Chapter 3 - The Blue Door
On Wednesday morning, Bernice discovered that Mia had left her bedroom during the night.
She did not know how far the child had gone.
That uncertainty changed her behavior.
The restrictions became harsher.
Mia was no longer allowed to wander through the house.
Ralph began locking the hallway door leading toward the laundry area at night.
Laine collected Mia's tablet and removed it from her room.
Bernice even took Benny for several hours.
Mia cried until Laine returned the rabbit.
"Please stop," Laine whispered.
Bernice watched from the doorway.
"Do not undermine me."
"She's four."
"And because she is four, she will forget."
Laine glanced at Mia.
Mia looked down.
But she did not forget.
Children often remembered fear with greater precision than adults understood.
She remembered the blue door.
She remembered her mother's name.
She remembered the word ledger.
And she remembered Saturday.
Rocco was supposed to return Saturday.
She only needed to wait.
In Chicago, Rocco Moretti was doing exactly what Bernice expected.
He was working.
Meetings began before sunrise.
A merger discussion lasted four hours.
A compliance review uncovered problems in one of the foundation's regional accounts.
Normally those details would have consumed him.
But Elena's deleted email had left something behind.
The company's cybersecurity system automatically archived messages that originated outside the corporate domain whenever they contained flagged executive names.
The archive was not easily accessible.
It was designed for legal disputes.
Late Wednesday afternoon, Rocco's general counsel, Gideon Shaw, entered the conference room carrying a tablet.
"I need five minutes."
Rocco looked up.
"About?"
"The Moretti Foundation."
Rocco dismissed the rest of the room.
Gideon sat opposite him.
"We found inconsistent payments."
"How inconsistent?"
"Potentially serious."
"Fraud?"
"Possibly."
Rocco leaned back.
"By whom?"
"We don't know yet."
Gideon placed the tablet in front of him.
"One thing was unusual. Some transfers were approved through household administration credentials."
Rocco looked up.
"My house?"
"Yes."
"Bernice?"
"Her credentials."
Rocco frowned.
"That's impossible."
Gideon waited.
Rocco looked at the numbers.
Several payments had been made to companies providing equipment for youth athletic programs.
Helmets.
Pads.
Uniforms.
Storage fees.
Transportation.
Rocco recognized none of the vendors.
"Who approved these?"
"Technically, you."
Rocco stared at him.
"I didn't."
"We know."
Gideon swiped to another page.
"Your electronic authorization token was copied."
Rocco felt something cold settle inside him.
"Who had access?"
"We're checking."
Then Gideon remembered something.
"There's also a message the system recovered."
"From whom?"
"Elena Park."
Rocco knew the name immediately.
"She worked for Isabella."
"She emailed you from the house."
Rocco reached for the tablet.
The recovered message appeared.
Something doesn't feel right. Please check on Mia personally.
Rocco read it twice.
"Why didn't I receive this?"
"It was deleted at the household server level."
Rocco stood.
"When?"
"Yesterday."
"By whom?"
Gideon looked at him.
"Bernice's administrator account."
Rocco took out his phone.
He called the house.
Bernice answered.
"Rocco."
"Put Mia on."
A pause.
"She's sleeping."
"It's four thirty."
"She had a difficult night."
"Wake her."
"Rocco, she's finally resting."
His grip tightened around the phone.
"Bernice."
Another pause.
Then a small voice came through.
"Daddy?"
Rocco closed his eyes.
"Hey, bug."
Silence.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes."
The answer came too quickly.
"Did you eat?"
Mia looked across the room.
Bernice stood beside her.
Ralph was at the doorway.
Laine held the phone.
Mia remembered what Bernice had told her.
If you upset your father, he may not come home at all.
Mia swallowed.
"Yes."
"What did you eat?"
Bernice's eyes narrowed.
Mia looked at the empty plate Bernice had placed beside her before the call.
"Pasta."
Rocco became still.
Mia hated pasta.
Not every kind.
But the red sauce Bernice usually served was something she had refused since she was two.
He tried another question.
"Where's Benny?"
Mia looked at the rabbit beside her.
"Here."
"Can you put him on the phone?"
Mia almost smiled.
It was an old game.
She held Benny near the phone.
Rocco spoke dramatically.
"Mr. Benny, are you taking care of Mia?"
Mia usually made Benny answer.
That day she stayed silent.
Rocco waited.
Nothing.
"Bug?"
Mia's lips trembled.
Bernice tapped her watch.
Mia whispered.
"I have to go."
"Why?"
"Laine says."
Laine's face changed.
She had not said anything.
Bernice took the phone.
"She's tired."
Rocco's voice became cold.
"Why did she say Laine told her to hang up?"
Laine looked at Bernice.
Bernice smiled calmly.
"Children confuse things."
"I'll call tonight."
"We'll be here."
The call ended.
Bernice exhaled.
Then she slapped Laine's arm.
"What was that?"
Laine stared at her.
"I didn't do anything."
"She used your name."
"Because she's scared."
Ralph stepped inside.
"Rocco suspects something."
Bernice looked at him.
"Then we move faster."
Mia sat very still.
Ralph pointed at her.
"And what about her?"
Bernice looked at Mia.
"She stays where we can see her."
That night, Rocco canceled Toronto.
He told nobody at the house.
He boarded his plane for Boston at dawn.
And Bernice, believing she still had until Saturday, opened the blue room.
Mia happened to be watching from the laundry hallway.
Inside, she saw boxes.
A metal cash case.
Hockey equipment.
May you like
A laptop.
And on the table, a framed photograph of her mother.
