Chapter 7 - The Knock at the Study Door
The bottle was empty and Noah was sleepy again. His head was heavy on my back and his breathing went slow in the blue shawl. Mr. Daniel sat on the rug with his suit all wrinkled. The lamp made his face soft yellow on one side and blue from the window on the other.
Then we heard it.
Footsteps in the hall. Not fast. Just shoes on wood, getting closer. Tap. Tap. Tap.
I froze. Noah moved a little and made a small sound in his throat. I put my hand back over the shawl to hold him still and I stopped breathing so I could hear better.
Mr. Daniel heard it too. His head turned fast toward the door. His eyes got wide for just a second, then he put one finger to his mouth at me.
Shhh.
The vacuum was still sitting in the middle of the rug. The black hose curled out across the floor like a big snake. My cleaning cloth was next to my knee. I could smell the warm milk and the dust from the vacuum.
The footsteps stopped right outside the door.
Knock. Knock.
"Mr. Hale?" A woman's voice called through the wood. "You in there? I heard the vacuum running."
My stomach dropped down to my feet. I looked at Mr. Daniel. He looked at me and at Noah on my back and at the vacuum. He mouthed one word with no sound.
Hide.
I did not think. I grabbed the hose with both hands and pulled it in close to the gray canister. It was heavy and it made a little scraping sound on the rug. I winced. Mr. Daniel winced too. I pulled my knees up and scooted backward fast on my bottom toward the big desk.
The shadow under the desk was dark. I backed into it until my back bumped the wood. My bare feet were cold on the floor now, off the rug. Noah's weight pressed me forward. I hunched over my knees to make us small. I put the cloth over Noah's back like a blanket so the faded blue would not show so bright.
Knock. Knock. Louder this time.
"Mr. Hale? It's Rosa."
Mr. Daniel stood up. He brushed his pants off quick. He looked down at me under the desk and his face told me stay. Then he walked to the door but he did not open it all the way. He put his hand on the knob and opened it just a little bit. I could see a line of bright hallway light cut across the rug. It did not reach the desk.
I held Noah tight through the shawl. Please be quiet, I thought at him. Please stay asleep.
"Rosa. Hey," Mr. Daniel said. His voice sounded normal but a little tired. Like he tried to laugh. "You're still here."
"I was finishing the upstairs bath," the woman said. Her voice was close. "I heard the shop vac. That thing is loud. You running it this late?"
I squeezed my eyes shut. The hum was gone but I could still feel it in my ears. I wondered if she could smell it too, the hot dusty smell.
"Yeah, that was me," Mr. Daniel said fast. "I knocked over — I spilled some papers. I was working late and didn't want to leave a mess."
There was a pause. I heard breathing in the hall. I kept my hand on Noah's leg through the shawl. He was warm. He shifted once and I rocked just a tiny bit side to side, the way Mom used to do, to keep him down.
"You working late in a suit?" Rosa said. It did not sound mean. It sounded curious.
Mr. Daniel gave a short breath that was almost a laugh. "Long day. Didn't even change."
Another pause. I could see his dark shoes planted in the doorway. He did not move. He was blocking the door with his body so she could not see in.
"Okay," Rosa said. "You want me to run it over in the morning? I was going to do this room first. The rug needs it."
"No, don't worry about it," Mr. Daniel said too quick. Then he slowed down. "I mean. I've got papers spread everywhere. Client stuff. I'll handle it. Take the morning off from in here."
I opened my eyes. His shoes had not moved. My legs were starting to shake from holding still. Noah made a tiny snuffle. I pressed my cheek to my knee and patted his foot with two fingers, very light. Over and over. Please. Please.
Rosa was quiet. I thought she was looking past him into the study. The lamp was on. The blue moonlight was on the windows. The vacuum was right there in the middle of the rug where anyone could see it.
"That vac is yours from the garage, isn't it?" she asked. "You drag that all the way up here?"
"Yeah," he said. "Stupid, I know. I'll put it back."
She laughed a little. "Alright, boss. But I'm coming in at dawn to dust before your eight o'clock call. You leave that door locked again and I'll think you don't trust me."
"I trust you, Rosa," he said. "Just — give me till seven. I'll have it cleared."
"Seven," she said. "Deal. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
The door clicked shut. The line of light went away. The lock turned with a small metal sound.
Mr. Daniel stood with his hand still on the door for a long time. He breathed out slow. Then he turned around and looked at the desk where I was hiding.
I was still holding Noah. My hands hurt from holding so tight.
He walked over and kneeled down by the desk. His white shirt glowed a little in the dark shadow.
"She's gone," he whispered.
May you like
I nodded but I did not come out yet. My heart was beating so loud I thought he could hear it. Outside the windows the rain tapped light against the glass. Inside it was so quiet I could hear Noah breathe.
"Seven in the morning," Mr. Daniel whispered. He looked at the vacuum sitting out on the rug. "We have to make this room look like no one was ever here."
