David Baldacci - Simple Genius

Sean headed up the stairs. Michelle and Viggie quickly followed.

A minute later they were standing on the third floor staring at what appeared to be a blank wall.

“Keep an eye out,” Sean said, giving the hallway a searching look. He began probing the wall with his fingers, trying to find a gap in the wood or a hidden latch like at the other mansion. Ten minutes later he gave up. “I can’t find anything, want to give it a try?” he asked Michelle.

After another ten minutes she said, “Nothing.”

“Viggie, are you sure this was the spot?” Sean asked.

“Absolutely,” she said tersely.

“Well, then either it’s just wasted space and there’s no secret room or there’s another way to open the door.”

“Sean, you said this is next to your old bedroom?” Michelle said. “Let’s try from in there.”

“Right!” He led them into the bedroom and started tapping on the wall. “Sounds hollow,” he said. He probed the wall for a lever of some kind but found nothing. They went to the room on the other side of the blank space, but the door was dead-bolted.

“Okay, what now? You can’t exactly cut a hole in the wall without anyone noticing,” Michelle said. “And so what if it’s a secret room. It’s probably empty like the one in that old house.”

“Michelle, we talked about this. If Rivest was right and there are spies here, they could be using that room for some reason.”

“Spies!” Viggie exclaimed.

“Keep that to yourself,” Sean warned.

“And what would spies be using this room for?” Michelle asked.

“If I knew that I wouldn’t be trying to get in there,” Sean snapped.

“Well, it doesn’t look like we’re going to be able to do that right now.”

She turned to Viggie. “Thanks for your help. There’s no way Sean and I could have figured this out.”

Viggie beamed at her.

HORATIO THANKED FREEMAN and headed back to the B amp;B. When he got there Horatio checked messages at his office. There were quite a few, but only one really excited him. He quickly called her back.

“Hello?”

“Mrs. Rose? Hazel Rose?”

“Hold on, she’s in the next bed.”

Horatio waited a few moments as the sounds of the phone being passed over reached him. Then a deep, southern voice came on the line.

“Hello? Who’s calling?”

“Mrs. Rose. It’s Horatio Barnes. I just got your message.”

“Oh, yes, Mr. Barnes. I wanted to thank you for what you did. They’re transferring me to that facility you talked about. I really can’t believe it. They actually have a library with real books in it instead of just magazines.”

Horatio’s enthusiasm waned. He thought she’d remembered something about Michelle’s childhood. “Right. Absolutely. I’m glad it worked out for you. I know you’ll be much happier there. Thank you for calling.”

“Now just hold your horses. That’s not the only reason I called.”

Horatio immediately tensed. “It isn’t?”

“I remembered something else. I don’t know if it’ll help you, but I thought I should pass it on.”

“Right now, Mrs. Rose, I’ll take anything I can get.”

Hazel Rose’s voice sank to a whisper, probably so her roommate couldn’t hear. “Remember I said that Frank Maxwell went to college at night to get a master’s degree so he could get onto a bigger police force?”

“I remember. With Michelle’s brothers grown and gone by then, I’m sure it was pretty lonely for her.”

“Well, I don’t think Michelle was the only lonely one in that house.”

“What do you mean?”

“You didn’t hear this from me.”

“I swear. Now please tell me.”

There was a long sigh and then she said, “Around about the time we were talking about, at least once a week I used to see a car parked down the road a bit from the Maxwell place.”

“A car?”

“I didn’t think much of it to tell the truth. And it was never there in the morning when my husband went off to work. I’d know because I’d be up to make his breakfast.”

“You ever find out whose car it was?”

“No. But I did see the car at another place once. It was parked outside a Dairy Queen.”

“Did you see who was driving it?”

“Yep. A good-looking man. He was in uniform.”

“What kind of uniform?”

“Army.”

“Was there a military base nearby?”

“No, but there was a recruitment station in town.”

“So you think he worked there?”

“Maybe. I never followed it up. It really wasn’t my business.”

“But why do you think the car had something to do with the Maxwells’ house?”

“Back then it was the only house down that way other than mine. And the only other homes on the street were occupied by women whose husbands were home at night.”

“And Frank Maxwell wasn’t?”

“That’s right. And the nights he was home, that car wasn’t there.”

“You’re sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“And you just thought of this?” he said skeptically.

“I thought of it while you were here. But why rake up muck? What good will it do?”

“What made you change your mind then?”

“The more I thought about it, the more I believe the truth, whatever it is, might help Michelle. She was just a little girl. Whatever might have happened back then it wasn’t her fault.”

“And what do you think happened, Mrs. Rose?”

“Mr. Barnes, that I just won’t say. It’s up to you now. I hope this helps. Did you tell Michelle I said hello?”

“I did and she remembered you very well.”

Hazel Rose’s voice cracked slightly. “I wish nothing but the best for that girl.”

Horatio thanked her, hung up and slumped back in his chair. This put a whole new spin on everything that the psychologist didn’t like at all.

LATER THAT EVENING Horatio moved into an empty room in the mansion at Babbage Town after Michelle told him Champ had authorized it.

“I’m surprised,” he said.

“Even geniuses change their minds,” she pointed out.

“No, I’m surprised that you asked him to do it.”

“How do you know I asked him?”

“I’m the head doc, okay? I just know.”

After he was unpacked Horatio asked Sean to come to his room. There he filled him in on what South had told him about Camp Peary and German prisoners of war being held there. And also the phone conversation he’d had with Hazel Rose. Sean mulled the latter part over. “What do you make of it?”

“Make of it? I make of it that Michelle’s mother was having an affair with this Army guy.”

“That part I figured out. I mean how does that fact tie into Michelle’s personality changing?”

“I’m not sure,” Horatio admitted.

“Did Hazel say when the Army guy stopped coming around?”

“No. Actually I didn’t ask her.”

The two men stared at each other. “You think Michelle saw something, don’t you?” Horatio slowly nodded. “Like what?”

“It’s only speculation, but something… bad. Like maybe her mother in bed with this guy. But what I’m really thinking is even worse. Her brother Bill didn’t believe it was the case, but I’m thinking that maybe Michelle was sexually abused by him.”

Sean looked skeptical. “And her mom would just allow that to happen? Come on!”

“Believe me I’ve seen it all. And maybe the mom didn’t know about it, or didn’t want to know about it so long as the guy kept coming around to see her.”

“So what would that do to a six-year-old kid?”

“Seeing the mom in bed with another man? At that age she might not be able to understand anything other than a strange man is with Mommy. And if Mom was quick enough to explain it away? But the sexual abuse? That could be devastating. Particularly if her mother acquiesced in it.”