Chapter 2: The Daughter Who Knew Too Much
"Take me to her.""
Those were the first words I managed to say.
Walter looked at me as though he had expected a hundred questions but hadn't prepared himself for that one.
"Where is she?"" I demanded.
My voice cracked.
"Where is my mother?""
Simone immediately stepped forward.
"Dad, you're exhausted. We need to get you upstairs.""
I ignored her.
"Mr. Bellmont, you just told me my mother is alive. You said you took me away. What does that mean?""
Walter tried to stand.
Darius immediately supported his elbow.
"Sir, perhaps we should get you checked by the medical team.""
"No," Walter said.
"I need to speak with her.""
Simone's expression hardened.
"You're not speaking to anyone until you've been examined.""
Walter turned toward his daughter.
"Don't tell me what I can do.""
For a moment, they stared at each other.
Then Simone turned to Darius.
"Escort this employee out.""
Darius didn't move.
"Miss Bellmont, I need to review the footage first.""
"I'm giving you an instruction.""
"And I'm telling you we have an incident involving the owner of this hotel. I won't interfere with the evidence.""
Her cheeks flushed.
Walter looked at Darius.
"Thank you.""
Then he turned back to me.
"Avery, please. I know you deserve answers.""
"Then give them to me.""
"I will.""
"When?""
He looked down.
"Not here.""
I laughed once, without humor.
"You think I can just walk away after hearing that?""
His eyes glistened.
"No. I don't.""
Simone suddenly grabbed her father's arm.
"Dad, you're embarrassing yourself.""
Walter pulled away.
"Let go of me.""
The command was quiet but unmistakable.
Simone released him.
I looked between them.
Something was terribly wrong.
And it had nothing to do with a staircase.
Darius finally approached.
"Miss Cole, would you come with me to the security office? I need your statement.""
I nodded.
As I turned, Walter caught my wrist gently.
"Please don't leave the building.""
I looked at his hand.
Then at his face.
"Why?""
"Because if you leave before I explain everything, I don't know whether I'll get another chance.""
I pulled my hand away.
"Then you had better explain quickly.""
The security office was a small room behind the hotel's service corridor.
It smelled of coffee, warm electronics, and cleaning chemicals.
A wall of monitors displayed different sections of the building.
Darius closed the door.
"Sit down, Avery.""
I sat.
He placed a bottle of water in front of me.
"Your hands are shaking.""
I hadn't noticed.
"Did you know my mother?""
"No.""
"Did you know anything about what Mr. Bellmont said?""
Darius hesitated.
"Not until tonight.""
He opened the incident report on his computer.
"Tell me exactly what happened.""
I described everything.
The handrail.
Walter looking at my name tag.
Simone stepping between us.
The push.
My attempt to catch him.
Darius listened without interrupting.
When I finished, he leaned back.
"There's something you should know.""
I looked up.
"What?""
"Miss Bellmont has requested that the footage from the staircase be secured.""
"Isn't that normal?""
"Yes. But she also asked that I restrict access to the recording.""
My stomach tightened.
"Why?""
"I don't know.""
He turned toward the monitors.
"Let's see what the camera shows.""
He opened the relevant recording.
The screen displayed the landing.
I watched myself cleaning the railing.
I watched Walter approach.
I watched him look at my name tag.
Then Simone entered the frame.
Everything happened exactly as I remembered.
Her hands struck his shoulders.
Walter stumbled.
I caught him.
Darius paused the footage.
"Look here.""
He zoomed in.
Simone's fingers were visibly pressed against Walter's suit.
There was no ambiguity.
She had pushed him.
Darius saved a copy.
"That settles the first question.""
I stared at the screen.
"Why would she lie?""
He didn't answer immediately.
Then he said, "People sometimes lie when the truth costs them something.""
I thought about the way Simone had looked at my name tag.
Not with ordinary dislike.
With recognition.
As though my name was something she had been hoping never to see again.
"Darius?""
"Yes?""
"Did she know who I was?""
He looked at me.
"Why would you think that?""
"Because when she saw my name, she changed. She looked scared.""
Darius slowly closed the recording window.
"That's something I intend to find out.""
My phone vibrated.
A message from my aunt Margaret.
Are you coming home tonight? I need to talk to you.
I stared at it.
Aunt Margaret had raised me after my supposed mother's death.
She was my mother's older sister.
The woman who had attended my school plays, taught me to cook, and told me stories about Denise whenever I asked.
She had always described my mother as a quiet young woman with dark hair and a beautiful singing voice.
According to her, Denise had died in a hospital during childbirth.
I had never seen a photograph of her holding me.
Not one.
When I was younger, I had asked why.
Aunt Margaret said the hospital had been overwhelmed, and the family had been too devastated to think about photographs.
I had believed her.
I had believed everything.
I called her.
She answered on the fourth ring.
"Avery?""
"Hi, Aunt Margaret.""
"What's wrong?""
I swallowed.
"Do you remember the Grand Bellmont Hotel?""
A pause.
"What about it?""
"Something happened tonight.""
"Are you hurt?""
"No. But I met someone.""
"Who?""
"Walter Bellmont.""
The silence that followed was different from the others.
Longer.
Heavier.
"Why were you speaking to him?"" she finally asked.
I stared at the security monitor.
"He recognized my name.""
Another pause.
Then I said the words that had been burning inside me.
"He told me my mother is alive.""
I heard something fall.
A glass, perhaps.
Then my aunt whispered:
"What did you say?""
"He said he took me away.""
Her breathing became uneven.
"Avery, listen to me carefully.""
"What?""
"Come home. Don't speak to that man again.""
I stood.
"Why?""
"Because you don't know what he is.""
"He says he knows my mother.""
"He's lying.""
"How do you know?""
My aunt didn't answer.
Instead, I heard her begin to cry.
"Avery, please. Just come home.""
I looked at Darius.
He was watching me carefully.
"Did you know?"" I whispered into the phone.
Margaret made a small, broken sound.
Then the line went dead.
I lowered my phone.
Darius stood.
"Everything all right?""
I shook my head.
"No.""
My aunt had just confirmed something without saying a single word.
She knew.
She knew Walter Bellmont.
And she knew something about my mother.
Before I could make another call, Darius's radio crackled.
"Security office, this is reception.""
He answered.
"Go ahead.""
"Mr. Bellmont is requesting immediate access to the east executive suite. He's asking for Avery Cole to accompany him.""
Darius glanced at me.
Then the radio crackled again.
A different voice.
Simone.
"Cancel that request. Nobody is to take that employee upstairs.""
Darius frowned.
"Miss Bellmont, Mr. Bellmont is the owner.""
Her response came immediately.
"And I am the chief executive. Follow my instructions.""
The radio went silent.
Darius looked at me.
Then he said something that made my blood run cold.
"There's one more thing.""
"What?""
He turned his computer toward me.
"I checked the employee database after your name came up.""
A file was open.
My personnel record.
But underneath my hiring information was another entry.
An old employee identification number.
It had been created twenty-five years earlier.
May you like
And the name attached to it was:
*DENISE COLE — RESTRICTED ACCESS.*
