Chapter 6 - Rosa's Warning
Rosa had worked in our home since Olivia was six. She knew which cupboard held the bandages, which songs soothed Emma, and how to tell when I was pretending to listen. I had never asked what she knew about our foundation.
I drove to her small house behind the bus depot. Her porch light was off. A plastic watering can lay on its side in the flower bed, and three newspapers waited on the steps. Rosa's neighbor, Mr. Ellison, came out wearing slippers.
"She left yesterday," he said. "Fast. Two men arrived in a black SUV and she packed a bag. I figured it was family trouble."
"Did you see where they took her?"
"No. But she gave me this in case someone named Clara came by."
He handed me an envelope containing a key and a note: She was right about the gate. Check the supply closet. Don't trust the cameras.
I called Moreno rather than going back to the house alone. She sent officers to check Rosa's welfare and took custody of the note. At my house, she requested permission to examine the closet. Inside, behind cleaning rags, was the hardware from the stair gate: two screws, a mounting bracket, and a latch plate that had been taken off the wall. Someone had removed the gate entirely that morning.
"Rosa didn't do this," I said.
"Maybe not. But I need evidence, not your certainty," Moreno replied.
An officer found a folded work order with Nolan's initials, dated that same morning. It instructed maintenance to remove the gate for "paint repairs" although no painting had been scheduled.
My phone buzzed with a voicemail from Rosa's number. I put it on speaker. Her voice was thin and frightened.
"Mr. Adrian, I saw Vanessa pull the gate down. I told her Emma would crawl soon. She said, 'The baby won't be near the stairs.' Then she told me not to come to work today."
A second voice interrupted the recording. Male. Familiar.
May you like
"Rosa, give me the phone," Nolan said.
The message cut off mid-breath.
