\u201cNo,\u201d Daniel said.
\n\u201cThey were a funnel.\u201d
\n\u201cFor Thomas?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nI turned toward Nolan.
\n\u201cYou were working with him.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cThen what were you doing?\u201d
\nNolan laughed without humor.
\n\u201cSurviving.\u201d
\nDaniel\u2019s expression turned cold.
\n\u201cYou call stealing survival?\u201d
\n\u201cYou had no idea what he was capable of.\u201d
\n\u201cNeither did Claire.\u201d
\nNolan looked at me.
\nAnd for the first time, there was no arrogance in his face.
\nOnly exhaustion.
\n\u201cYou think I wanted any of this?\u201d
\nI stared at him.
\n\u201cMaui?\u201d
\nHe looked away.
\n\u201cThe forgery?\u201d
\nSilence.
\n\u201cThe millions?\u201d
\nSilence again.
\n\u201cYou put a five-million-dollar life insurance policy on me.\u201d
\nHis eyes snapped back to mine.
\n\u201cThat was not what you think.\u201d
\n\u201cThen tell me what it was.\u201d
\nHe swallowed.
\n\u201cCollateral.\u201d
\nMy blood went cold.
\n\u201cFor what?\u201d
\n\u201cThomas made me guarantee the Harcourt money personally.\u201d
\n\u201cWith my life?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cThen why was I insured?\u201d
\nHe hesitated too long.
\nI understood before he spoke.
\n\u201cNolan.\u201d
\nHe looked at the floor.
\n\u201cIf I defaulted, Thomas wanted leverage.\u201d
\nBrianna whispered,
\n\u201cOh my God.\u201d
\nI felt nauseated.
\n\u201cLeverage against whom?\u201d
\nNolan answered,
\n\u201cYou.\u201d
\nA silence fell over the room.
\nI took a step backward.
\n\u201cYou used me as insurance.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cYou used my life.\u201d
\n\u201cI never planned to let anything happen to you.\u201d
\nI laughed.
\n\u201cYet someone followed me.\u201d
\n\u201cThat wasn\u2019t me.\u201d
\n\u201cYou sent someone to Union Station.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cSomeone came to Samuel\u2019s office.\u201d
\n\u201cNot me.\u201d
\n\u201cThen who?\u201d
\nNolan stared at me.
\n\u201cThomas.\u201d
\nThe name seemed to infect every corner of the room.
\nDaniel closed his eyes.
\n\u201cHe found her.\u201d
\nNolan nodded.
\n\u201cHe probably knew about the locker before I did.\u201d
\n\u201cHow?\u201d
\nI asked.
\nNolan gave a bitter smile.
\n\u201cBecause Mom wasn\u2019t the only one watching people.\u201d
\nOrtiz stood.
\n\u201cWe need to locate Thomas Mercer immediately.\u201d
\nNolan laughed softly.
\n\u201cYou won\u2019t.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause Thomas Mercer technically doesn\u2019t exist.\u201d
\nShe stared at him.
\n\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d
\nDaniel answered.
\n\u201cHe disappeared legally twenty-four years ago.\u201d
\n\u201cDeclared dead?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cThen?\u201d
\n\u201cNew identity.\u201d
\nOrtiz looked between them.
\n\u201cYou know the identity?\u201d
\nDaniel shook his head.
\nNolan did not.
\nThat was enough.
\nOrtiz noticed.
\n\u201cSo you do know.\u201d
\n\u201cI know one of them.\u201d
\n\u201cOne?\u201d
\nNolan gave her a tired look.
\n\u201cMy father has used several names.\u201d
\n\u201cGive me the current one.\u201d
\nNolan stayed silent.
\nOrtiz crouched beside him.
\n\u201cYou are already facing enough charges to destroy the rest of your life.\u201d
\nHe smiled.
\n\u201cYou think prison scares me more than Thomas?\u201d
\nThat answer changed the room.
\nEven Ortiz paused.
\nDaniel looked at Nolan.
\n\u201cHe\u2019s afraid.\u201d
\nNolan snapped,
\n\u201cYou should be too.\u201d
\nThen a paramedic entered with a stretcher.
\nThey lifted Daniel carefully.
\nAs they moved him toward the hallway, he reached for me.
\nI followed.
\n\u201cClaire.\u201d
\n\u201cYes?\u201d
\n\u201cMom left one more thing.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cNot in the safe.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere?\u201d
\n\u201cThe cemetery.\u201d
\nI stared at him.
\n\u201cWhat cemetery?\u201d
\n\u201cDad\u2019s grave.\u201d
\n\u201cRichard\u2019s?\u201d
\nDaniel nodded.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s a stone box beneath the bench beside his grave.\u201d
\nMy heartbeat quickened.
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s inside?\u201d
\n\u201cMom said it was for you.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy didn\u2019t she give it to me directly?\u201d
\n\u201cShe didn\u2019t trust herself.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d
\nBut the paramedics began moving him away.
\n\u201cDaniel.\u201d
\nHe looked back.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t go alone.\u201d
\nThen he disappeared down the hallway.
\nI stood frozen.
\nOrtiz came toward me.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re not going anywhere tonight.\u201d
\n\u201cI need to know what she left.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd you\u2019ll know tomorrow.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cClaire.\u201d
\n\u201cThomas may already know.\u201d
\n\u201cThat is exactly why you do not go running to a cemetery.\u201d
\nBefore I could answer, Brianna spoke.
\n\u201cShe\u2019s right.\u201d
\nI looked at her.
\n\u201cYou nearly got killed today.\u201d
\n\u201cSo did you.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd that\u2019s why I\u2019m done underestimating these people.\u201d
\nI looked back toward Nolan.
\nTwo officers were lifting him to his feet.
\nHe met my eyes.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t go to the cemetery.\u201d
\nI almost laughed.
\n\u201cYou expect me to listen to you?\u201d
\n\u201cFor once, yes.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\nHis face went pale.
\n\u201cBecause Thomas has been waiting for Mom to die.\u201d
\nMy anger cooled.
\n\u201cWhat does her death have to do with it?\u201d
\n\u201cShe was the only person he was afraid of.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\nNolan hesitated.
\nThen whispered,
\n\u201cBecause Evelyn was the only person alive who knew his real name.\u201d
\nOrtiz turned sharply.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nNolan looked at her.
\n\u201cThomas isn\u2019t his real name.\u201d
\nDaniel\u2019s stretcher stopped briefly in the hallway.
\nEven he turned his head.
\nI looked back at Nolan.
\n\u201cThen who is he?\u201d
\nNolan said nothing.
\nAn officer pushed him toward the stairs.
\n\u201cNolan!\u201d
\nHe looked over his shoulder.
\nAnd smiled sadly.
\n\u201cAsk what happened at Saint Agnes Hospital in 1963.\u201d
\nThen he was gone.
\nThat night, Ortiz moved me to a secure hotel under a different name.
\nBrianna stayed in another room on the same floor.
\nSamuel went home under police escort.
\nDaniel underwent surgery.
\nNolan was taken into custody.
\nAnd I lay awake staring at the ceiling.
\nSaint Agnes Hospital.
\n1963.
\nA year before Nolan was born.
\nLong before I existed.
\nLong before Mercer Holdings.
\nLong before the money.
\nSomething had happened there that connected Evelyn to Thomas before any of us were born.
\nAt 3:17 in the morning, my room phone rang.
\nI sat up instantly.
\nNo one knew my room number.
\nI answered without speaking.
\nA man breathed quietly on the other end.
\nThen he said,
\n\u201cClaire.\u201d
\nMy blood froze.
\nIt was an older voice.
\nCalm.
\nAlmost gentle.
\n\u201cWho is this?\u201d
\nHe chuckled.
\n\u201cYou already know.\u201d
\n\u201cThomas?\u201d
\nA pause.
\nThen,
\n\u201cThat is one of my names.\u201d
\nMy hand tightened around the receiver.
\n\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d
\n\u201cTo save you from making your mother-in-law\u2019s final mistake.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat mistake?\u201d
\n\u201cBelieving Daniel.\u201d
\nI stood.
\n\u201cYou followed me.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cYou sent the man to Union Station.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cYou went to Samuel\u2019s office.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nI froze.
\n\u201cIf that wasn\u2019t you, who was it?\u201d
\nHe ignored the question.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re looking for answers.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cThen stop asking lawyers.\u201d
\n\u201cTell me yourself.\u201d
\n\u201cI intend to.\u201d
\n\u201cWhen?\u201d
\n\u201cTomorrow.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere?\u201d
\n\u201cThe cemetery.\u201d
\nMy heart began pounding.
\nRichard\u2019s grave.
\nHe knew.
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s in the stone box?\u201d
\nThe man laughed softly.
\n\u201cSomething Evelyn stole from me thirty-two years ago.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cMy daughter.\u201d
\nI couldn\u2019t speak.
\nHe continued.
\n\u201cOr rather, proof of who she is.\u201d
\nMy legs weakened.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re saying I\u2019m your daughter.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m saying Evelyn knew exactly who your father was.\u201d
\n\u201cBut her letter said she didn\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cShe lied.\u201d
\nMy eyes burned.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause the truth was worse.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat truth?\u201d
\nHis voice dropped.
\n\u201cMargaret Hale was never your mother.\u201d
\nEverything inside me stopped.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cGo to the cemetery tomorrow.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cYou want the truth?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cThen come alone.\u201d
\nThe line went dead.
\nI stood in the dark hotel room holding the receiver.
\nMargaret was not my mother.
\nThat was impossible.
\nI had photographs.
\nBirth records.
\nSchool papers.
\nMemories.
\nOr at least I thought I did.
\nThen I remembered something Evelyn had written.
\nThere is one person who knows the truth.
\nThomas Mercer.
\nI slowly placed the phone down.
\nA second later, someone knocked softly on my door.
\nThree times.
\nI froze.
\nNo one was supposed to come to my room.
\n\u201cWho is it?\u201d
\nA woman answered.
\n\u201cClaire, it\u2019s Brianna.\u201d
\nI unlocked the door.
\nShe slipped inside carrying an old brown notebook.
\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d
\nI asked.
\nShe looked terrified.
\n\u201cI found this in my father\u2019s things years ago.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat is it?\u201d
\n\u201cHis original case notebook.\u201d
\nShe opened it to a page near the center.
\nOne sentence had been underlined three times.
\nINFANT FEMALE \u2014 SAINT AGNES \u2014 IDENTITY ALTERED.
\nMy heart slammed against my ribs.
\nBelow it was a date.
\nOctober 3, 1963.
\nThen another line.
\nEVELYN KNOWS.
\nTHOMAS ARRANGED TRANSFER.
\nAnd beneath that, written in red ink:
\nCHILD\u2019S IDENTITY LATER USED AGAIN IN 1994.
\nI stared at the page.
\n1994.
\nThe year printed on the photograph with my mother.
\n\u201cWhat does \u2018used again\u2019 mean?\u201d
\nBrianna swallowed.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nThen she turned the page.
\nA photograph had been taped inside.
\nTwo newborn babies lay side by side in a hospital nursery.
\nOn the back, my father had written:
\nONE CHILD DIED.
\nONE CHILD DISAPPEARED.
\nI felt the room spin.
\n\u201cWho were they?\u201d
\nBrianna looked at me.
\n\u201cI think one of them was Evelyn\u2019s.\u201d
\nMy mouth went dry.
\n\u201cAnd the other?\u201d
\nShe hesitated.
\nThen whispered,
\n\u201cClaire, I think the other baby was the beginning of your identity.\u201d
\nI stared at her.
\nBefore I could answer, every light in the hotel room went out.
\nDarkness swallowed us.
\nThen the hallway alarm began screaming.
\nBrianna grabbed my arm.
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s happening?\u201d
\nI moved toward the window.
\nThe hotel across the street still had power.
\nThis wasn\u2019t an outage.
\nSomeone had cut electricity to our floor.
\nThen my phone buzzed.
\nUnknown number.
\nOne message.
\nYOU SHOULD HAVE COME ALONE.
\nAnd beneath it was a photograph taken only seconds earlier.
\nBrianna and me standing inside the hotel room.
\nPhotographed through the window.
\nSomeone was watching us.
\nFrom across the street.<\/p>\n
PART 7 \u2014 THE CHILD WHO DISAPPEARED FROM SAINT AGNES<\/h1>\n
Brianna and I dropped away from the window at the same time.
\n\u201cGet down,\u201d she whispered.
\nThe photograph on my phone had been taken from somewhere across the street.
\nClose enough to see us clearly.
\nClose enough to know which room we were in.
\nThe lights remained dead.
\nThe alarm screamed through the hallway.
\nThen came pounding footsteps outside.
\nBrianna grabbed the notebook and shoved it beneath her coat.
\n\u201cBathroom,\u201d I whispered.
\nWe moved toward it in the darkness.
\nSomeone hit the hotel room door.
\nOnce.
\nHard.
\nThen again.
\n\u201cPolice!\u201d a man shouted.
\nI froze.
\nBrianna grabbed my wrist.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cMy father wrote about people pretending to be police.\u201d
\nAnother impact shook the door.
\n\u201cMrs. Mercer! Open the door!\u201d
\nOnly a handful of people knew I was here under another name.
\nWhoever was outside had just used my real name.
\nBrianna\u2019s face went pale.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s not Ortiz.\u201d
\nMy phone vibrated again.
\nDON\u2019T OPEN IT.
\nI stared at the message.
\nThomas?
\nOr someone else?
\nThe door shook a third time.
\nThen suddenly\u2014
\nGunshots.
\nTwo sharp cracks from the hallway.
\nBrianna covered her mouth.
\nA man screamed.
\nThen everything went quiet.
\nI heard a woman shout.
\n\u201cClaire!\u201d
\nOrtiz.
\nI ran toward the door.
\nBrianna stopped me.
\n\u201cWait.\u201d
\n\u201cClaire, it\u2019s Ortiz! Stay inside!\u201d
\nThis time I recognized her voice.
\nI unlocked the deadbolt.
\nOrtiz pushed in immediately with two officers behind her.
\n\u201cAre you hurt?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cBrianna?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d
\nOrtiz looked toward the window.
\n\u201cGet away from the glass.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d
\n\u201cSomeone impersonated hotel security.\u201d
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\n\u201cOne man is in custody. Another escaped through the stairwell.\u201d
\nMy stomach tightened.
\n\u201cThomas?\u201d
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nI handed her my phone.
\n\u201cSomeone photographed us.\u201d
\nOrtiz studied the image.
\nHer expression changed.
\n\u201cThis angle.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cIt wasn\u2019t taken from across the street.\u201d
\nBrianna frowned.
\n\u201cThen where?\u201d
\nOrtiz walked toward the window but stayed against the wall.
\nShe looked up.
\n\u201cThe roof.\u201d
\nA cold wave passed through me.
\nSomeone had been directly above our room.
\nNot across the street.
\nInside the same hotel.
\nOrtiz turned to an officer.
\n\u201cLock the building down.\u201d
\nThen she faced me.
\n\u201cYou are moving again.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nHer expression hardened.
\n\u201cClaire.\u201d
\n\u201cIf Thomas knows where I am every time you move me, running isn\u2019t helping.\u201d
\n\u201cHe may have someone inside law enforcement.\u201d
\n\u201cExactly.\u201d
\nOrtiz went silent.
\nBrianna pulled out her father\u2019s notebook.
\n\u201cWe need to find out what happened at Saint Agnes.\u201d
\nOrtiz looked at it.
\n\u201cNow?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nI stepped closer.
\n\u201cNolan mentioned Saint Agnes before Thomas did.\u201d
\nOrtiz\u2019s eyes narrowed.
\n\u201cWhich means they both think it matters.\u201d
\nBrianna opened the notebook.
\n\u201cMy father thought an infant identity was altered there in 1963.\u201d
\nOrtiz read the page.
\n\u201cAnd somehow that identity was used again in 1994.\u201d
\n\u201cThe year Claire appeared in that photograph with Margaret Hale.\u201d
\nI looked at her.
\n\u201cAppeared?\u201d
\nBrianna hesitated.
\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d
\n\u201cNo. Say it.\u201d
\n\u201cYour records may not be what you think.\u201d
\nThat sentence hurt.
\nBecause I already knew.
\nMy childhood records suddenly felt like props.
\nPhotographs.
\nCertificates.
\nStories repeated so often I had accepted them without question.
\n\u201cWhat do we do?\u201d
\nI asked.
\nOrtiz answered,
\n\u201cWe stop guessing.\u201d
\nTwo hours later, we were in the basement records room of Saint Agnes Hospital.
\nThe hospital had been renovated twice since 1963.
\nMost early records had been transferred to microfilm.
\nSome had been digitized.
\nMany had disappeared.
\nBut Brianna\u2019s father had written one name beside the 1963 entry.
\nSISTER HELENA MORROW.
\nOrtiz searched the hospital archive.
\nHelena Morrow had been a maternity nurse at Saint Agnes.
\nShe retired in 2001.
\nAnd according to a public directory, she was still alive.
\nNinety-one years old.
\nLiving in a convent-run retirement residence forty minutes away.
\nWe arrived shortly after sunrise.
\nThe residence sat behind a small stone church surrounded by maple trees.
\nI barely spoke during the drive.
\nBrianna kept her father\u2019s notebook on her lap.
\nOrtiz sat beside the driver.
\nWhen we entered, a nurse led us toward a sunroom.
\nSister Helena sat near the window wrapped in a blue blanket.
\nTiny.
\nSilver-haired.
\nAlert.
\nHer eyes moved immediately toward me.
\nThen widened.
\nShe whispered something I couldn\u2019t hear.
\nI stepped closer.
\n\u201cMy name is Claire Mercer.\u201d
\nHer fingers tightened around the blanket.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nI stopped.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nShe stared at my face.
\n\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have come back.\u201d
\nMy skin went cold.
\n\u201cBack?\u201d
\nOrtiz moved forward.
\n\u201cSister Helena, I\u2019m Detective Lena Ortiz.\u201d
\nThe old woman ignored her.
\nHer eyes never left me.
\n\u201cYou have Margaret\u2019s eyes.\u201d
\nMy chest tightened.
\n\u201cYou knew Margaret Hale?\u201d
\nHer expression changed.
\nFear.
\n\u201cWho told you that name?\u201d
\n\u201cShe raised me.\u201d
\nSister Helena closed her eyes.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nI felt sick.
\n\u201cWhat do you mean no?\u201d
\n\u201cShe didn\u2019t raise you.\u201d
\nMy legs weakened.
\n\u201cThen who did?\u201d
\nThe old woman looked toward the door.
\n\u201cIs Thomas dead?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nHer hand began trembling.
\n\u201cHe found you.\u201d
\n\u201cI found him.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s worse.\u201d
\nBrianna stepped forward.
\n\u201cMy father was Detective Michael Trent.\u201d
\nSister Helena stared at her.
\nThen tears filled her eyes.
\n\u201cMichael.\u201d
\n\u201cYou knew him?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat did he discover?\u201d
\nThe old woman pressed one hand against her mouth.
\n\u201cHe should have left it alone.\u201d
\n\u201cMy father died.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\nBrianna\u2019s voice cracked.
\n\u201cWas it because of this?\u201d
\nSister Helena looked away.
\nThat was enough.
\nBrianna\u2019s eyes filled.
\nI sat beside the old woman.
\n\u201cPlease.\u201d
\nShe shook her head.
\n\u201cToo many people died because of that night.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat night?\u201d
\n\u201cOctober third, 1963.\u201d
\nThe date from the notebook.
\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d
\nSister Helena stared through the window.
\n\u201cTwo children were born.\u201d
\n\u201cTo Evelyn?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cThen who?\u201d
\nShe swallowed.
\n\u201cOne belonged to Margaret Hale.\u201d
\nMy heartbeat increased.
\n\u201cAnd the other?\u201d
\n\u201cAnna Vale.\u201d
\nThe name meant nothing to me.
\n\u201cWho was Anna?\u201d
\n\u201cA seventeen-year-old girl.\u201d
\n\u201cFather?\u201d
\nHelena\u2019s expression hardened.
\n\u201cThomas.\u201d
\nI stopped breathing.
\n\u201cSo Thomas fathered Anna\u2019s baby?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd Margaret\u2019s?\u201d
\nShe nodded slowly.
\n\u201cRichard.\u201d
\nMy head spun.
\nRichard Mercer.
\nEvelyn\u2019s husband.
\n\u201cSo both Mercer brothers had children born the same night.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d
\n\u201cOne baby was healthy.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd the other?\u201d
\n\u201cVery sick.\u201d
\n\u201cWhich one?\u201d
\nHelena closed her eyes.
\n\u201cAnna\u2019s.\u201d
\nBrianna opened the notebook.
\n\u201cIt says one child died and one disappeared.\u201d
\nHelena began crying.
\n\u201cThat was the lie.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat lie?\u201d
\n\u201cNo child died that night.\u201d
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cBut the records\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cWere changed.\u201d
\n\u201cBy who?\u201d
\n\u201cThomas.\u201d
\nMy heartbeat thundered.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\nThe old woman looked directly into my eyes.
\n\u201cBecause he wanted Richard\u2019s child.\u201d
\nI felt the room tilt.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cThomas hated his brother.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy steal his baby?\u201d
\n\u201cTo control him.\u201d
\nOrtiz stepped closer.
\n\u201cExplain.\u201d
\nHelena breathed slowly.
\n\u201cRichard wanted to leave the family business.\u201d
\n\u201cBecause of Margaret?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cHe planned to take Margaret and their baby away.\u201d
\nMy hands went cold.
\n\u201cAnd Thomas stopped him.\u201d
\n\u201cHe arranged a switch.\u201d
\nI could barely breathe.
\n\u201cWhat kind of switch?\u201d
\nHelena whispered,
\n\u201cBabies.\u201d
\nSilence.
\nEveryone stared at her.
\n\u201cThomas switched the infants?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cHe wanted Richard to believe his child had died.\u201d
\nI gripped the chair.
\n\u201cBut you just said neither baby died.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s right.\u201d
\n\u201cSo where did they go?\u201d
\nHelena looked at me.
\n\u201cOne child left Saint Agnes with Margaret.\u201d
\nMy heartbeat slowed.
\n\u201cAnd the other?\u201d
\n\u201cWith Thomas.\u201d
\nBrianna flipped pages rapidly.
\n\u201cWhich child did Margaret take?\u201d
\nHelena closed her eyes.
\n\u201cAnna\u2019s.\u201d
\nI felt as though the floor had vanished.
\n\u201cThen Margaret raised Thomas\u2019s daughter.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nI whispered,
\n\u201cMe?\u201d
\nHelena didn\u2019t answer.
\nI stood.
\n\u201cWas I that baby?\u201d
\n\u201cClaire\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cTell me.\u201d
\nShe began crying harder.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nMy world broke again.
\nThomas was my biological father.
\nMargaret Hale had raised me.
\nBut Margaret was not my biological mother.
\nAnna Vale was.
\nI gripped the back of the chair.
\n\u201cSo Richard\u2019s baby\u2026\u201d
\nHelena looked terrified.
\n\u201cWhat happened to her?\u201d
\nShe whispered,
\n\u201cThomas kept her hidden.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere?\u201d
\n\u201cFor years, I didn\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd then?\u201d
\n\u201cEvelyn found out.\u201d
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cWhen?\u201d
\n\u201c1994.\u201d
\nThe date from the photograph.
\nEverything returned to 1994.
\nMy stomach tightened.
\n\u201cWhat did Evelyn do?\u201d
\n\u201cShe confronted Thomas.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd?\u201d
\n\u201cShe demanded Richard\u2019s daughter be returned.\u201d
\n\u201cWas she?\u201d
\nSister Helena shook her head.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause by then, it was too late.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d
\nHelena reached for my hand.
\nThe moment her fingers touched mine, I felt dread.
\n\u201cClaire, Thomas had given the child another identity.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat identity?\u201d
\nShe hesitated.
\nBrianna whispered,
\n\u201cOh no.\u201d
\nI looked at her.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nShe had reached the final pages of her father\u2019s notebook.
\nA family photograph was taped there.
\nEvelyn.
\nRichard.
\nNolan.
\nDaniel.
\nAnd a young girl standing slightly apart.
\nMaybe fourteen years old.
\nI had never seen her before.
\n\u201cWho is that?\u201d
\nBrianna turned the page toward Helena.
\nThe old woman gasped.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s her.\u201d
\nMy skin prickled.
\n\u201cRichard\u2019s daughter?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWho is she?\u201d
\nHelena looked at me.
\n\u201cRebecca.\u201d
\nI stared at the photograph.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve never heard of Rebecca Mercer.\u201d
\n\u201cThat wasn\u2019t her last name.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat was it?\u201d
\nHelena whispered,
\n\u201cCole.\u201d
\nBrianna stopped breathing.
\nI turned toward her.
\n\u201cCole?\u201d
\nHer face had gone completely white.
\n\u201cMy mother\u2019s maiden name was Cole.\u201d
\nThe room fell silent.
\nBrianna stared at the girl in the photograph.
\nThen at Sister Helena.
\n\u201cRebecca Cole was my mother.\u201d
\nNo one moved.
\nI felt my chest tighten.
\nIf that was true\u2026
\nBrianna and I were connected long before Maui.
\nLong before Nolan.
\nLong before Detective Trent.
\nSister Helena covered her mouth.
\n\u201cMichael married her?\u201d
\nBrianna nodded slowly.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nThe old woman began crying.
\n\u201cOh, God.\u201d
\nBrianna stepped forward.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cYour father didn\u2019t start investigating the Mercers because of Daniel.\u201d
\nHer voice shook.
\n\u201cThen why?\u201d
\nHelena looked at Brianna.
\n\u201cBecause he discovered who your mother really was.\u201d
\nBrianna\u2019s face crumpled.
\n\u201cMy mother died when I was six.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cHow?\u201d
\n\u201cA car accident.\u201d
\nHelena shook her head.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nBrianna stared.
\n\u201cNo?\u201d
\n\u201cThe car was tampered with.\u201d
\nOrtiz\u2019s expression hardened instantly.
\n\u201cWho did it?\u201d
\nHelena whispered,
\n\u201cThomas.\u201d
\nBrianna stumbled backward.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cHe found out Rebecca had begun asking questions.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cShe wanted Richard.\u201d
\n\u201cMy mother thought her father was dead.\u201d
\n\u201cBecause Thomas told her that.\u201d
\nBrianna wiped tears from her face.
\n\u201cSo my mother was Richard Mercer\u2019s daughter.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd Nolan and Daniel\u2026\u201d
\nHelena shook her head.
\n\u201cNot Richard\u2019s.\u201d
\nI remembered Daniel\u2019s revelation.
\nThomas was their real father.
\nThe family tree finally began to form.
\nThomas had fathered Nolan.
\nDaniel.
\nMe.
\nRichard had fathered Rebecca.
\nWhich meant\u2014
\nI looked at Brianna.
\nShe looked at me.
\n\u201cNolan isn\u2019t my blood relative through Richard,\u201d I whispered.
\n\u201cNo,\u201d Helena said.
\n\u201cBut Nolan and you share Thomas.\u201d
\nI closed my eyes.
\nMy marriage had been exactly what I feared.
\nNolan and I shared the same biological father.
\nHalf-siblings.
\nI felt sick.
\nBrianna grabbed my arm before I fell.
\nThen Sister Helena said something even worse.
\n\u201cThere is one more child.\u201d
\nI opened my eyes.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cThomas had four.\u201d
\nNolan.
\nDaniel.
\nMe.
\n\u201cOne more?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\nShe looked toward the door.
\n\u201cI never knew the name.\u201d
\n\u201cBoy or girl?\u201d
\n\u201cA son.\u201d
\nMy heartbeat changed.
\n\u201cHow old?\u201d
\n\u201cBorn in 1972.\u201d
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cWhere?\u201d
\n\u201cSaint Agnes.\u201d
\nOrtiz immediately asked,
\n\u201cMother?\u201d
\nHelena whispered,
\n\u201cEvelyn.\u201d
\nSilence.
\nI thought I had misunderstood.
\n\u201cEvelyn had Thomas\u2019s child?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cBut Nolan and Daniel\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cWere already his.\u201d
\n\u201cSo she had another son?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat happened to him?\u201d
\nHelena started shaking.
\n\u201cEvelyn gave him away.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause Thomas was becoming dangerous.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere did the baby go?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cDid Thomas?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nThat answer seemed impossible.
\n\u201cHe spent years looking.\u201d
\n\u201cFor his own son?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd Evelyn never told him?\u201d
\n\u201cNever.\u201d
\nI suddenly remembered something.
\nSomeone had come to Samuel\u2019s office.
\nSomeone Thomas claimed he hadn\u2019t sent.
\nSomeone still unidentified.
\n\u201cWhat if he found himself?\u201d
\nBrianna looked at me.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cThe fourth son.\u201d
\nOrtiz\u2019s phone rang.
\nShe answered.
\n\u201cYes?\u201d
\nHer expression changed instantly.
\n\u201cWhen?\u201d
\nShe looked at me.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re coming.\u201d
\nShe hung up.
\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d
\n\u201cNolan disappeared.\u201d
\nMy blood froze.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cHe was being transported from the courthouse holding area.\u201d
\n\u201cHow does someone in custody disappear?\u201d
\n\u201cSomeone attacked the transport.\u201d
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\nOrtiz looked grim.
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nMy phone buzzed.
\nUnknown number.
\nAnother photo.
\nNolan.
\nSitting in a chair.
\nHands tied.
\nBlood running from his forehead.
\nBehind him stood a man.
\nGray jacket.
\nThe same man who followed me at Union Station.
\nMy pulse exploded.
\nThen a message appeared.
\nHE LIED TO ALL OF YOU.
\nASK EVELYN WHO HER YOUNGEST SON WAS.
\nI stared at the photograph.
\nThe man in gray was no longer hiding his face.
\nSister Helena looked over my shoulder.
\nThe moment she saw him, her entire body stiffened.
\nHer cup slipped from her fingers and shattered on the floor.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nI looked at her.
\n\u201cYou know him?\u201d
\nTears filled her eyes.
\n\u201cHe has Evelyn\u2019s face.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nShe pointed at the photograph with a trembling finger.
\n\u201cThat man.\u201d
\nHer voice broke.
\n\u201cThat has to be the baby.\u201d
\nThe fourth son.
\nThe child Evelyn gave away.
\nThe man who had followed me from the beginning.
\nAnd now he had Nolan.
\nAnother message appeared.
\nCOME TO THE CEMETERY.
\nBRING THE KEY.
\nTHIS ENDS WHERE OUR MOTHER BURIED THE TRUTH.
\nI read it twice.
\nOur mother.
\nNot his mother.
\nOur.
\nAnd suddenly I realized the cemetery meeting Thomas wanted and the cemetery meeting this stranger wanted were scheduled for the same place.
\nThe same grave.
\nThe same hidden box.
\nTwo men were waiting for me.
\nOne was Thomas Mercer.
\nThe father who had destroyed generations of lives.
\nThe other was Evelyn\u2019s secret son.
\nAnd somewhere beneath Richard Mercer\u2019s grave was the one piece of evidence both of them were willing to kill for.<\/p>\n
![\"\ud83d\udc49\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/svg\/1f449.svg\")
PART 8 \u2014 THE GRAVE THAT HELD THE LAST SECRET<\/a><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"