Chapter 3 - SIX DOGS, SIX SECRETSBy the time Sofia returned to the second floor, Julien was back in his room.
The charge nurse confirmed that no unauthorized visitor had entered.
But the electronic access log told a different story.
Someone had used Claire's badge.
And Sofia had no idea whether that meant her mother was alive, someone had stolen her identity, or the hospital itself was hiding something.
Julien was awake when she entered.
He looked at the silver whistle hanging from her hand.
“You still have it.”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Sofia pulled a chair beside the bed.
“I saw her.”
Julien stared at her.
“Claire?”
“On security footage. Last night.”
His eyes filled with tears.
“Thank God.”
“But someone used her badge to enter this room while you were downstairs.”
Julien's expression changed.
“Did anyone touch my belongings?”
Sofia glanced toward the bedside cabinet.
“Not that I know of.”
He looked toward the window.
“Then we don't have much time.”
Sofia leaned closer.
“Tell me about the dogs.”
Julien closed his eyes.
For a moment, he seemed to be searching through memories he had spent decades trying to bury.
“Your mother loved animals,” he began. “Especially the ones nobody else wanted.”
Sofia remembered that much.
Claire had always stopped for injured birds, abandoned cats, and frightened dogs.
Their house had once been filled with animals.
But after Claire's supposed death, Victor had given them all away.
Julien continued.
“Years ago, Claire helped establish a rescue program near Bellhaven. It started with six dogs that had been abandoned after a private security contractor shut down.”
“Meridian?”
He nodded.
“The company used trained dogs to patrol remote facilities. When the program ended, those animals were going to be destroyed.”
Sofia felt sick.
“Mom rescued them?”
“She did. But she discovered something about their training.”
“What?”
“They had been taught to follow specific scents, locate hidden objects, and return to designated people. Claire realized those skills could help us preserve evidence.”
Sofia looked confused.
“Evidence of what?”
Julien's voice grew quieter.
“Meridian wasn't just conducting medical research. They were falsifying patient records, hiding illegal experiments, and transferring vulnerable people between facilities without proper consent.”
Sofia stared at him.
“People disappeared?”
“Some did. Others were told they had no legal way to challenge what had happened.”
He looked away.
“I helped design the record systems. I didn't understand what they were doing until it was too late.”
Sofia sat motionless.
“And you let it continue?”
Julien's silence was answer enough.
Finally, he spoke.
“I was afraid. And my fear cost people their lives.”
Sofia felt anger rising through her confusion.
“You could have gone to the police.”
“I should have.”
“Instead, you disappeared.”
“Yes.”
She stood.
“For twenty-nine years, I thought you were dead. Mom raised me alone. Then she disappeared too. And you want me to understand?”
“No.”
Julien looked directly at her.
“I want you to know the truth. Understanding is something I have no right to demand.”
His answer stopped her.
For the first time, he wasn't trying to excuse himself.
He was admitting what he had done.
Sofia sat down again.
“Tell me about the dogs outside.”
Julien nodded.
“Those six are descendants and successors of Claire's original rescue dogs. She kept the program alive through trusted volunteers. Each dog was trained for a different task.”
He began counting on his fingers.
“Atlas, the German shepherd, leads them. He follows Claire's scent and recognizes the whistle.”
“Who are the others?”
“Ruby, a golden retriever, carries small objects in a hidden compartment in her collar.”
Sofia listened carefully.
“Shadow, the black Labrador, was trained to find concealed doors and passages.”
“Then?”
“Finn, the border collie, remembers routes and can lead people between locations.”
Julien paused to catch his breath.
“Daisy, the beagle, identifies a particular chemical odor used in Meridian's old laboratories.”
“And the sixth?”
Julien's expression softened.
“Bear. A large mixed-breed dog with one damaged ear. Claire trained him to protect frightened people without attacking anyone.”
Sofia thought about the animals outside.
Six dogs.
Six different roles.
Not a random pack.
A team.
“Why did they come here?”
Julien looked at her.
“Because Claire sent them.”
“How do you know?”
“She told me that if something happened, Atlas would bring the others to the place where you could find them.”
Sofia shook her head.
“Dogs can't know which hospital I work at.”
“No. But Claire could. She knew my medical condition was deteriorating, and she knew Adrian would eventually need to bring me somewhere with emergency care.”
Sofia remembered the ambulance report.
Victor had called from the abandoned service station.
The dogs had followed the ambulance to St. Catherine's.
“Then why are they still waiting?”
Julien's voice trembled.
“Because they haven't completed their final task.”
Sofia stared at him.
“What task?”
He looked toward the hospital entrance.
“Claire trained them to stay together until they found you.”
Sofia felt a chill.
“And then?”
Julien swallowed.
“Then they're supposed to lead you to her.”
Before Sofia could respond, her phone vibrated.
An unknown number had sent a photograph.
The image showed the six dogs sitting outside the hospital.
Someone had drawn a red circle around Atlas.
May you like
Beneath the picture was a message.
YOUR MOTHER IS ALIVE. BUT IF YOU FOLLOW THAT DOG, YOU WILL FIND OUT WHY SHE NEVER CAME HOME.
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