Chapter 2 - Why Robert Had Come Back To Napa
Robert had not visited the estate to surprise Noah.
He had come because of a phone call he received the night before.
The caller was Elena Price, a former housekeeper who had worked for Daniel Bennett and his first wife, Laura, for nearly nine years.
Laura was Noah’s biological mother.
Robert’s daughter.
She had died three years earlier after what everyone accepted as a tragic car accident on a rain-slick road outside St. Helena.
At least, that was the official story.
Elena’s voice shook when she called.
“Mr. Miller, I should have told you this a long time ago.”
Robert sat upright in bed.
“Told me what?”
“There were things happening in that house before Laura died.”
Robert had heard enough vague condolences and conspiracy-minded relatives after his daughter’s death to be cautious.
“What things?”
Elena hesitated.
“Vanessa was around before anyone admitted she was.”
That sentence changed everything.
Robert knew Vanessa had married Daniel eighteen months after Laura’s death.
He knew Daniel claimed they had not become romantically involved until long after the funeral.
He knew Vanessa had once worked with Daniel through a charitable foundation.
He also knew Laura had disliked her.
But none of that proved anything.
Then Elena said something more specific.
“Laura asked me to photograph a set of papers the week before she died. She said if something happened to her, I should give them to you.”
Robert’s breathing slowed.
“Do you still have them?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you come forward?”
Elena began crying.
“Because Daniel told everyone Laura was exhausted, paranoid, and struggling emotionally. Then Vanessa started running the house. I was afraid no one would believe me.”
Robert closed his eyes.
“What changed?”
“Noah.”
That answer cut deeper than any accusation could have.
Elena had recently seen the boy during a delivery to the estate.
She saw Vanessa order him to carry cleaning supplies across the patio.
Saw the way he flinched when she raised her voice.
Saw the same kind of fear Laura once carried.
So she called.
By sunrise, Robert was already driving toward Napa.
And before he ever saw Noah kneeling beside the car, he already knew one thing:
May you like
His daughter’s death needed another look.
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