Chapter 8 - The Woman in Room 1408Isabel was released shortly after dawn.
The federal team found her in a rented apartment on the north side, guarded by two men who had fled when the station was raided. She had bruises on her wrists but no serious injuries.
Lily refused to leave her side.
For several hours, I remained in the hospital corridor, listening to the muffled sounds of nurses and medical equipment. Vincent stood beside the window, speaking quietly into his phone.
When Isabel finally emerged from the examination room, I stood.
“Where's Lily?”
“Asleep.”
“Good.”
She looked at my bruised cheek.
“You went after Carlo.”
“He made an appointment.”
“You should have let the police handle it.”
“Would the police have brought Lily home?”
She didn't answer.
We sat in the waiting area.
For the first time since we had reunited, Isabel looked at me without fear.
“I owe you an apology,” she said.
“For what?”
“For disappearing. For letting you believe I had betrayed Marco.”
I studied the floor.
“I spent eleven years believing the worst about you.”
“You had every reason to.”
“No, I didn't.”
She looked surprised.
I continued.
“I wanted someone to blame. You were easier than admitting I'd ignored my brother when he needed me.”
Isabel's eyes filled with tears.
“He never blamed you.”
“That makes it worse.”
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I showed her Lily's message.
She went pale.
“Where did she get this?”
“From Carlo's men.”
“No.” Isabel shook her head. “I mean, how does she know about Nadia?”
I placed the note on the table.
“That's what we're going to find out.”
Isabel stared at the name as if it had reached out of the past and grabbed her by the throat.
“Nadia was Elena's closest friend,” she whispered. “She worked at Children's Harbor. After Elena disappeared, Nadia found evidence that the charity was moving children through fraudulent placements.”
“Placements?”
“Some children were sold to wealthy families. Others were hidden under false identities. The organization had help from people who could alter records and make investigations disappear.”
My stomach tightened.
“And Lily?”
“Her mother was trying to expose the operation when she died. Nadia helped me escape with Lily, but we lost contact after someone attacked her apartment.”
“Why would Carlo think Lily knows anything?”
“Because Elena made her a little video before she died. Lily was too young to understand it, but Elena mentioned Nadia repeatedly. She told Lily that if anything happened, she should find the woman who knew the truth.”
“Does Lily remember the video?”
“I don't know. She was barely a year old when I took her in.”
I leaned back.
“Then why did she write Nadia's name?”
Isabel shook her head.
Before she could answer, Vincent approached us.
“We found something in Carlo's personal effects.”
He placed a photograph on the table.
It showed a woman standing outside a hotel, holding a black umbrella. Her face was partially obscured, but the date stamped on the photograph was three months earlier.
I recognized the building.
The Ashford Hotel.
“Who is she?” I asked.
“An alias connected to a bank account used by Carlo. Room reservations under that name appear every few weeks.”
Vincent pointed to the hotel's entrance.
“The woman always checks into Room 1408.”
Isabel gripped the photograph.
“Nadia.”
“You're certain?”
“I'd recognize her anywhere.”
I examined the woman's face.
“What do we know about her?”
“Nothing reliable,” Vincent answered. “She has a different name on every document. No known relatives. No current employment.”
“Then we start at the hotel.”
Isabel shook her head.
“Dominic, listen to me. Nadia survived because she understood how to disappear. If we approach her carelessly, she'll run.”
“Then we'll approach her carefully.”
She studied me.
“You used to say that before you did something reckless.”
“I've matured.”
She almost smiled.
“You're still wearing an expensive suit to a hospital.”
“Some things are beyond saving.”
That earned a quiet laugh.
For a moment, I saw the woman I had known before Marco died, before suspicion turned every memory into something painful.
Then my phone buzzed.
An unknown number had sent a photograph.
Nadia, standing in front of Room 1408.
Beneath the image was a message.
COME WITHOUT THE POLICE, DOMINIC. THE TRUTH ABOUT MARCO IS BEHIND THIS DOOR.
I stared at the screen.
Isabel's face drained of color.
“Don't go.”
“Why?”
May you like
She swallowed.
“Because the last time Nadia promised to show me the truth, Elena died.”
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