Chapter 1 - The Voice on the Stairs
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!"
I hit Vivienne Shaw's wrist before the small syringe reached the glass of milk. Her crystal purse flew open. Something silver struck the marble and slid beneath the engagement table, right between the polished shoes of fifty horrified guests.
Vivienne staggered against a chair. "She attacked me!" she screamed. "Ethan, fire her!"
I was Grace Holloway. I'd cared for Ethan Caldwell's nine-year-old niece for three months. But I had watched Lily Brooks grow thinner, quieter, and more exhausted every night after Vivienne brought her bedtime milk. Tonight I'd seen Vivienne reach into her purse as the kitchen cart passed her chair.
I kicked Vivienne's purse out of reach and planted my shoe between her and the fallen syringe. "Nobody touch that. Call an ambulance."
"An ambulance for what?" Vivienne demanded. The diamonds at her throat flashed as she grabbed Ethan's arm. "Your employee has lost her mind."
Ethan looked from my clenched hands to the syringe on the floor.
"Grace," he said. "Step back. Tell me exactly what happened."
Before I could answer, a sound came from the staircase.
"Uncle Ethan?"
Everyone turned. Lily stood on the landing in blue pajamas, one bare foot tucked behind the other. She had not spoken aloud since the highway accident that killed her parents six months earlier. Now her fingers gripped the banister so tightly they shook.
Ethan set down his glass. "Lily?"
Her voice came out thin and ragged, but the room heard every word.
"Every night," she whispered, looking at Vivienne, "she mixed it into my milk."
Vivienne's smile disappeared. She reached for the purse on the floor, but Ethan moved between her and the table.
"Rosa," he called to the kitchen manager, "take Lily upstairs. Don't give her anything to drink from this room."
Lily shook her head, frightened. "No. She said if I told you, you would send me away."
I had been terrified of losing my job. Standing there, watching that child force out the truth, I realized how small my fear had been.
May you like
Ethan looked down at the syringe. "Nobody is leaving," he said, taking out his phone. "I'm calling the police."
Then Lily's knees gave way.
