Chapter 4
The apartment was on the third floor of a building with a broken elevator.
Daniel held my hand as we climbed. I could feel his tension in every step.
Maria opened the door after our third knock. She was in her forties, tired-eyed, with her hair pulled back in a loose bun. Behind her, a little boy peeked out — seven years old, maybe, with dark eyes and a scar that ran along his jawline.
"Leo," I heard myself whisper.
Maria saw where I was looking. She pulled the boy behind her.
"Who are you?" she said. Her voice was sharp, defensive.
"We're not here to hurt you," Daniel said quickly. "My name is Daniel. This is my wife. Our daughter May was at the Hales' Christmas party. She—she has a bite mark on her arm. She says Vanessa did it."
Maria's face changed. The defensiveness cracked. For a moment, I saw something raw and wounded underneath.
"You should go," she said.
"Please," I said. "Our daughter is four. She has nightmares every night. She doesn't understand what happened to her. If you know something—if Vanessa hurt your son too—"
My voice broke.
Maria looked at me for a long time. Then she stepped aside.
"Come in."
The apartment was small and clean. Leo sat on the couch watching us, his eyes wide. Maria brought us water and sat across from us, her hands folded tight.
"I signed papers," she said. "They paid me. Richard's lawyer made me sign everything. If I talk, I lose the money. They said they'd deport me."
"Maria," Daniel said gently. "Whatever they paid you, it wasn't enough for what she did to your son."
Tears spilled down her face. She didn't wipe them.
"She bit him," Maria said. "Three times. The first time, I thought it was an accident. Leo said she got angry because he spilled juice on her rug. The second time, I confronted her. She laughed. She said Leo was lying. The third time—" Her voice broke. "The third time was on his face. In front of me. She just—she grabbed him and bit him. Like an animal."
I felt sick.
"Richard knew," she said. "He knew all of it. He paid for the doctor. He paid me to be quiet. He said if I went to the police, nobody would believe a housekeeper over his wife. He was right. Who would believe me?"
"Us," I said. "We believe you."
She looked at me. Then she got up and went to a drawer. She came back with a folder.
Medical records. Photographs. Dates. Everything.
"I kept it all," she said. "Even after I signed. I knew—somehow, I knew she'd do it again."
I opened the folder. The first photo was of Leo's face, swollen and bruised, the bite mark raw and red along his jaw.
I closed it. My hands were shaking.
"Maria," Daniel said. "Will you come forward with us? We're going to the police. We need you."
She looked at Leo. He was still watching us, quiet as a mouse.
"If I do this," she said, "she goes away for a long time?"
"We'll make sure of it," Daniel said.
May you like
Maria nodded slowly. Then she reached across the table and took my hand.
"Then yes," she said. "I've been waiting two years for someone to ask."
