Chapter 3 - The Secret Hidden Inside the Old House
By the time Annie arrived at the hospital, it was after midnight.
She should have been home.
She should have been sleeping beside her grandmother.
Instead, she sat in a plastic chair under bright hospital lights.
Her blue coat was still wet.
Her shoes were dirty.
And everyone around her kept looking at her like she was carrying a secret she didn’t understand.
A detective named Marcus Hill sat across from her.
“Annie, I need to ask you some questions.”
“Okay.”
“Why were you at Union Station?”
“My grandma needed medicine.”
“Your grandmother’s name?”
“Eleanor Calehan.”
Marcus stopped writing.
“Eleanor Calehan.”
He repeated the name quietly.
Annie noticed.
“You know her?”
Marcus looked away.
“I know the name.”
That answer made Annie uncomfortable.
“What does everyone know about my grandma?”
Nobody answered.
Because the truth was complicated.
Eleanor Calehan had spent thirty years hiding from people who wanted answers.
And now her granddaughter had accidentally brought those people back into her life.
The hospital doors opened.
Two men in expensive suits entered.
Everyone moved aside.
Annie watched them walk toward Daniel’s room.
The taller man looked at her.
“Is that the girl?”
Marcus nodded.
“Yes.”
The man stared.
“She saved him?”
“Yes.”
The man looked confused.
“Why would a child save Daniel Moretti?”
Annie frowned.
“Because he needed help.”
The room went silent.
The man looked at her.
For the first time, he didn’t see a child.
He saw someone different.
A nurse walked out.
“Mr. Moretti is awake.”
Everyone turned.
Daniel was alive.
But when Annie entered the room, she noticed something immediately.
Daniel Moretti wasn’t afraid of dying.
He was afraid of something else.
“Annie,” he said softly.
She stepped closer.
“You know my grandma.”
Daniel looked at the floor.
“Yes.”
“How?”
He took a deep breath.
“Because your grandmother saved my life once too.”
Annie froze.
“What?”
Daniel looked toward the window.
Thirty years of memories appeared on his face.
“Eleanor Calehan was the only person who believed I wasn’t the monster everyone thought I was.”
Annie didn’t know what to say.
Then Daniel grabbed her hand.
“Listen carefully.”
His voice became serious.
“Your grandmother is in danger.”
Annie’s heart dropped.
“What do you mean?”
Daniel looked at the hospital door.
“Someone has been trying to kill me.”
A pause.
“And whoever did it…”
He looked directly at her.
“Knows where your grandmother lives.”
Annie stopped breathing.
Because Eleanor was alone.
And nobody knew she was sick.
Except someone inside their house.
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TO BE CONTINUED...
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