporary aide named Miles Reed, hired on Victoria's recommendation. Miles had called in sick that morning. His employee file contained a false address.
Gabriel found him at a roadside motel, but Miles insisted he had only photographed Antonio to prove the old man was alive and well. Daniel Ashford had paid him to send the picture. “He said the family was keeping Antonio drugged,” Miles claimed. Leah showed Nico the medication chart and explained how dangerously false that accusation was. Nico turned to the police investigator instead of taking revenge himself. “Make sure he gives a full statement,” he said.
The investigator's questions led to a private clinic that had sold fabricated evaluations to Daniel's business associates. The clinic director agreed to cooperate when presented with the forged medical report. It was a breakthrough, but Nico didn't celebrate. “Someone was willing to strip my father of his dignity for a financial transaction,” he said. “That doesn't become less ugly because we found the paperwork.”
That evening I brought Antonio his favorite lemon biscuits. He asked about my father, then surprised me by asking about my future. “You're clever,” he said slowly. “You shouldn't spend your whole life being overlooked.” I told him I liked honest work. “Honest work,” he replied, tapping his cane, “and ambition can live in the same heart.” I thought about the community college classes I'd abandoned when Dad lost his job.
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Nico heard about the classes from Rosa and offered to pay the tuition. I thanked him but declined the gift. “I want to earn my own way,” I said. He thought for a moment and proposed something different: a paid position helping Margaret organize the family's archived records, with a defined contract and regular hours. It was work I could do well, and the salary would let me return to school. I accepted after Margaret interviewed me herself.
On my first day, I found an old photograph of Elena standing beside a younger woman whose face I recognized from the Ashford family's society pages. On the back, Elena had written: June 1998. Don't trust what Charles promised. I carried it to Margaret. Her hands trembled as she saw it. “Charles Ashford,” she whispered. “I hoped we'd never have to open this chapter.”
