Chapter 8 - The Other Nanny
Kira Dorsey met us in a coffee shop where she could see both exits. She was twenty-eight, a nursing student, and she held a folder with the edges worn soft from being handled too often.
"Elaine told everyone I stole jewelry," she began. "The police never charged me. Then they offered me two weeks' pay to sign an agreement saying I wouldn't discuss the family."
"Did you sign?" I asked.
"No. I couldn't afford a lawyer, so I just left. But I kept copies of my messages."
Her story began before Celia had moved in. Elaine had demanded that Kira stop taking Wren to the cottage. She'd scolded the girl for asking about Nora and told Kira to hide a photograph beside Wren's bed.
"She said children needed to learn to forget," Kira told me. "I thought it was a terrible way to talk about grief."
A month later, Kira found Elaine searching Nora's papers. Wren was in the hallway, listening.
"Your mother doesn't get to make decisions from the grave," Elaine had said.
"Why didn't you call me?" I asked.
Kira met my eyes. "I did. Three times. Elaine said you were away on business. When you called back, she stayed on the line."
I remembered those calls as conversations about schedules. I hadn't asked what Kira wanted to tell me.
She slid a screenshot across the table. It showed a message from Elaine: IF YOU COME NEAR MARK AGAIN, WE'LL MAKE SURE NO FAMILY HIRES YOU.
Kira's hands shook. "I thought it was just about the cabin. Then I heard about the soup."
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"You weren't wrong," I told her. "I was."
As she stood to leave, Kira paused. "There was a letter Nora left for Wren. Elaine tried to burn it. I think I know where it went."
