Chapter 5 - THE MAN BEHIND THE HOSPITAL GATES
The medical facility stood behind iron gates and miles of wooded property.
Its official name was Hawthorne Wellness Institute.
A private rehabilitation center serving wealthy families.
But when Dominic showed me photographs of the building, something inside me tightened.
I'd seen it before.
Not in person.
In my mother's sketchbook.
She'd drawn the same stone entrance.
The same fountain.
The same three windows above the main doors.
I remembered asking her about it when I was little.
She'd told me it was a place she hoped never to visit again.
Now I understood why.
Dominic studied the photographs.
“My uncle has been living there under the name Andrew Lawson.”
I stared.
“Why would he hide?”
“We don't know.”
“What about Isabella?”
“Her last confirmed phone signal came from the property six years ago.”
My hands tightened.
“So she could still be there?”
“Possibly.”
Dominic looked toward Marcus.
“We need records. Legal records.”
Marcus nodded.
An independent attorney contacted the facility and began reviewing its ownership and patient admission history.
Within hours, we discovered something disturbing.
Hawthorne was controlled by a holding company connected to Daniel Cross.
The supposedly dead lawyer.
I stared at the documents.
“Is everyone in this story dead except the people who actually died?”
Marcus looked at me.
Then, unexpectedly, laughed.
Dominic raised an eyebrow.
Marcus cleared his throat.
“Sorry, boss.”
But Dominic's mouth twitched too.
For a brief moment, the terrible tension lifted.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered cautiously.
“Hello?”
A woman's voice spoke.
“Rachel Bennett?”
“Yes.”
“You don't know me. My name is Dr. Helen Moore.”
I straightened.
“What do you want?”
“I worked at Hawthorne Wellness Institute.”
My heart began racing.
“Do you know Adrian Vale?”
A pause.
“Yes.”
“And Isabella?”
The woman inhaled sharply.
“That's why I'm calling.”
I looked toward Dominic.
He immediately became alert.
Dr. Moore continued.
“Six years ago, Isabella Vale came to the facility asking questions about a patient.”
“Adrian?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
“She discovered records that someone wanted hidden.”
My stomach tightened.
“Was she hurt?”
“I don't know everything. But I know she wasn't allowed to leave after that.”
Dominic's expression turned hard.
I swallowed.
“Is she alive?”
A long silence followed.
Then Dr. Moore whispered:
“I saw her three weeks ago.”
My knees weakened.
Dominic caught my elbow when I stumbled.
“Where?” I asked.
The doctor hesitated.
“She's no longer using her real name.”
“What name?”
Dr. Moore lowered her voice.
“Patient 214.”
I closed my eyes.
May you like
Then she said something that made my blood freeze.
“And Rachel, Isabella has been asking for you by name.”
