Chapter 12: The Woman Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
I stared at Thomas.
“That's impossible.””
He shook his head.
“I know what I saw.””
“Elizabeth Ward was listed as the driver?””
“Yes.””
“But Vanessa admitted she was driving.””
Thomas nodded.
“Because Elizabeth wasn't supposed to exist anymore.””
Officer Grant stepped closer.
“Explain that.””
Thomas looked at him, then at me.
“Daniel had arranged for Elizabeth to take responsibility for the accident. She was supposed to disappear afterward.””
I felt my stomach turn.
“Why would someone take responsibility for an accident they didn't cause?””
“Money. A new identity. Protection.””
“Protection from whom?””
Thomas looked at the photograph.
“From Laura.””
I took a breath.
“Tell me everything.””
Thomas rubbed his hands together.
“Elizabeth was a nurse at the private clinic Daniel operated. She helped with the transfer of Ethan. She was also the person who handled the false adoption records.””
“Why?””
“Because Daniel needed someone who could make the paperwork look legitimate.””
I stared at him.
“And Catherine Hayes?””
“Catherine was a real woman. She and her husband were supposed to adopt Ethan. But Daniel changed the paperwork before the placement was finalized.””
“Where did Ethan actually go?””
Thomas hesitated.
“Elizabeth took him.””
I felt my chest tighten.
“Then who raised him?””
Thomas looked down.
“Elizabeth.””
I thought about the photograph.
The boy standing outside the school.
The familiar eyes.
The scar.
I remembered Ethan telling me Vanessa was the person he feared.
Now I understood why.
Vanessa had known where he was.
She had helped arrange his disappearance.
And she had spent years pretending she had no idea.
Officer Grant spoke into his radio.
He requested a search for Elizabeth Ward and asked dispatch to verify whether she was still alive.
Thomas continued.
“There's another thing you need to know.””
I turned toward him.
“What?””
“The child in the back seat that night wasn't Brielle.””
“Then who was she?””
Thomas looked directly at me.
“Elizabeth's daughter.””
I frowned.
“Elizabeth had a daughter?””
“Yes. A little girl named Sophie.””
I felt a chill.
“Why was she there?””
“Because Elizabeth was supposed to take Ethan. She brought her daughter so she could leave immediately after the accident.””
“Leave where?””
“Out of state.””
I looked at Officer Grant.
“Can you verify this?””
He nodded.
“We'll investigate.””
Thomas reached into his jacket and removed a small key.
“This opens a storage unit.””
I took it.
“Where?””
“On the outskirts of Richmond. Daniel rented it under Elizabeth's name.””
“What is inside?””
Thomas's eyes filled.
“Everything Laura collected before she died.””
I stared at him.
“Why didn't you give it to the police?””
“Because I was afraid Daniel would find out.””
Officer Grant took the key.
“We'll arrange a search.””
I looked at Thomas.
“Did Laura survive the crash?””
He lowered his head.
“I saw her moving when Daniel arrived.””
I closed my eyes.
“Then what happened?””
Thomas's voice cracked.
“Daniel and Vanessa carried her into the second vehicle. I never saw her again.””
The world seemed to stop.
“Are you telling me my wife may have been alive?””
“I believe she was.””
I gripped the hospital railing.
Nine years.
Nine years of believing she was dead.
Nine years of raising Maya alone.
Nine years of mourning a woman who might have been taken somewhere against her will.
I turned toward Officer Grant.
“We need to find Vanessa.””
He nodded.
“We're already looking.””
My phone rang.
It was Maya's school.
I answered immediately.
“Hello?””
“Mr. Carter, this is the principal. Maya isn't feeling well.””
I stood.
“What happened?””
“She became upset during class and asked to go home.””
“Is she safe?””
“Yes. She's in the counselor's office.””
“I'll be there in ten minutes.””
I thanked him and ended the call.
Officer Grant offered to send an officer with me.
We arrived at the school shortly afterward.
Maya was sitting on the counselor's sofa, holding her stuffed rabbit.
The moment she saw me, she ran into my arms.
“Daddy!””
I lifted her.
“What happened?””
She buried her face against my shoulder.
“Someone came to the classroom.””
I looked at Rachel.
“Who?””
“A woman,” Maya whispered.
“What woman?””
“She said she knew my mommy.””
My heart began pounding.
“Did she tell you her name?””
Maya nodded.
“She said her name was Elizabeth.””
I looked at Rachel.
“Did you see her?””
Rachel nodded.
“She came to the reception desk asking to collect Maya. She claimed to be a relative.””
“Did you let her?””
“No. She couldn't provide the required authorization.””
I held Maya tighter.
“Did she say anything else?””
Maya nodded.
“She gave me this.””
She opened her small hand.
Inside was a photograph.
It showed Laura standing in front of a house, holding a little boy.
On the back was a handwritten message.
*Your mother is not where your father thinks she is.*
I stared at the words.
Then I turned the photograph over.
There was a date.
Nine months after Laura's supposed death.
I felt my knees weaken.
“Rachel, can you watch Maya for a moment?””
She nodded.
I stepped into the hallway and called Officer Grant.
He answered immediately.
“Michael?””
“Elizabeth Ward just approached Maya's school.””
His voice sharpened.
“Where is she?””
“She left before we arrived.””
“Did she make any threats?””
I looked at the photograph.
“Not directly.””
I read him the message.
There was a long silence.
Then he said, “Michael, don't go anywhere alone. We're coming back.””
I returned to the counselor's office.
Maya was drawing again.
This time, she had drawn four people.
Me.
Herself.
Brielle.
And a little boy.
“Is that Ethan?”” I asked.
She nodded.
“I'm trying to make our family picture.””
I sat beside her.
“That's a beautiful idea.””
She looked at the photograph in my hand.
“Daddy, is Mommy alive?””
I couldn't answer.
I didn't want to lie.
But I couldn't give her hope without knowing the truth.
“I don't know, sweetheart.””
She looked down.
“I miss her.””
I pulled her close.
“So do I.””
Then my phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph of a woman sitting beside a hospital window.
She looked older.
Her hair was shorter.
There was a scar near her temple.
But I recognized her immediately.
Laura.
My wife.
Alive.
The message beneath the photograph contained only one sentence.
*If you want to see her again, come to the old Mercer house tonight. Bring no police.*
I stared at the screen.
Then another message arrived.
*And Michael, don't tell Vanessa. She thinks Laura is dead.*
I looked at the photograph again.
Laura was holding something in her hand.
A hospital bracelet.
I zoomed in.
The name was barely visible.
But I could read it.
*SOPHIE WARD.*
The little girl Thomas had seen in the back seat nine years earlier.
The girl who had supposedly disappeared with Elizabeth.
And suddenly, I understood the terrible possibility.
Laura might have survived the crash.
But if she had, she hadn't been alone.
Someone had been keeping her hidden.
Someone who knew about the three babies.
Someone who had watched my family fall apart and done nothing.
I looked at Maya.
“Daddy?””
“Yes, sweetheart?””
“Are we going to find Mommy?””
I kissed her forehead.
“Yes.””
Then I called Officer Grant.
I didn't tell him I was going alone.
I sent him the photograph, the message, and the address.
Because I had spent nine years believing that losing Laura was the worst thing that could ever happen to me.
May you like
Now I was beginning to understand that someone had deliberately taken my family apart.
And tonight, I was going to discover who had been holding the pieces.
