Chapter 2 - The Chemical Was Being Released While the Twins Slept—And Security Logs Revealed Someone Had Access to Their Bedrooms Every NightNathan ordered the mansion evacuated.
Not completely.
Only the essential staff remained.
The twins were moved to a guesthouse at the far end of the property.
I stayed with them.
The first night there, they slept better.
Jacob didn't wake coughing.
Jonah didn't complain about his legs hurting.
Their appetites improved.
Nathan noticed immediately.
He didn't need another doctor to tell him.
The house was doing something to them.
Or something inside it was.
The next morning, Dr. Reeves arrived.
He carried a briefcase and looked furious.
"What happened?"
Nathan didn't answer.
I did.
"We found a diffuser inside the ventilation system."
Dr. Reeves looked at me.
Then Nathan.
"That proves nothing."
"The boys improved after leaving the house."
"Environmental changes can affect symptoms."
"Exactly."
His eyes narrowed.
"What are you implying?"
"Nothing yet."
Nathan stepped between us.
"Dr. Reeves, what chemicals can cause muscle weakness, fatigue, cognitive issues, and cardiac symptoms?"
The doctor hesitated.
"Several."
"Name them."
"Certain solvents."
"More."
"Heavy metals."
"More."
"Organophosphates."
Silence.
I watched him.
He had answered too quickly.
"Would a chronic low-level exposure look like an unexplained disease?"
"Possibly."
"Would it mimic neurological disorders?"
"Yes."
"Could it affect two siblings simultaneously?"
"Yes."
Nathan stared.
"Why didn't you test for environmental exposure?"
Dr. Reeves' face tightened.
"We're treating medicine, not investigating crimes."
I looked at him.
"That's why we haven't found the answer."
He glared at me.
"You are a nanny."
I smiled.
"That doesn't stop me from having eyes."
Nathan looked at him.
"Leave."
Dr. Reeves walked away.
That afternoon, Nathan called a toxicologist.
Then an environmental specialist.
Then an independent pediatric neurologist.
All three reviewed the symptoms.
All three agreed.
Chronic exposure was plausible.
But the exact substance remained unknown.
The diffuser was sent to a laboratory.
While we waited, I focused on the boys.
Jacob's muscles were weaker than Jonah's.
Jonah had more cognitive fog.
Both had headaches.
Both had lost weight.
And both complained of a metallic taste.
That mattered.
I wrote everything down.
The more I watched them, the more I suspected their exposure varied by time.
I asked Nathan:
"When are their symptoms worst?"
"Morning."
"Better in the afternoon?"
"Usually."
"Weekends?"
He paused.
"We've spent very little time outside this house during weekends."
"What about vacations?"
He looked at me.
"They improve."
That confirmed it.
Something in the house was causing the illness.
But there was another question.
Why had no one noticed?
The answer came when the toxicology report returned.
The diffuser contained traces of a pesticide derivative.
Low dose.
Long exposure.
Enough to cause chronic illness.
Not enough to immediately kill.
Nathan stared at the report.
"Who would do this?"
I said nothing.
The security chief entered.
"We found something."
He placed a tablet on the table.
Security footage.
A hallway camera.
2:14 a.m.
A figure entered the twins' corridor.
The person wore a hood.
A mask.
Gloves.
They carried a small bag.
The figure entered the ventilation access room.
Then disappeared.
Nathan watched.
"Can you identify them?"
"No."
"Where did they go?"
"Another camera picked them up."
The next screen showed the person leaving through the east service door.
The security chief zoomed.
The figure's shoes were visible.
Black leather.
With a distinctive silver buckle.
Nathan froze.
"Who wears those?"
His security chief hesitated.
"Your sister."
I looked at Nathan.
"Your sister Valeria?"
He nodded slowly.
"She owns that exact pair."
I immediately said:
"That isn't proof."
Nathan looked at me.
"I know."
The security chief continued.
"There was another issue."
"What?"
"The person entered using a maintenance badge."
"Whose?"
"Dr. Reeves'."
Silence.
Nathan stared.
"Reeves?"
"His badge was logged."
I looked at the footage again.
The person moved like someone familiar with the house.
They knew where the cameras were.
They knew which door unlocked.
They knew which corridor led to the vents.
This wasn't random.
Someone had planned it.
Then Jacob called for me.
I left the room.
He was sitting on his bed.
"Emily?"
"Yes?"
"Can I tell you something?"
"Always."
"I saw somebody."
"When?"
"Before you came."
"Who?"
"A man."
"Where?"
"Outside my door."
"What did he look like?"
Jacob frowned.
"He had a gold tooth."
My stomach tightened.
Nathan's security chief didn't have a gold tooth.
Dr. Reeves didn't.
The figure on camera had been wearing a mask.
But the suspect list had just changed.
I told Nathan.
He immediately called every guard.
Then one of his men rushed in.
"Sir."
"What?"
"We found a maintenance vehicle abandoned near the north gate."
"Whose?"
"Registered to the medical clinic."
"Dr. Reeves?"
"No."
The guard handed him a keycard.
"His brother."
Nathan's face went cold.
"Bring me everything on Malcolm Reeves."
I looked at Nathan.
"What if the doctor isn't working alone?"
May you like
He stared at the report.
"Then we find everyone."
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