Chapter 12 - The Mother Comes Home
Maya refused to let the investigation become the only thing the family talked about. She arranged a meeting with Noah's therapist and Julian, then insisted they build a routine that did not depend on the case's next development.
Noah still dreamed about the tower. Sometimes he lined up his cars, knocked them over, and cried. Maya sat nearby until he was ready to talk.
One evening, he asked whether Uncle Adrian was angry with him.
"You didn't do anything wrong," Maya said. "Adults are responsible for their own choices."
"But he said it was a game."
"A game is something everyone agrees to play, and everyone is safe. If someone tells you to keep a secret that makes you scared, you can tell me or Daddy. You won't be in trouble."
Noah thought about that. "Even if it's family?"
"Especially if it's family."
Across the room, Julian heard the exchange and looked away, ashamed of how long he had spent defending his brother's reputation instead of listening to his son.
Maya asked what support Elena needed after being injured and publicly questioned. Elena said staff needed protection when they reported danger. Maya agreed that any safety promise should be written into policy, not left to goodwill.
A week later, Maya received a call from Peter Lang's attorney. Peter wanted to correct his statement. He had left out one thing because he was afraid of Adrian.
Before the gala, Adrian had asked him to move Noah's play area away from the tower. Peter said he thought the request was an ordinary safety precaution. But when he returned from storage, Noah was still on the floor beside the pedestal, and Adrian was standing over him.
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Peter had assumed Adrian would stop. Instead, he had heard him say, "Let him play. It will be over in a second."
Maya told the investigator immediately. The words did not prove every part of the plan, but they made one fact impossible to ignore: Adrian had seen Noah near the tower and proceeded anyway.
