Chapter 2 - The Hospital BraceletMegan called Isabel from the hospital hallway.
No answer.
She called again.
Still nothing.
Then a message arrived.
I CANNOT TALK WHILE I AM IN THE HOUSE.
Megan stared through the glass at Brody.
He was asleep now.
A tiny hospital bracelet circled his wrist.
She felt sick every time she looked at it.
The doctor had explained that young children could appear normal even after a frightening fall, so Brody would remain under observation for several hours.
Megan sat beside him.
Her phone rang.
Mrs. Hartley.
This time she answered.
“How is he?”
It was the first question anyone from the Hartley house had asked.
“He’s being observed.”
“Is he injured?”
“They don’t think seriously.”
Mrs. Hartley exhaled.
“Thank God.”
Megan said nothing.
Then Mrs. Hartley continued.
“Colton says you were upstairs and left the child unattended.”
Megan closed her eyes.
“I left Brody in the upstairs family room with the safety gate secured.”
“What safety gate?”
Megan opened her eyes.
“The gate at the staircase.”
“There was no gate.”
“Exactly.”
Silence.
Mrs. Hartley sounded confused.
“I bought that gate myself.”
“I know.”
“Where is it?”
“I don’t know.”
Megan remembered securing it before taking laundry into the bedroom.
She had pushed the top latch.
Tested it.
Brody had been surrounded by toys.
She had been gone perhaps four minutes.
When she heard him crying, she ran out.
The gate had vanished.
“Ask your son.”
Mrs. Hartley stiffened.
“You need to be careful with accusations.”
“And Colton needs to be careful with babies.”
“Megan.”
“I admitted I slapped him.”
Mrs. Hartley seemed surprised.
“You’re not denying it?”
“No.”
“I lost control.”
“That is assault.”
“I know it was wrong.”
The words hurt to say.
But Megan refused to become Colton.
She would not alter reality because the truth embarrassed her.
“I should not have hit him.”
Mrs. Hartley was silent.
“But that does not change what happened to Brody.”
“Colton says he didn’t see him until he was already falling.”
“Isabel says he did.”
A pause.
“What?”
“She texted me.”
Mrs. Hartley’s tone changed.
“What exactly did she say?”
“That he saw Brody before the fall.”
Mrs. Hartley did not respond.
Megan looked through the glass again.
“Ask yourself why your son never told you that he called Isabel instead of helping.”
“You were screaming.”
“He had plenty of time afterward.”
Nothing.
Megan lowered her voice.
“And ask him where the stair gate went.”
The call ended.
Two hours later, Brody was discharged.
The doctor advised Megan to watch for vomiting, unusual sleepiness, balance problems, or changes in behavior.
Brody rested against her chest.
By then, Megan had made a decision.
She would not return to the mansion that night.
She checked into a hotel.
A small room.
One bed.
One portable crib the hotel brought upstairs.
Nothing like the mansion.
Megan felt safer immediately.
At 9:18 p.m., Colton called.
She answered.
“Where are you?”
“With Brody.”
“I know that.”
“Then why ask?”
“Megan, come home.”
“No.”
He laughed once.
“You’re serious?”
“Yes.”
“My mother is furious.”
“With me?”
“With this whole situation.”
Megan almost laughed.
“Your mother’s anger is not my emergency.”
“You hit me.”
“I know.”
“You want to talk about what kind of mother you are while physically attacking people?”
Megan’s stomach twisted.
“You watched a baby fall down the stairs.”
“I told you. I didn’t see him until it happened.”
“Isabel says otherwise.”
Silence.
It lasted long enough.
Then—
“Isabel wasn’t even in the room.”
Megan froze.
She had never told him where Isabel was.
“How do you know what Isabel could see?”
Colton answered too fast.
“Because she was supposed to be in the kitchen.”
“Supposed to be?”
“Working.”
Megan heard something in his voice.
Fear.
Small.
But real.
“Where is the stair gate, Colton?”
“What gate?”
“The one your mother bought.”
Another pause.
“You’re interrogating me now?”
“Where is it?”
“It looked ridiculous.”
Megan stopped.
“What?”
“I had Isabel remove it.”
“When?”
“This morning.”
The room seemed to tilt.
“You removed the gate?”
“I told her to reinstall it later.”
“Why?”
“I had people coming through the house.”
“What people?”
“Business.”
“Brody lives there.”
“I know.”
“Then why would appearance matter more than keeping him safe?”
Colton’s voice hardened.
“This is exactly why my mother thinks you’re unstable.”
Megan went quiet.
“What did you just say?”
“You make everything emotional.”
Brody stirred.
Megan looked down at him.
“Do not call me tonight.”
“Megan—”
She ended the call.
Ten minutes later, Isabel called.
Her whisper barely came through.
“I found the gate.”
“Where?”
“Basement storage.”
“Did Colton tell you to remove it?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Eight-thirty this morning.”
“Why?”
“He said the mansion was not going to look like a daycare.”
Megan closed her eyes.
“Did you see Brody fall?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know Colton saw him?”
Isabel hesitated.
“I came out from the service hallway before you came downstairs.”
“And?”
“I saw Mr. Colton standing up.”
“That proves nothing.”
“No.”
Isabel’s voice shook.
“But I heard what he said before he picked Brody up.”
Megan gripped the phone.
“What?”
Isabel whispered—
“He said, ‘I knew that kid was going to do that eventually.’”
Megan’s blood went cold.
May you like
Then Isabel added—
“And Mrs. Megan… Mr. Colton has been asking me questions about you for weeks.”
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