Chapter 17
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The pen in my hand stopped completely still. For a fraction of a second, the walls of my small, practical office seemed to dissolve, replaced by the suffocating memory of cold brick and a hidden panel. I forced myself to breathe evenly, to remain grounded in the present. I was no longer the terrified housekeeper holding a fire poker; I was an advocate, and this young woman needed my absolute clarity.
"Take your time, Sofia," I said, setting the pen down softly. "Tell me exactly what you saw, and exactly what you heard. Start from the beginning."
Sofia wiped a tear from her cheek with the back of her hand, her posture rigid with lingering terror.
"When I was hired six months ago, they told me Leo had severe behavioral issues," Sofia explained, her voice shaking but gaining a small measure of strength. "Mr. Mercer said the boy was deeply traumatized by his parents' sudden death and required absolute privacy. I was given a very strict non-disclosure agreement. If I spoke about the family, they said they would have me deported and ruin my life."
"That is a standard intimidation tactic," I assured her calmly. "It is meant to terrify you into silence, but it cannot protect them from criminal investigations. What happened to Leo?"
"For the first three months, I cared for him in the east wing," she said. "He was quiet, deeply sad, but not violent. He just missed his mother. But then, Arthur Mercer brought in a private doctor. A man who never smiled. After the doctor started visiting, Leo became slow. He slept all the time. He stopped speaking to me. And then, one morning, I arrived for my shift, and the east wing was empty."
"What did they tell you?" I asked.
"The house manager said Leo had a severe breakdown and was transported to a specialized psychiatric academy in Geneva," Sofia recalled, clutching her purse. "They kept me on staff to organize the house and manage the other domestic workers. They paid me a massive bonus to stay."
"But you don't believe Leo went to Geneva," I prompted gently.
"I know he didn't," Sofia cried softly. "Three days ago, I was asked to take inventory of the wine cellar in the sub-basement. It is a restricted area, but the manager was sick. While I was down there, I heard a sound behind a heavy steel door that is always locked."
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"What did you hear?"
"Coughing," Sofia whispered, her eyes wide with horror. "And crying. I recognized the voice immediately. It was Leo. He is still in that house, Emma. They are hiding him in the dark."
