Chapter 10: The Father Who Was Never Supposed to Exist
Rachel looked as if someone had pulled the floor out from beneath her.
Detective Harris noticed.
“Mrs. Cole, do you recognize the woman who just called your brother?””
Rachel shook her head.
“No.””
I stared at her.
“You're lying.””
“Marcus, please.””
“Elena just told me not to believe you. Why?””
Rachel began crying.
Harris moved toward her.
“I'm going to ask you one more time. Do you know who the father is?””
Rachel covered her mouth.
Then she whispered, “Yes.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“Who?””
She looked at me.
“Your father.””
For a moment, I couldn't understand the words.
“My father is dead.””
Rachel shook her head.
“That's what you were told.””
I took a step backward.
My father, Robert Cole, had supposedly died in a car accident when I was sixteen. My mother had raised me and Rachel alone after that.
There had been a funeral.
A closed casket.
A death certificate.
I remembered standing beside my mother while she cried into a black handkerchief.
I remembered the empty chair at my graduation.
I remembered promising myself that if I ever had children, I would never leave them wondering whether they were loved.
And now Rachel was telling me he might still be alive.
“Explain,” I said.
Rachel wiped her face.
“After Dad's accident, Mom discovered he hadn't died.””
I stared.
“What?””
“He had disappeared. He was involved with people who were doing things she couldn't explain. She received threats. Someone told her that if she reported him alive, we would be taken away.””
I shook my head.
“You're saying Mom lied to us?””
“She was trying to protect us.””
“From our own father?””
Rachel nodded.
I looked toward Detective Harris.
“Can you verify this?””
“We'll need the original records, but we can investigate.””
Rachel continued.
“Years later, I found letters in Mom's house. Dad was still communicating with people. He had been using another name.””
“What name?””
She hesitated.
“Richard Hayes.””
The detective immediately pulled out his notebook.
“Dr. Richard Hayes?””
Rachel nodded.
I felt sick.
The hospital administrator.
The man who had supposedly arranged the infant switch.
The man who had been listed as retired.
My father.
I sat down heavily.
“Why did Elena know?””
Rachel looked at me.
“Because she discovered his identity while investigating the hospital records.””
“And you knew?””
“I found out shortly before she disappeared.””
“Then why didn't you tell me?””
Rachel's voice broke.
“Because Mom made me promise.””
I laughed bitterly.
“Everyone in this family seems to have made promises that required lying to me.””
Rachel lowered her head.
Detective Harris stood.
“Mrs. Cole, did your father have any contact with you recently?””
Rachel hesitated.
Then she nodded.
“When?””
“About six months ago.””
“Where?””
“At a restaurant.””
I stared at her.
“You met him?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“He wanted to know whether Elena had contacted me.””
“And what did you tell him?””
“That I hadn't heard from her.””
“Was that true?””
Rachel looked at me.
“No.””
I stood.
“Rachel!””
She began sobbing.
“He told me he would hurt Sofia if I helped Elena.””
The detective immediately interrupted.
“Did he threaten the child directly?””
Rachel nodded.
“He said Sofia was the last piece of something he had spent years building.””
I looked toward the staircase.
My daughter.
Seven years old.
A little girl who still believed monsters lived beneath her bed.
And the person threatening her might be her own grandfather.
Harris instructed the officers to secure the house and begin tracing Dr. Hayes.
Then he received a call.
He listened silently.
“What do you mean the address is empty?””
A pause.
“Check the surrounding properties.””
He ended the call.
I stood.
“What happened?””
“Officers went to Dr. Hayes's last known residence. Nobody was there.””
“Did he leave?””
“According to the neighbors, a man matching his description moved out two days ago.””
I looked at Rachel.
“Where would he go?””
She shook her head.
Then she whispered, “There's a place.””
“What place?””
“An old house outside town. Dad used to take us there when we were children.””
“Where?””
“Near Lakewood.””
Harris immediately contacted his team.
“Get the address.””
Rachel gave it to him.
While the officers prepared to leave, I went upstairs to check on Sofia.
She was sitting on the floor, arranging her colored pencils.
“Daddy!””
I knelt.
“Hey, sweetheart.””
“Are we going to see Mommy?””
I held her hands.
“I hope so.””
She looked at me carefully.
“Did you find out who the bad man is?””
I hesitated.
“Maybe.””
“Is he coming here?””
“No one is going to hurt you.””
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the silver star necklace.
“Mommy said I should give this to Lily.””
I looked at it.
“Do you remember what Lily looks like?””
Sofia shook her head.
“No. But Mommy said she has the same eyes as me.””
I kissed her forehead.
“Then we'll find her.””
A few minutes later, Detective Harris called me downstairs.
“We're going to Lakewood.””
“I'm coming.””
He shook his head.
“It's not safe.””
“My daughter is involved. My wife is missing. My father may be alive. I'm not sitting here.””
He studied me.
Then he nodded.
“But you stay behind the officers. No heroics.””
We drove in two vehicles.
The road toward Lakewood was narrow, surrounded by thick trees and abandoned properties.
Rachel sat beside me in the second vehicle.
She hadn't spoken since we left.
Finally, I asked, “Did Dad ever contact Elena directly?””
She nodded.
“Once.””
“When?””
“Three days before she disappeared.””
“What did he say?””
Rachel looked out the window.
“He told her that if she wanted Sofia to grow up safely, she needed to stop asking questions.””
My hands tightened around the steering wheel.
“And she refused?””
Rachel nodded.
“She told him he would have to kill her first.””
We reached the property shortly after sunset.
The house stood behind a rusted iron gate.
Its windows were dark.
Detective Harris ordered the officers to surround it.
I waited beside the vehicles.
Then a loud crash came from inside.
An officer shouted.
“Police! Come out with your hands visible!””
A second later, someone appeared at the back door.
An older man.
Gray hair.
Glasses.
He looked directly at me.
Even after all those years, I recognized his face.
My father.
Robert Cole.
He smiled faintly.
“Marcus,” he called.
My legs felt weak.
“You're alive.””
He adjusted his glasses.
“Of course I am.””
“Why?””
His smile disappeared.
“Because some men are willing to do terrible things to protect what belongs to them.””
Detective Harris stepped forward.
“Richard Hayes, you're under arrest.””
My father laughed.
Then he looked at me.
“You've made one mistake, son.””
“What?””
He glanced toward the house.
“You think Elena disappeared because of Sofia.””
He paused.
“She disappeared because she found out what happened to your mother.””
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And before the officers could take him inside, he shouted one final sentence.
“Your mother didn't die either!””
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