“I’m sorry.”
“Grace.”
She looked terrified.
“Your job is safe.”
Tears filled her eyes.
Adrian continued:
“And you are on paid medical leave until your doctor clears you.”
She stared.
“Belgrave—”
“I terminated Belgrave’s authority over staffing at my residence at six this morning.”
Elena had made one call.
Temporary direct employment arrangements were being established.
A full audit would come later.
Grace looked confused.
Adrian said:
“Natalie Kettering cannot fire you.”
Grace’s lips trembled.
“She said if I missed—”
“I know what she said.”
“I should have known what my contractors were doing.”
“I didn’t.”
“That is my failure, not yours.”
Denise watched him more carefully now.
Grace closed eyes.
A tear moved down her cheek.
Adrian waited.
Then asked:
“Grace, I need to ask about the study wall.”
Her eyes opened.
Fear replaced relief.
Denise frowned.
“What wall?”
Grace looked toward Mia.
“She told you.”
“Yes.”
Grace swallowed.
“I told her old pipes.”
“Why?”
“Because Miss Kettering told me not to talk about noises.”
Adrian became still.
“When?”
“Maybe six weeks ago.”
“You heard them six weeks ago?”
“Not knocking.”
“Movement.”
“Behind books.”
“At night.”
“Did you report?”
“To Kettering.”
“What did she say?”
“That Mr. Pierce sometimes inspected old service passages.”
Roland Pierce.
Adrian’s security chief.
Grace continued.
“She said private security areas were not my concern.”
“Then she asked whether I liked working here.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
“Anything else?”
Grace hesitated.
“Yes.”
“What?”
“Two months ago, I saw Mr. Mercer in your study.”
Adrian stopped breathing.
“At what time?”
“After one.”
“Why unusual?”
“Because you were in Geneva.”
He remembered.
World Infrastructure Forum.
“Who was with him?”
“Mr. Pierce.”
“What were they doing?”
“I don’t know.”
“When I entered with cleaning cart, bookshelf was open.”
Adrian looked at Elena.
Grace continued quickly:
“Mr. Mercer said there was a wiring problem.”
“He told me to leave.”
“Next day Miss Kettering called.”
“She knew?”
“She said I had entered restricted space.”
“I never told her.”
Denise muttered something under breath.
Adrian asked:
“Did you see anything behind wall?”
“A gray door.”
“Anything else?”
Grace closed eyes, trying.
“Mr. Pierce had a black case.”
“Like briefcase?”
“Hard plastic.”
“Tools?”
“I don’t know.”
“Mr. Mercer was holding papers.”
“Old papers?”
“Maybe.”
Adrian’s pulse increased.
The hidden room had not been forgotten.
Daniel had been using it.
Julian had known.
Grace whispered:
“I’m sorry.”
Adrian looked at her.
“For what?”
“I should have told you.”
“You did what someone with power over your paycheck told you to do.”
She looked ashamed.