Chapter 4 - The Package Vivienne Never Wanted Opened|
The service garage smelled of gasoline, cardboard, and cold October air.
I led Adrian and Marco past the shelves where extra linens and seasonal decorations were stored.
Vivienne followed several feet behind us.
Her heels struck the concrete floor.
“I cannot believe you're searching through my belongings over a former servant's ridiculous story.”
Adrian didn't answer.
I stopped beside a metal storage cabinet.
“Here.”
A white package sat on the middle shelf.
The label displayed a small blue swallow.
Underneath were the words:
SWALLOW RIDGE RECOVERY SERVICES.
Adrian stared.
“Recovery services?”
I nodded.
“It arrived on Wednesday. Miss Cross told me to place it here.”
Vivienne stepped forward.
“It's private medical correspondence.”
Adrian slowly turned toward her.
“Whose?”
“Mine.”
“Then why is my brother's old caretaker connected to it?”
She hesitated.
“I don't know.”
Adrian looked toward Marco.
“Photograph the package. Have the sender and contents verified through counsel.”
Vivienne laughed bitterly.
“You're going to humiliate me over a box?”
Adrian's eyes hardened.
“You knew my brother might be alive for the entire time we've been together.”
She went silent.
The package was taken to the library.
Margaret sat beside the fireplace, holding a cup of tea I'd brought her.
Her hands were still trembling.
When she saw the blue swallow, her expression changed.
“Oh, dear God.”
Adrian immediately approached.
“Margaret?”
She pointed.
“That's it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
She began crying.
“The letter came in an envelope with that bird.”
Adrian looked toward the package.
Then at Vivienne.
“Tell me what Swallow Ridge is.”
Vivienne folded her arms.
“A private rehabilitation company.”
“For whom?”
She didn't answer.
Adrian looked toward Richard.
“Your father knows.”
Richard's expression tightened.
“Swallow Ridge operates residential facilities for people requiring specialized long-term care.”
Adrian stared.
“Is Daniel a patient there?”
Richard hesitated.
Then whispered, “He was.”
The words hit Adrian like a blow.
“Was?”
Richard looked away.
“He was transferred.”
“When?”
“Several years ago.”
“Where?”
“I don't know.”
Adrian gave a humorless laugh.
“You arranged his disappearance, paid people to remain silent, and now you don't know where he is?”
Richard's face hardened.
“You have no idea what your brother was like after the accident.”
“Then tell me.”
Richard swallowed.
“He had memory problems. Episodes of confusion. He sometimes became agitated.”
Margaret shook her head.
“He was frightened.”
Richard turned toward her.
“You weren't there for the years afterward.”
“No,” Margaret whispered. “Because you wouldn't let me see him.”
Adrian looked between them.
Then his eyes fell on the package.
The return address was in Wisconsin.
A small town called Elkhorn.
I had passed through it once while visiting relatives.
Adrian looked toward Marco.
“Find out whether the facility is still operating.”
Marco nodded.
Then his phone rang.
He stepped aside.
When he returned, his expression was grim.
“Boss, Swallow Ridge Recovery Services was dissolved four years ago.”
Adrian frowned.
“Who owns the building?”
“A private investment company.”
“Whose?”
Marco looked toward Richard.
“Cross Family Holdings.”
Nobody moved.
Vivienne covered her mouth.
Richard's face went pale.
Adrian slowly stood.
“You own the place where my brother was kept.”
Richard said nothing.
Adrian took a breath.
“And you expect me to believe you don't know where he went?”
“I handled the financing, not the medical decisions.”
“Who made those decisions?”
Richard hesitated.
“Dr. Leonard Shaw.”
Margaret suddenly looked up.
“Shaw?”
Adrian turned.
“You know him?”
She nodded.
“He was the doctor your father called the night Daniel came home.”
The silence became heavy.
Adrian looked toward Marco.
“Find him.”
But Margaret was staring at Vivienne.
Something about the younger woman's face seemed to disturb her.
Then she whispered, “Miss Cross.”
Vivienne turned.
“What?”
Margaret swallowed.
“Did your father tell you Daniel couldn't remember his own name?”
Vivienne went completely still.
Adrian looked toward her.
“What?”
Margaret's voice trembled.
“Because the last time I saw Daniel, he remembered Adrian perfectly.”
Vivienne stared at the floor.
Then whispered something so quietly I barely heard it.
“He still does.”
Adrian stopped breathing.
“What did you say?”
Vivienne looked up.
May you like
Her eyes filled.
“He still asks for you.”
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