Chapter 5 - The Gaslight Burns Out
The lobby of the Four Seasons was an ocean of marble, crystal chandeliers, and quiet wealth. It was exactly the kind of place Gertrude felt she belonged.
I didn't stop at the front desk. Rossi had given me her room number. Room 412.
I took the elevator up, my heart hammering against my ribs, but my mind was perfectly clear. I didn't want to hurt her physically. That would only validate her false police report. I wanted to break her psychologically. I wanted to strip away her power.
I stood outside Room 412 and knocked. Hard.
"Room service?" Gertrude's voice called out from inside, slightly muffled.
"It's David," I said loudly.
There was a long silence. Then, the deadbolt clicked. The door opened a few inches, secured by the chain lock. Gertrude peered out. She looked immaculate, as always, her hair perfectly styled, wearing a silk blouse. But there was a flicker of genuine shock in her eyes.
"How did you find me?" she hissed. "You shouldn't be here. The police—"
"The police are currently raiding the Blackwood Institute, Gertrude," I said, keeping my voice conversational, which I knew would terrify her more than yelling.
Her eyes widened. The color drained from her perfectly powdered cheeks.
"Yeah," I continued, leaning slightly toward the gap in the door. "Dr. Thorne is a coward. The moment they flashed a badge, he handed over the forged medical proxy you signed. He gave them the security footage of you dragging a crying six-year-old into his clinic. He gave them the receipts for the fifty thousand dollars you wired him."
"You're lying," she whispered, her manicured fingers gripping the edge of the door so hard her knuckles turned white.
"And CPS?" I smiled, a cold, empty smile. "They saw the ER toxicology report. They saw the barcode. Agent Miller realizes you tried to use her as a weapon. They are drawing up a warrant for your arrest right now for felony kidnapping, child endangerment, and filing a false police report."
Gertrude's breath hitched. For the first time in the ten years I had known her, the mask slipped. The arrogant, condescending matriarch vanished, leaving behind a pathetic, terrified old woman.
"He... he needs help, David," she stammered, frantically trying to pivot back to her delusion. "He's weak, like Sarah. I was trying to build a case to get him away from you before you ruin him! I have money! I can give him a better life!"
"You shaved his head," I said, the anger finally bleeding into my voice. "You strapped him to a chair and pumped him full of sedatives so a quack doctor could map his brain waves. You tortured your own grandson because you couldn't control him."
I stepped back from the door.
"I didn't come here to argue with you, Gertrude. I came here to tell you that you are finished. You will never see my son again. You will never see your daughter again. You are going to die alone, and your money isn't going to keep you warm in a prison cell."
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I turned and walked down the hallway.
Behind me, I heard the chain rattle as she desperately tried to close the door, the sound of her frantic, heavy breathing echoing in the quiet corridor.
