CHAPTER 22 : The Rooms Without Names
Grace entered Saint Orison as a potential donor.
Daniel posed as her attorney.
Mara remained outside the property because her face was known to Director Hale.
Victoria waited with Maya in a vehicle two miles away.
The main building resembled a private hotel.
Soft music played in the lobby.
Fresh flowers stood beside leather furniture.
No doors appeared locked.
No guards carried visible weapons.
A woman named Dr. Celeste Rowan greeted them.
She wore a white suit instead of a medical coat.
“Our residents value peace,” she said.
“We avoid institutional language.”
Grace smiled politely.
“What do you call the people who live here?”
“Guests.”
“And can guests leave?”
Dr. Rowan’s smile did not change.
“When leaving supports their recovery.”
Daniel noticed cameras inside the ceiling vents.
They were smaller than Hartwell’s equipment.
More advanced.
Dr. Rowan led them through a residential wing.
The rooms had no numbers.
Only symbols.
A tree.
A river.
A flame.
A broken circle.
Daniel stopped.
“What does that symbol mean?”
“A private designation.”
“For what?”
“Patients with identity-related trauma.”
From inside the room, a man began striking the door.
“Maya!”
Grace looked at Daniel.
Henry Nolan’s voice came through the wood.
“Maya, don’t sign anything!”
Dr. Rowan touched a device on her wrist.
Two attendants appeared at the end of the hallway.
Daniel stepped between them and the door.
“That man has been reported missing.”
“He has been reported many things,” Dr. Rowan replied.
“His medical condition prevents informed decisions.”
“Which doctor evaluated him?”
“Dr. Pierce.”
Daniel watched her.
“Dr. Pierce is in prison.”
For the first time, her expression changed.
Only slightly.
“Our legal department can explain.”
The attendants moved closer.
Grace dropped her handbag.
Its contents scattered across the floor.
While everyone looked down, she inserted the brass key into the door.
It turned.
Henry stood inside wearing gray clothes.
His wrists were bandaged.
He grabbed Grace’s shoulders.
“Where is Maya?”
“Safe.”
“No one is safe.”
Daniel entered the room.
“Why did you bring Thomas’s ring to the center?”
“Because Thomas told me the memorial would be the only place Gideon’s people could not remove it without revealing themselves.”
“Thomas is dead.”
Henry looked at him.
“I know.”
“Then when did he tell you?”
“Two days before he died.”
Daniel stared at him.
The date still did not match the official record.
Henry opened a panel beneath the bed.
Inside was a wooden toolbox.
Grace recognized it.
Her husband’s name had been carved into the handle.
Peter Holloway.
Grace touched the letters.
Hartwell had stolen the toolbox from her house.
She opened it.
Most of the tools were gone.
Beneath a removable tray was a black ledger.
Henry stopped her from lifting it.
“Peter died because he found that.”
Grace’s voice became quiet.
“My husband died from a heart attack.”
“That is what the certificate says.”
Henry looked toward the hall.
“Peter audited county property transfers. He discovered that certain homes were not being taken for money.”
“What were they being taken for?” Daniel asked.
“Leverage.”
An alarm sounded.
Metal doors closed throughout the wing.
Dr. Rowan’s voice came through the ceiling.
“Mr. Mercer, place the ledger on the floor.”
Daniel looked toward the camera.
“No.”
“Your father made the same mistake.”
Grace held the ledger against her chest.
The lights changed from warm white to red.
A chemical smell entered through the ventilation system.
Henry tore a sheet from the bed and pressed it beneath the door.
“They’ll put us to sleep.”
Daniel searched the room.
There was no second exit.
Grace examined the brass key.
A number had been engraved along its side.
B-17.
Henry pointed toward the floor.
“The rooms have no names.”
He moved the bed.
“But the tunnels do.”
Beneath the frame was a steel hatch marked B-17.
Daniel inserted the key.
The hatch opened.
A ladder descended into darkness.
Grace climbed first with the ledger.
Henry followed.
Daniel was about to enter when the room door unlocked.
Dr. Rowan stood outside.
The attendants behind her wore respirators.
She looked past Daniel toward the open hatch.
“You found Peter’s ledger.”
Daniel stepped onto the ladder.
Dr. Rowan raised a weapon.
“Do you know why your father never gave it to the police?”
Daniel paused.
“Because he knew the police were involved.”
“No.”
May you like
Dr. Rowan aimed at his chest.
“Because the first name inside it belongs to your mother.”
