Chapter 5 - THE DRAWER THAT WAS NEVER EMPTY
Mercer House remained a crime scene.
At one thirty in the morning, Ruiz returned with two officers and Robert.
Camille had already been taken to the station.
Mrs. Harlow sat in the kitchen under supervision.
The mansion felt different now.
Not luxurious.
Not safe.
Just enormous.
And full of places where people could hide secrets.
Robert led Ruiz upstairs.
Adrian’s private office had been sealed.
But the desk belonging to Elena’s father was not inside that room.
It was in the old library.
A room Adrian rarely used.
Robert crossed to the antique walnut desk.
He knelt beside the left side.
“There.”
Ruiz examined a narrow brass keyhole.
He inserted Elena’s key.
It turned smoothly.
A drawer opened.
Empty.
Robert stared.
“No.”
Ruiz touched the interior.
The drawer was shallow.
Too shallow.
He knocked against the wooden bottom.
A hollow sound answered.
“False panel.”
Robert exhaled.
Ruiz found a tiny pressure catch.
The bottom lifted.
Beneath it was a slim black device.
A hard drive.
And a second envelope.
Robert whispered.
“David.”
Elena’s father.
Ruiz put on gloves.
He opened the envelope.
Inside was another letter.
This one was shorter.
If this drawer is open, assume the company network is compromised.
The attached drive contains an offline copy of the Helix audit.
Do not connect it to Mercer systems.
The password is Elena’s first horse.
Robert smiled faintly.
“Marigold.”
Ruiz looked at him.
“Her horse?”
“She was nine.”
Ruiz bagged the drive.
“Then we have our password.”
A floorboard creaked behind them.
Both men turned.
Mrs. Harlow stood in the doorway.
An officer immediately moved between them.
“Ma’am, you were told to remain downstairs.”
Mrs. Harlow looked at the open desk.
Her face collapsed.
“He found it.”
Robert stared at her.
“What?”
She looked toward the officer.
Then back at Robert.
“David found the drive.”
Ruiz approached slowly.
“You knew about this?”
Tears filled her eyes.
“I knew he hid something.”
“How?”
“Because I saw him.”
“When?”
“A week before he died.”
Ruiz lowered his voice.
“Mrs. Harlow, you need to start telling the truth.”
She wiped her face.
“I was afraid.”
“Of Camille?”
She shook her head.
“Camille is a foolish girl.”
Robert frowned.
“Then who?”
Mrs. Harlow looked toward the hallway.
“Charles.”
Ruiz’s jaw tightened.
“What did Charles Whitmore do?”
“He came here after David died.”
“How soon?”
“The same night.”
Robert stared.
“The same night?”
Mrs. Harlow nodded.
“Before Elena returned from the hospital.”
Ruiz stepped closer.
“What was he looking for?”
“The desk.”
“Did he open it?”
“No.”
“He tried?”
“For almost an hour.”
“What stopped him?”
“I told him David had sent the desk to storage.”
Robert looked at her.
“But it was here.”
“I lied.”
Ruiz studied her.
“Why protect the desk if you were helping Camille tonight?”
Mrs. Harlow closed her eyes.
“Because I didn’t know how far any of this had gone.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
She began crying.
Ruiz waited.
Finally she spoke.
“Charles paid me.”
Robert’s expression hardened.
“To do what?”
“To report things.”
“What things?”
“Elena’s schedule.”
Ruiz said nothing.
“Her appointments.”
Mrs. Harlow continued.
“Who visited.”
“Her medication?”
Mrs. Harlow’s eyes shifted.
That was enough.
Ruiz stepped forward.
“What did you do to her medication?”
“Nothing at first.”
“At first?”
“Charles gave me vitamins.”
Robert swore under his breath.
“He said Elena’s doctor had changed them.”
Ruiz stared at her.
“And you believed him?”
“I wanted to.”
“What were you actually giving her?”
“I don’t know.”
“Where are they?”
Mrs. Harlow pointed toward the kitchen.
“Upper cabinet.”
Ruiz radioed an officer.
“Collect every bottle.”
Mrs. Harlow began shaking.
“I stopped.”
“When?”
“Two weeks ago.”
“Why?”
“Because Elena fainted.”
Ruiz remembered.
Elena had mentioned an unexplained fainting episode during one of their first meetings.
Her doctor had blamed dehydration.
Mrs. Harlow continued.
“That scared me.”
“So you stopped helping Charles?”
“No.”
The word was almost inaudible.
Robert stepped closer.
“What else?”
Mrs. Harlow looked at the open desk.
“I told him Elena found one of David’s old notebooks.”
Ruiz’s expression sharpened.
“What notebook?”
“I don’t know.”
“Where is it?”
“Elena took it.”
Ruiz pulled out his phone.
He called her.
She answered immediately.
“What happened?”
“Did you find one of your father’s notebooks?”
Elena paused.
“Yes.”
“When?”
“About seven weeks ago.”
“Where is it?”
“In my office.”
“Here?”
“No.”
“My office downtown.”
Ruiz exhaled.
“What was in it?”
“Mostly numbers.”
“What kind of numbers?”
“I didn’t know.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I thought it was meaningless.”
Mrs. Harlow suddenly spoke.
“Ask about the names.”
Ruiz looked at her.
Elena heard.
“What names?”
Mrs. Harlow stepped closer.
“David wrote three initials beside the numbers.”
Elena became quiet.
Then she remembered.
“Yes.”
“What initials?”
Elena closed her eyes.
“C.W.”
Charles Whitmore.
“A.M.”
Adrian Mercer.
Ruiz waited.
“And the third?”
Elena opened her eyes inside the hospital room.
She remembered the letters clearly now.
They had confused her at the time.
Because they matched someone she trusted completely.
“M.M.”
Ruiz slowly looked toward Robert.
May you like
Margaret Mercer.
Elena’s missing mother.
