Chapter 3 - OUT BY TONIGHT
Talia woke to three missed calls.
One from Serena.
Two unknown.
She returned Serena’s first.
“Your suspension is formal.”
Talia sat up.
“Based on what?”
“Bianca submitted a written complaint.”
“Dominic?”
“No.”
That surprised her.
“Did he support it?”
“He has not provided a conclusion.”
“Then why am I suspended?”
“Because the allegation involves a minor.”
Talia understood the policy.
She still hated it.
“How long?”
“Until we can review.”
“How do I pay rent during a review?”
Serena was silent.
Talia regretted the question immediately.
Not because it was unfair.
Because Serena could not fix it.
“I’m sorry.”
“No,” Serena said. “You’re allowed to be angry.”
By noon, two families scheduled to interview Talia for occasional weekend work had canceled.
One wrote:
We’ve decided to pursue another candidate.
The second did not respond.
Someone was talking.
Talia knew how domestic employment networks worked in wealthy Chicago suburbs.
Nobody wrote “possible child abuser” in a group text.
They wrote:
Heard there were concerns.
Probably nothing.
But why risk it?
Career destruction often sounded polite.
At one o’clock, Bianca called.
Talia almost ignored it.
Then recorded the time in a notebook and answered.
“Hello.”
“You should have listened.”
Talia’s body went cold.
“What do you want?”
“To make sure there are no misunderstandings.”
Talia laughed once.
“That’s what you call this?”
“You made a mistake.”
“No.”
“You challenged me in my home.”
“Dominic’s home.”
A pause.
Talia understood instantly she had touched something.
Bianca’s voice cooled.
“Our home.”
“You aren't married yet.”
“Careful.”
“There it is.”
“What?”
“The part where you threaten people whenever they say something you don’t like.”
Bianca laughed.
“You really think your little agency complaint matters?”
“I didn’t make the complaint.”
“No. I did.”
At least she admitted that.
“You hurt Luca.”
“No.”
“Prove it.”
Talia stared at the wall.
That was the trap.
Not prove Bianca did something.
Prove Talia did not.
“You know what happened.”
“I know what Dominic saw.”
“You lying.”
“I know him.”
Bianca’s voice lowered.
“I told you nobody would believe hired help over me.”
Talia’s anger became calm.
“Then you’d better hope Luca never learns how to tell people what he saw.”
Silence.
Not long.
But real.
Talia heard Bianca breathe.
“He’s fourteen months old.”
“Today.”
Another silence.
Talia continued:
“Children grow.”
Bianca recovered.
“Stay away from him.”
“You don't have to tell me twice.”
Then Talia hung up.
She immediately wrote the conversation down.
Exact words.
Time.
Duration.
No secret recording.
Illinois law complicated recording private calls, and Talia was not about to create legal problems by guessing.
Documentation mattered.
At Rinaldi Estate, Dominic spent the morning with Martin Bell and a cybersecurity consultant named Aaron Pike.
The caregiver platform was simple.
Nannies entered meals, sleep, medication, developmental notes.
Administrators could view and amend.
A deleted entry had been restored from backup.
Date:
Three days before the confrontation.
Talia’s entry read:
Luca became distressed when Ms. Bianca attempted to pull him from seated position by wrist. I asked that adults support him under torso rather than arm. No injury observed. Luca settled after approximately 12 minutes.
Dominic read it twice.
“Why was it deleted?”
Aaron replied:
“User action.”
“Talia?”
“The profile shows Talia.”
“From her phone?”
“No.”
“What device?”
Aaron opened another window.
“House iPad.”
Martin frowned.
“There are six.”
“Device identifier ends 442.”
Martin checked inventory.
His expression changed.
“What?”
“That one is assigned to Bianca’s sitting room.”
Dominic looked at him.
“Why does Bianca have access to Talia’s profile?”
“She shouldn't.”
Aaron explained the likely answer.
Bianca had administrative access to the household platform.
Administrators could enter staff views for troubleshooting.
The audit system logged the displayed profile as Talia, but the device and administrator token remained recoverable.
“Could this happen accidentally?” Dominic asked.
Aaron chose his words carefully.
“You would have to open archived notes, select this entry, choose delete, and confirm.”
“No.”
“No.”
Dominic leaned back.
Martin looked uncomfortable.
“Sir.”
“What?”
“There’s more.”
Another attempted deletion.
Unsuccessful because the system had already begun daily backup.
The note:
Luca cried when Bianca entered nursery after nap. Did not want to be transferred from caregiver.
Dominic’s face became unreadable.
“Why would she delete that?”
Nobody answered.
He knew what Bianca would say.
Talia was documenting ordinary behavior in a way that made Bianca look bad.
Possible.
But deleting the records secretly was not normal.
Dominic went upstairs.
Bianca was packing jewelry for a weekend in Lake Geneva.
He stood in the doorway.
“You canceled Talia through the agency.”
Bianca turned.
“She hurt Luca.”
“I didn't ask why.”
Her shoulders tightened.
“Yes.”
“You used my name?”
“No.”
That was true.
“I filed personally.”
Dominic nodded.
“Do not speak for me again.”
Bianca stared.
“You're defending her.”
“No.”
“Then what are you doing?”
“Thinking.”
She laughed bitterly.
“About whether a nanny is more trustworthy than your future wife?”
Dominic looked at her.
There it was again.
Not evidence.
Rank.
“I don't know who is more trustworthy.”
Bianca went pale.
He continued:
“That is the problem.”
That evening Talia received a certified email from Rinaldi household counsel confirming her care logs had been preserved.
Attached was no apology.
No reinstatement.
Only procedure.
She closed the laptop.
Then she received a message from a nanny she knew in Evanston.
Hey. I’m sorry. Someone is asking around about you. Do you know a Bianca Rinaldi?
Talia stared.
Bianca had not been satisfied with removing her from one house.
She was making sure no other door opened.
And for the first time, Talia stopped thinking about getting her job back.
May you like
She started thinking about protecting her name.
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