Chapter 2: The Room Daddy Tried to Erase
At 2:17 a.m., Lily Carter heard someone crying behind her mother's locked bedroom door.
She sat upright in bed.
The house was silent.
Rain tapped against the windows, and the grandfather clock downstairs made its familiar ticking sound.
Then came another noise.
Three soft knocks.
Lily climbed out of bed.
She slipped her feet into pink slippers and opened her bedroom door.
The upstairs hallway was dark.
At the far end, a thin line of light appeared beneath Eleanor's bedroom door.
“Mommy?”” she whispered.
No answer.
She walked closer.
The door was still locked.
Then she heard a woman's voice.
“Please... don't let him find it.””
Lily stopped.
She recognized that voice.
It was her mother.
She ran forward and pressed her ear against the wood.
“Mommy?””
Silence.
Then a sharp click.
The light disappeared.
Lily stepped back.
A floorboard creaked behind her.
“Lily?””
She spun around.
Mrs. Brooks stood in her nightgown, holding a small flashlight.
“What are you doing out of bed?””
“I heard Mommy.””
The housekeeper's face changed.
“Oh, sweetheart.””
“She's in there.””
“No, darling.””
“I heard her crying.””
Mrs. Brooks glanced at the locked door.
Then she looked down the hallway.
“Come with me.””
Lily followed her into the kitchen.
Mrs. Brooks made warm milk and placed a small plate of cookies on the table.
“Did you hear something?”” Lily asked.
The older woman sat opposite her.
“I heard the house settling.””
“No. I heard Mommy.””
Mrs. Brooks looked at the little girl for a long moment.
“Your mother loved that room.””
“Can you open it?””
“I don't have the key.””
Lily opened her palm.
“I do.””
The housekeeper stared at the brass key.
Her cup slipped from her fingers and shattered against the kitchen floor.
“Where did you get that?””
“Mommy put it in her dress.””
Mrs. Brooks lowered her voice.
“Listen to me carefully. Does your father know you have it?””
Lily nodded.
“He tried to take it.””
Mrs. Brooks stood so quickly that her chair scraped backward.
“Then you must never show it to him again.””
“Why?””
The housekeeper knelt beside her.
“Because your mother made me promise something.””
“What?””
Mrs. Brooks looked toward the kitchen entrance.
Then she whispered, “If you ever found that key, I was supposed to help you.””
Lily's heart began to pound.
“Help me do what?””
“Find out what happened to your mother.””
The following morning, Daniel announced that Lily would be attending a different school.
“You're going to St. Catherine's Academy,” he said over breakfast.
Lily pushed her cereal around her bowl.
“Why?””
“It's a better school.””
“But I like my school.””
“Your mother and I always wanted the best for you.””
Lily looked up.
“Mommy wanted me to stay with Mrs. Brooks.””
Daniel put down his coffee.
“Your mother isn't here to make decisions anymore.””
Mrs. Brooks stood near the kitchen counter.
Her fingers tightened around a dish towel.
“Mr. Carter, perhaps Lily should have some time before changing schools.””
Daniel turned toward her.
“I don't remember asking for your opinion.””
“She's grieving.””
“So am I.””
He tapped his spoon against the table.
“Have her things packed by this evening. The driver will take her to the new school tomorrow.””
Lily's eyes filled with tears.
“Can I keep Mommy's bedroom?””
Daniel stared at her.
“Why are you obsessed with that room?””
“Because it's hers.””
“Your mother is dead, Lily. You need to accept that.””
The words landed like a slap.
Lily lowered her head.
Daniel returned to his coffee.
“Good. Now finish your breakfast.””
After he left, Mrs. Brooks came closer.
“Don't worry, darling.””
“He doesn't want me to see Mommy's room.””
The housekeeper glanced toward the doorway.
“Your mother used to hide things in unusual places.””
“Like the yellow house?””
Mrs. Brooks stopped.
“What yellow house?””
“The drawing Mommy told me about.””
The older woman slowly pulled out the chair beside Lily.
“Where is it?””
“In my bedroom.””
“Does your father know?””
“I don't think so.””
Mrs. Brooks closed her eyes.
“Thank God.””
That afternoon, while Daniel was in a meeting, Mrs. Brooks helped Lily search her bedroom.
They looked inside toy boxes, underneath the mattress, and behind the bookshelves.
Finally, Lily found the drawing tucked inside an old picture book.
It showed a little yellow house with a red roof, a blue door, and two smiling people standing in front of it.
On the back was Eleanor's handwriting.
For my Lily. Never forget where home is.
Mrs. Brooks turned it over.
“There's something here.””
A tiny square had been cut into the bottom corner.
Inside was a folded piece of paper.
Lily opened it.
A short sentence was written in blue ink.
When the clock strikes twelve, look beneath the place where Daddy keeps his promises.
“What does that mean?”” Lily asked.
Mrs. Brooks looked confused.
Then her eyes widened.
“Your father's study.””
“Why?””
“He keeps his important documents in a cabinet behind his desk.””
“Can we look?””
“Not while he's home.””
They heard a car outside.
Mrs. Brooks hurried to the window.
Daniel's black SUV was pulling into the driveway.
“He's back early.””
She folded the paper and slipped it into Lily's pocket.
“Hide the drawing.””
Lily shoved it beneath her pillow.
The bedroom door opened.
Daniel stood there.
“What are you two doing?””
Mrs. Brooks straightened.
“Putting away her clothes.””
Daniel's eyes moved toward the bed.
Then toward Lily's pocket.
“What's that?””
“Nothing,” Lily said.
He stepped closer.
“Show me.””
She shook her head.
Daniel reached for her pocket.
Mrs. Brooks moved between them.
“Mr. Carter, she's exhausted. Perhaps you should let her rest.””
Daniel looked at the housekeeper.
“Leave us.””
“Sir—”
“Now.””
Mrs. Brooks hesitated.
Then she walked out.
Daniel closed the door.
He crouched in front of Lily.
“Sweetheart, Daddy needs to know what your mother told you.””
“Nothing.””
“Don't lie.””
“She told me she loved me.””
His expression tightened.
“Did she mention a recording?””
Lily stared at him.
“What recording?””
Daniel studied her face.
For several seconds, he seemed to be deciding whether she was telling the truth.
Then he smiled.
“Good girl.””
He kissed her forehead and left.
Lily didn't move until she heard his footsteps disappear.
She reached into her pocket and touched the folded paper.
A recording.
That was the second time she'd heard that word.
And she was beginning to understand that her mother's secret was much bigger than a locked bedroom.
At 11:55 that night, Lily slipped out of bed.
Mrs. Brooks had left a flashlight beneath her pillow.
She crept downstairs.
The study door was closed, but a narrow strip of light showed beneath it.
Lily turned the handle.
It opened.
Inside, her father's enormous desk stood beneath a framed photograph of Daniel and Eleanor on their wedding day.
Lily remembered the photograph.
Her mother had been laughing.
Daddy had been looking at the camera.
She moved toward the wooden cabinet behind the desk.
It was locked.
Lily tried the brass key.
It didn't fit.
Then she noticed a small decorative clock sitting on the top shelf.
It showed midnight.
She remembered the note.
Look beneath the place where Daddy keeps his promises.
She pulled the clock forward.
A tiny envelope was taped underneath.
Her mother's handwriting covered the front.
For Lily. If you found this, he knows about the key.
Lily tore it open.
Inside was a photograph of a man standing outside a hospital.
Beside him was Daniel.
But Daniel wasn't alone.
He was holding hands with Vanessa.
The date printed at the bottom was three months before Eleanor died.
On the back, her mother had written:
Ask Vanessa what happened at Saint Mary's Hospital on September 14.
A floorboard creaked.
Lily turned.
Daniel stood in the doorway.
His face was pale.
“What are you doing in my study?””
Lily dropped the photograph.
Daniel picked it up.
He stared at it.
Then he looked at his daughter.
“Where did you get this?””
Lily took a step backward.
“Mommy left it.””
May you like
Daniel slowly closed the study door.
And turned the lock.
