Chapter 4: The Son They Told Me Was Dead
I had spent four years believing I had lost my wife.
Now I was being told I had lost a son I never knew was alive.
And the two people who had stood beside me through the worst years of my life knew the truth.
“Daddy, is Mommy coming home?””
Ava was still holding the phone when I turned toward her.
Her little face was wet with tears. The wedding ribbon around her wrist had come loose, and her white flower-girl dress was wrinkled from sitting on the bed.
I knelt in front of her.
“I think we're going to find her, sweetheart.””
“What about my brother?””
I froze.
“Who told you about a brother?””
“Mommy.””
Ava looked down at the phone.
“She said I had a baby brother. She said his name was Ethan.””
I couldn't breathe.
Danielle had miscarried four years before she disappeared. I remembered the hospital room, the doctor's careful words, and the tiny white blanket the nurse had placed beside her bed.
I remembered Danielle crying into my chest.
I remembered promising we'd try again when she was ready.
But I had never seen a birth certificate. Never received a death certificate. Never attended a burial.
I'd trusted Daniel when he told me he'd handled the hospital paperwork because I couldn't bear to look at it.
Ava touched my cheek.
“Daddy, why are you crying?””
I pulled her into my arms.
“Because I should have asked more questions.””
Downstairs, Robert was speaking into his radio.
I hurried toward him.
“Find the number that called Ava.””
He shook his head.
“It's been routed through several services. We're working on it.””
“Then find the phone's location.””
“Marcus, listen to me. We have two suspects, a concealed room, and evidence of a possible kidnapping. I need you to stay here.””
“My wife just told me our son is alive.””
Robert looked at me.
“Did she give you a location?””
“No. She said not to trust Vanessa or Daniel.””
Robert glanced toward the living room.
Daniel was sitting between two officers, his hands cuffed in front of him. Vanessa stood near the window, staring at the wedding decorations outside.
Robert lowered his voice.
“Your brother is claiming the documents are fabricated. He says the room belonged to Danielle, but he hasn't admitted holding her there.””
“Then question him.””
“I will. But I want you to see something first.””
He led me into the study.
A laptop sat open on my desk.
Robert had recovered it from the blue box beneath the pool.
“There are files here,” he said.
“Most are encrypted. But one folder was recently accessed.””
He clicked it.
A series of photographs appeared.
The first showed Danielle entering a hospital.
The second showed Daniel standing outside a maternity ward.
The third showed Vanessa holding a newborn.
I stared at the screen.
“That's Ethan?””
Robert enlarged the image.
The baby had a small birthmark beneath his left ear.
I had the same birthmark.
My father had it.
And so did Ava.
My legs weakened.
“Where was this taken?””
Robert examined the file details.
“St. Mary's Medical Center.””
I remembered the hospital.
It was the same place where Danielle had supposedly lost our child.
“Who took these?””
“The photographer's identity isn't clear yet. But there's a document attached.””
He opened it.
It was an adoption authorization.
The biological mother's name was Danielle Cole.
The child was listed as Ethan Cole.
The adoptive parents' names had been removed.
But the signature at the bottom was unmistakable.
Daniel Cole.
My brother had signed a document surrendering my son.
I gripped the desk.
“He sold my child?””
Robert didn't answer.
I scrolled through the remaining files.
One document contained a payment record.
A private medical foundation had transferred $250,000 to a company registered in Vanessa's name.
The date was four days after Ethan's birth.
I turned toward her.
“Vanessa!””
She appeared in the doorway.
Her eyes immediately went to the screen.
Then she covered her mouth.
“You knew.””
She shook her head.
“I didn't know about the adoption.””
“Your company received the money.””
“Daniel told me it was an investment.””
“An investment in what? My son?””
She began crying.
“I didn't know he was yours.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
Daniel suddenly laughed from the living room.
“Don't believe a word she says, Marcus.””
Robert stepped outside the study.
“Keep quiet.””
Daniel ignored him.
“Vanessa knew everything. She was the one who arranged the paperwork.””
Vanessa turned toward him.
“You promised me he was going to tell Marcus the truth!””
Daniel's expression changed.
Robert noticed.
“Tell us what truth?””
Neither answered.
I stepped between them.
“Where is my son?””
Vanessa looked at me.
For the first time, she seemed less frightened of Daniel than of what she was about to say.
“Ethan was placed with a family in another state,” she whispered.
“Daniel said they couldn't have children. He promised they would give him a good life.””
“Who?””
“I don't know.””
“You signed the payment documents!””
“I never met them!””
Daniel shook his head.
“She's lying.””
Robert ordered the officers to separate them.
Then he received a call.
His expression tightened.
“What do you mean the room is empty?””
I looked up.
He listened for several seconds.
Then he turned toward me.
“The hidden room has another exit.””
My blood ran cold.
“What?””
“The maintenance tunnel connects to the old drainage system. Someone used it recently.””
I remembered Danielle's voice.
Don't come to the house. They know I'm calling you.
I grabbed my keys.
Robert caught my arm.
“Marcus, wait.””
“She's nearby.””
“You don't know that.””
“She called from somewhere close enough to know what's happening here.””
Robert looked at the officers.
“Search the perimeter. Nobody leaves this property.””
Then he turned toward Daniel.
“Where does the tunnel lead?””
Daniel smiled.
“Ask your wife.””
I looked at Vanessa.
She was staring at the floor.
Then she whispered four words.
“Behind the old greenhouse.””
And suddenly, I remembered something.
May you like
Our greenhouse had been locked for four years.
Because Daniel had told me the structure was unsafe.
