Chapter 6 - THE MAID WHO WAS CHOSEN
Clara Alvarez had never applied to work for the Moretti family.
At least, not originally.
That was what I discovered the following morning.
Her personnel file showed a referral from a private housekeeping agency.
But the agency's records told another story.
Clara had been approached directly.
Offered higher pay.
Guaranteed flexible hours.
And promised that Sophie could stay in the estate's family cottage during school holidays.
It had seemed like a miracle.
Now it looked like a trap.
I met Clara at a neutral location with her attorney present.
She arrived wearing a simple gray sweater and jeans.
Sophie was staying with a trusted relative under an arrangement Clara had approved.
Clara sat across from me.
"Mr. Moretti, I need answers."
"So do I."
She folded her arms.
"Why would someone open a bank account in my name?"
"We're investigating."
"That's what everyone keeps saying."
She looked exhausted.
I couldn't blame her.
"Clara, do you remember who first offered you the job?"
She nodded.
"A woman named Patricia."
"Last name?"
"Bell."
I frowned.
"Patricia Bell?"
Clara nodded.
"She said she worked for your estate."
I looked toward Marcus.
He shook his head.
"We don't employ anyone by that name."
Clara stared.
"What?"
"Not under that name."
She reached into her purse and removed a business card.
I examined it.
The company logo looked legitimate.
The address matched one of our old offices.
But the telephone number was unfamiliar.
Marcus photographed the card.
"We'll trace it."
Clara looked toward me.
"Why would someone go to so much trouble to hire a maid?"
I hesitated.
"That's what concerns me."
She stared.
"Are you saying Sophie and I were brought into your house deliberately?"
"I think it's possible."
Her face went pale.
For a moment, I thought she might cry.
Instead, she straightened.
"Then whoever did this picked the wrong mother."
Something inside me shifted.
I had spent years surrounded by people who feared me.
Clara didn't seem impressed by my power.
She wanted the truth.
And she would demand it until someone gave it to her.
I respected that.
Marcus's phone rang.
He stepped aside.
When he returned, his expression had changed.
"We identified Patricia Bell."
"Who is she?"
He turned his tablet toward us.
A photograph appeared.
A woman in her late thirties.
Dark hair.
Green eyes.
Clara gasped.
"That's her."
Marcus nodded.
"Her real name is Isabella Cole."
I stared.
"Cole?"
"Vincent Cole's younger sister."
Clara covered her mouth.
"Oh, God."
Then Marcus continued.
"There's another connection."
I looked up.
"What?"
"Before changing her name, Isabella worked at a private hospital."
"Where?"
"St. Matthew's Children's Hospital."
Clara went completely still.
I turned toward her.
"Clara?"
She was staring at the photograph.
May you like
Her face had lost all color.
"That's where Sophie was born."
