Next, she moved to Bethany’s bedroom. Black and white. Val pulled out her phone and googled the significance of the colors, knowing this was something Bethany strived for in her décor. White is innocence and black is authority, sophistication and power, but it’s also subservient—this is why many religious figures, such as priests wear black. Amish do it for humility. This was the only room with not one red item or accent in it. Odd. Bethany’s personal space is the one area with no red. What was going on here? What was this room trying to say? Then Val sensed it.

This room had a submissive quality to it. A stark contrast to the power in the rest of the house. Maybe this was the way Mr. Morgan liked it?

Down the hall there were two spare bedrooms. The first, blue. A boy’s room? Queen bed, oak. Matching dressers. Plaid comforter. Maybe this was Adam’s room when he lived here with his mother? Though the rest of the house had a modernistic makeover, this room was a sharp contrast to this. It was like Bethany never touched it. Maybe she wasn’t allowed to. Val traveled across the hall, to another bedroom. Again, a stark contrast. It was as if Bethany hadn’t bothered with the two spare bedrooms.

There was nothing fancy in this one either. A dark wood queen-size bed and mahogany dresser. Touch of red? The walls were light yellow, almost butter. Yellow bedding. Yellow accents. The room had an abandoned feel, as if no one had been in here in some time. Louise, the maid, must not have ever come in here either because there were a few cobwebs in the corner and dust was forming on the dresser and headboard. What did Bethany say about yellow? Val pulled out her phone again. Yellow is happy and optimistic, spring and sunflowers and daffodils, Yadda, yadda, yadda. Val scrolled. Every light side has a dark. And here it was, cowardice, betrayal, egoism, and madness.

Suddenly, something caught Val’s eye—an open door on the far left side of the room. An attached bathroom.

Odd. The bedroom didn’t look used but the bathroom did. The soap dispenser was almost empty. The toilet paper roll was spun down by half. Through the glass shower door, Val saw a couple of bottles. She pulled the door open and stepped onto the tile. She picked up the first bottle. Lavender soap. She grabbed the next one and turned it around to get a look at what it was and nearly dropped it. Absolute Blonde shampoo. Number three ingredient: Pearls. “Natural,” claimed the copy on the label, “not cultured.” Natural pearls would have made it much more expensive than cultured, Val guessed. Who’s using the guest bathroom? Or who was using the guest bathroom?