Chapter 5: The Woman Who Knew My Husband's Secret
The hospital room smelled of disinfectant and warm plastic.
I sat propped against two pillows while the monitor beside my bed recorded my daughter's heartbeat. Each steady beat should have comforted me.
Instead, I kept thinking about the message.
Evelyn's former housekeeper.
A photograph of a bottle.
A statement she had refused to sign.
And the rabbit.
I called the number.
A woman answered after three rings.
“Mrs. Vance?””
“Yes. Who is this?””
“My name is Denise Harper. I worked for Evelyn for eleven years. I was with her near the end.””
I remembered Denise vaguely: a quiet woman in her fifties who had once brought homemade soup to our house after Leo developed pneumonia.
“Why are you contacting me now?””
“Because I saw your husband's face on the courthouse news feed. Someone posted a photograph of him leaving the building with Clara. Then I saw a comment saying a child had made an accusation.””
My heart pounded.
“What do you know about the bottle?””
Denise was silent for a moment.
“Mrs. Evelyn found it in the kitchen cupboard at Julian's house. She asked me to photograph the label because she thought something about it was wrong.””
“Did she know what was inside?””
“No. She wasn't a doctor, and neither am I. But she recognized that the bottle wasn't one of your prescribed medications.””
I gripped the phone.
“Why didn't she tell me?””
“She tried. Julian answered your phone when she called. He told her you were sleeping and that the pregnancy was making you paranoid.””
I closed my eyes.
That sounded exactly like Julian.
He had always known how to make concern sound like authority.
Denise continued.
“Mrs. Evelyn asked me to keep the photograph somewhere safe. She also asked me to help Leo remember what to do if he ever felt frightened around his father or Clara.””
“The recording device.””
“Yes. She bought it herself. She said it was for emergencies, not for spying on people. She was worried because Leo had started hiding whenever Clara raised her voice.””
My throat tightened.
“Why didn't she report them?””
“She intended to speak to her attorney. But she became ill very quickly, and then she died.””
Denise's voice broke on the last word.
“I should have done more. I know that.””
I stared at the hospital wall.
“No. You tried to protect him.””
“I also kept something else. A copy of a letter Mrs. Evelyn wrote before she died.””
“What did it say?””
“I don't want to read it over the phone. There are things in it that need to be handled properly. I can bring the original to your attorney.””
“Please do.””
Before she hung up, Denise said one more thing.
“Mrs. Vance, there was a second bottle. I never found out where it went.””
My mouth went dry.
“What second bottle?””
“The one Julian asked me to remove from the upstairs bathroom. He said it was an old prescription that had expired.””
I couldn't speak.
“Do you remember when?””
“About six weeks ago.””
The same week my symptoms had begun.
After the call, I contacted Margaret and told her everything. She advised Denise to preserve the original photograph and letter, avoid contacting Julian, and speak directly with the appropriate investigators.
Then she asked whether I had eaten anything.
I shook my head.
She went to the cafeteria and returned with crackers and a cup of water.
“You need to take care of yourself,” she said.
“How can I do that when I don't know whether someone has been poisoning me?””
Her face softened.
“We don't know that anyone has. But we know your symptoms deserve investigation, and we know Leo needs protection while his disclosure is assessed. We will let the evidence tell us what happened.””
I looked toward the door.
“Where is Leo?””
“With a hospital social worker. He's safe. He asked if he could sleep here tonight.””
“Can he?””
“I've asked the team to help us find an appropriate arrangement. His safety is the priority.””
A knock interrupted us.
A nurse entered with a small envelope.
“This was delivered to the front desk for you. The person didn't leave a name.””
Margaret took it.
“Did you see who delivered it?””
“No. Security is checking.””
Inside the envelope was a printed photograph.
A small amber bottle stood on a kitchen counter beside a glass of orange juice.
The image was slightly blurry, but I recognized the blue-and-white tiles behind it.
My kitchen.
On the bottle was a pharmacy label.
My name.
I stared at it, trying to make sense of what I was seeing.
“I've never had a prescription in that bottle.””
Margaret leaned closer.
“Are you certain?””
“Yes. My prenatal vitamins came in a sealed container. Dr. Patel never prescribed anything else.””
The photograph had been taken from an angle that showed a second object beside the bottle: Julian's distinctive silver lighter.
He hadn't smoked in years.
He kept that lighter in his desk drawer, locked with the company documents.
I turned the photograph over.
Someone had written a sentence on the back in black ink.
*The label is fake. Check the date on the receipt.*
A small strip of paper had been folded inside the envelope.
It was a photocopy of a store receipt dated six weeks earlier. The purchase description was partially blurred, but the time and location were legible.
The store was three blocks from Julian's office.
At the bottom, someone had circled the last four digits of a card number.
Margaret read them aloud.
“Does this number mean anything to you?””
I shook my head.
Then she compared it with a statement from our joint account that she had kept among the divorce documents.
Her expression changed.
“Audrey, this card is linked to the business account.””
Julian had told me that account was used only for construction supplies and company expenses.
I looked at the receipt again.
“Can we find out what was purchased?””
“We can preserve this and give it to investigators. We won't assume the description tells us everything.””
A moment later, my phone rang.
Julian's name flashed across the screen.
I let it ring twice before answering.
“Audrey,” he said, his voice suddenly gentle.
“I've been worried sick about you.””
I said nothing.
“I heard you're in the hospital. I'm coming over.””
“Don't.””
“I'm your husband.””
“Not for much longer.””
He exhaled sharply.
“Listen to me. Whatever Denise told you, she's confused. My mother trusted the wrong people near the end of her life.””
“How did you know Denise contacted me?””
Silence.
Then he said, “Because she's been trying to extort money from me for months.””
“That's interesting. She says you asked her to destroy something.””
“She's lying.””
“Then why are you calling me instead of letting the investigation proceed?””
His voice dropped.
“Because I know you, Audrey. You're going to make a terrible mistake, and when you realize what you've done, it will be too late.””
I felt the baby move.
“What mistake?””
He didn't answer immediately.
Then he said, “Ask Margaret what happens to your daughter's custody if you start making accusations you can't prove.””
The line went dead.
I stared at my phone.
Margaret had heard every word.
She took it gently from my hand and placed it on the table.
“He's trying to frighten you into silence.””
I nodded, but my thoughts had already moved to the receipt.
Six weeks ago.
The day everything changed.
The day Julian had brought me orange juice and told me he loved me.
I looked at Margaret.
“I want to know what was on that bottle.””
Before she could answer, the hospital social worker appeared in the doorway.
“Ms. Ellis? Audrey? Leo has asked to speak with you.””
May you like
She hesitated.
“He says he remembers something else about the night Evelyn died.””
