Chapter 2 - THE MAN BEHIND THE LOCKED DOOR
Elodie called her father seventeen times.
He never answered.
By the eighteenth attempt, Alexandre had taken her phone away.
"You're going to drain the battery."
"I don't care about the battery!"
"I know. But whoever sent that message may be watching your calls."
Elodie stared at him.
"Then we go to the police."
"We will. But first, we need to make sure your father is safe."
"How?"
Alexandre opened his laptop and accessed a private security portal.
The screen displayed several cameras inside the Valmont estate.
Most showed empty corridors.
One showed the front gate.
Another showed the garage.
Then Alexandre selected a camera marked NORTH ANNEX.
A hospital bed appeared.
An elderly man lay beneath white sheets, surrounded by medical equipment.
His silver hair was thin.
His face was deeply lined.
But his eyes were open.
Elodie leaned forward.
"Is that Henri?"
"Yes."
"Why is he being kept there?"
"My mother claims he has advanced dementia. She obtained temporary medical authority after a stroke."
"Does he?"
"He has memory problems, but he recognizes people. He understands far more than she admits."
Alexandre enlarged the image.
Henri turned toward the camera.
For one impossible moment, it seemed as though he were looking directly at them.
Then he raised his hand.
Three fingers.
He lowered them.
Raised them again.
"What is he doing?" Elodie asked.
Alexandre went pale.
"That's our family signal."
"For what?"
"When Isabelle and I were children, Grandfather taught us a game. Three fingers meant someone was listening."
Henri raised one finger.
Then pointed toward the floor.
Alexandre stood.
"The basement."
"What?"
"He wants us to look beneath the annex."
Elodie grabbed her coat.
"Then let's go."
They crossed the mansion through a service corridor used by household staff.
Outside, rain struck the windows.
The estate grounds stretched across nearly forty acres, surrounded by stone walls and dense woodland.
The north annex stood behind an abandoned greenhouse.
A security guard occupied the entrance.
Alexandre approached him confidently.
"Mother sent me to check Grandfather's medication."
The guard frowned.
"Mrs. de Valmont said no visitors tonight."
"Then call her and explain why you're refusing her son."
The guard hesitated.
That was enough.
Alexandre stepped inside.
Elodie followed, keeping her face hidden beneath her hood.
The annex smelled of disinfectant.
A nurse sat behind a desk, reading a magazine.
Alexandre introduced Elodie as a visiting medical consultant.
The nurse barely looked up.
They climbed the stairs.
Henri's room stood at the end of the hallway.
Alexandre opened the door.
The old man turned his head.
For several seconds, he stared at his grandson.
Then his eyes filled with tears.
"Alexandre."
"Grandfather."
Henri struggled to sit.
Alexandre hurried to help him.
Elodie remained near the doorway.
Henri looked at her.
His expression changed.
"Marie?"
Elodie froze.
"No. My name is Elodie."
Henri reached toward her.
"Martin?"
"Yes."
His breathing became uneven.
"Luc's daughter?"
Elodie stepped closer.
"You know my father?"
Henri closed his eyes.
"God forgive us."
Alexandre crouched beside the bed.
"Grandfather, we need to know what happened twenty-three years ago."
Henri shook his head.
"Not here."
"Where?"
"Below."
He pointed toward the floor.
"The old records room."
Alexandre glanced at Elodie.
"The basement."
Henri gripped his grandson's hand with surprising strength.
"Isabelle found it."
Alexandre went still.
"You knew Isabelle was investigating?"
Henri nodded.
"She found the original ledger."
"Where is she now?"
Henri began to tremble.
"She tried to stop Catherine."
Alexandre leaned closer.
"Grandfather, please."
The old man's eyes widened.
"Your sister didn't disappear."
A door slammed downstairs.
Voices echoed through the annex.
Henri clutched Alexandre's sleeve.
"Go. Both of you."
Elodie backed toward the door.
But Alexandre refused to move.
"Tell me where Isabelle is!"
Henri looked directly into his eyes.
"She is alive."
Alexandre stopped breathing.
Then Henri whispered the name of a place.
"Saint-Aurèle."
Footsteps thundered up the staircase.
Henri's face twisted with fear.
"And Alexandre..."
"Yes?"
"Your mother knows."
The bedroom door swung open.
Catherine stood in the entrance.
Behind her were two security guards.
She looked at Elodie.
Then at Alexandre.
Finally, at Henri.
Her expression remained perfectly calm.
"How touching," she said.
"A family reunion."
She turned toward the guards.
"Take my son downstairs."
May you like
Then she pointed at Elodie.
"And prepare the bride."
