Chapter 13: The Girl at the Center of the Lie
I read the DNA report again.
Then a third time.
The words blurred, but one detail remained painfully clear.
Maya's name was printed beneath the heading.
*SUBJECT: MAYA CARTER.*
I looked at Daniel.
"Why would Dad's estate documents contain my daughter's DNA results?""
Daniel rubbed both hands over his face.
"Because Vanessa wanted to use Maya.""
"Use her for what?""
"To prove the family connection.""
I shook my head.
"Vanessa is claiming she's Dad's daughter. Why would she need Maya?""
"Because the original DNA sample from Dad was too old to provide a reliable comparison. The laboratory needed a living relative.""
I stared at him.
"You're saying she tested my daughter?""
"That's what it looks like.""
"Without my permission?""
Daniel didn't answer.
My phone rang again.
Rebecca.
I answered immediately.
"Rebecca, I need you to look at something.""
I photographed the report and sent it to her.
She called back less than a minute later.
"Marcus, don't jump to conclusions. This document appears to be a kinship comparison, not a direct paternity test.""
"Explain.""
"Your daughter could share genetic markers with your father's sample because she's his granddaughter. That doesn't establish Vanessa's identity or prove she's his biological daughter.""
I looked at Daniel.
"So Vanessa has been using Maya's DNA to make her claim look legitimate?""
"Possibly," Rebecca replied.
"But I need the original laboratory records. And I want you to preserve that photocopy.""
I folded the document carefully.
"Can you help us get the original will?""
"Yes. But nobody goes to Vanessa's house. I'll contact the authorities and arrange for the documents to be secured.""
I ended the call.
Daniel was still staring at the floor.
"There's something else," he said.
I was beginning to hate those words.
"What?""
"Emily knew Vanessa had collected Maya's DNA.""
My chest tightened.
"How?""
"She found a strand of Maya's hair missing from her brush. Then she noticed Vanessa had been asking about blood types and family medical history.""
I remembered Emily's notebook.
The questions about medication.
The strange conversations.
The way Vanessa had always seemed interested in details that had nothing to do with being a stepmother.
"Why didn't Emily tell me?""
"She tried.""
Daniel reached into his pocket and removed a small envelope.
"Emily gave me this the week before she died. She told me to keep it until you were ready.""
I took it.
My wife's handwriting covered the front.
*For Marcus. Please read this when you understand why Vanessa wants Maya.*
My hands trembled as I opened it.
Inside was a single page.
Marcus,
I know you think Vanessa is only interested in money. I thought so too. But I discovered something more frightening.
She has been trying to establish a connection between Maya and your father's estate. She told me Maya was special because she carried the Carter bloodline.
I don't know what she intends to do with that information.
I found a copy of a laboratory request bearing Maya's name. The signature authorizing it was yours, but you never signed it.
Someone has been forging your signature.
I stopped reading.
The room seemed to tilt.
Emily continued.
I also found a second document. It suggests Vanessa may not be your father's daughter at all. She may have stolen another woman's identity to make her claim.
If anything happens to me, don't let her near Maya.
At the bottom, Emily had written one final sentence.
I think Vanessa knows what happened to your father. I think Dr. Harris helped her. And I think someone in our family helped them both.
I lowered the letter.
Daniel looked devastated.
"She knew.""
"Yes.""
"And she still tried to protect you.""
I stared at the handwriting.
My wife had been frightened, sick, and increasingly isolated, yet she had spent her final days trying to protect our daughter.
I folded the letter.
"Where is the laboratory that performed the test?""
Daniel looked at the report.
"Northbridge Genetics.""
I called Rebecca.
She told me to wait for the authorities.
For once, I listened.
Within an hour, Officer Bennett arrived with another investigator. They photographed the report, collected the letter, and took statements from both of us.
Then Rebecca arrived with a document examiner.
She examined the signature on the laboratory authorization.
After several minutes, she looked up.
"This is not Marcus's handwriting.""
I felt no surprise.
Only anger.
"Whose is it?""
She placed a second page beside the first.
It was a copy of an authorization form from Emily's medical file.
"The same person appears to have signed both documents.""
I stared at the signatures.
The loops.
The slanted letters.
The strange way the final stroke curved backward.
Vanessa.
Officer Bennett took the papers.
"We'll request the laboratory's original records.""
I looked at Rebecca.
"Can we get the second will?""
She nodded.
"Your mother has already agreed to provide a statement. The police can secure the property and any remaining documents.""
Then Daniel's phone buzzed.
A message appeared.
It was from Vanessa.
*You have one chance to bring Maya to me. If you don't, I'll tell everyone what Emily really did before she died.*
Daniel showed me.
I took a screenshot and sent it to Rebecca.
Then I typed a response.
*You will never get near my daughter again.*
Vanessa replied almost instantly.
*Then ask your mother why she helped me.*
I felt my stomach tighten.
Another message arrived.
*She wasn't protecting you, Marcus. She was protecting herself.*
Before I could respond, my phone rang.
It was Claire.
"Marcus, Maya is asking for you.""
"Is everything okay?""
"She's safe. But she found something in Emily's old jewelry box.""
My heart began racing.
"What?""
Claire lowered her voice.
"A photograph. It's of Emily holding a baby. On the back, she wrote a name and a date.""
"Whose name?""
There was a pause.
Then Claire said:
"Vanessa's.""
I froze.
"That's impossible.""
"I thought so too. But Marcus, there's something else.""
"What?""
"The baby in the photograph isn't Maya.""
I couldn't speak.
Claire continued.
May you like
"It's a photograph of Emily holding Vanessa's newborn daughter.""
And suddenly, the woman who had spent years trying to erase my wife's memory had another connection to our family that none of us had understood.
