Chapter 14: The Admiral's Final Order
Daniel stepped in front of me.
“William, what have you done?””
The admiral lowered the loudspeaker.
“Something I should have finished twenty-four years ago.””
Oliver clutched the ledger against his chest.
“You told me the program was over.””
“It was.””
“You told me my mother died.””
“She did.””
Oliver shook his head.
“You told me the treatment was designed to save my life.””
“It was.””
“Then why did you hide me?””
William looked at him.
“Because you were valuable.””
The word hung in the cold air.
I felt sick.
Daniel took one step forward.
“You used children.””
William sighed.
“I protected a program that could have saved thousands.””
“You separated my family!””
“I prevented a scandal.””
Daniel's face twisted.
“You destroyed my wife.””
William's expression hardened.
“Your wife was reckless. She wanted to expose a program that was already being used to treat critically ill patients.””
“She was pregnant!””
“And she knew the risks.””
I watched Daniel's hands tighten.
William continued.
“You think I wanted this? You think I enjoyed watching everything collapse?””
I stepped out from behind Daniel.
“You took my childhood.””
William looked at me.
“You were given a good life.””
I laughed in disbelief.
“You paid a woman to raise me, and she made me believe I was unwanted.””
“Denise was compensated for her cooperation.””
“She was my mother.””
William shrugged.
“She was an arrangement.””
The words struck harder than I expected.
An arrangement.
My entire childhood reduced to a transaction.
Oliver stepped forward.
“You told me I was your responsibility.””
William looked at him.
“You were a successful result.””
Oliver's eyes filled.
“I was a child.””
For the first time, William looked away.
Then he raised his hand.
The two men behind him moved closer.
“Give me the ledger,” he ordered.
Oliver shook his head.
“No.””
“Don't make this difficult.””
“You've already made it difficult.””
William looked at Daniel.
“You have one chance. Hand over the documents, and I'll make sure your family is left alone.””
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“You've been saying that for twenty-four years.””
A vehicle suddenly appeared at the far end of the dock.
Its headlights swept across the warehouse.
The admiral turned.
A police vehicle followed.
Then another.
William's expression changed.
“What is this?””
Daniel looked at me.
I held up my phone.
The recording application was still running.
I had started it when William first appeared.
Every word had been captured.
“You should have checked whether the phone was still connected,” I said.
William's face darkened.
The officers approached.
“Rear Admiral William Hayes! Put down the weapon and step away from the documents!””
William looked toward Daniel.
“You have no idea what you've done.””
Daniel didn't move.
“I know exactly what I've done.””
The officers disarmed William and placed him in handcuffs.
One of them approached Oliver.
“Are you injured?””
Oliver shook his head.
He handed over the ledger.
“Make sure this gets to the federal investigators.””
The officer nodded.
William was escorted toward the police vehicle.
As he passed me, he stopped.
“You think this ends with me?””
I looked at him.
“No. I think it begins with you.””
He smiled coldly.
“Your mother knows where the last child is.””
I frowned.
“What last child?””
William was pushed forward.
But he turned his head one final time.
“Ask Denise about the baby she never returned.””
Then he was gone.
Daniel stood motionless.
I turned toward him.
“What did he mean?””
He shook his head.
“I don't know.””
Oliver looked down at the ledger.
“There were seven children in the original program.””
“Yes,” I said.
“Three were the Hayes babies. Three others were transferred through private families. The seventh was never officially placed.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“Who was the seventh?””
Oliver opened the final page.
A name appeared.
*UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE — TRANSFERRED JUNE 19, 2002.*
Underneath it was a handwritten note.
*DESTINATION: DENISE CARTER.*
I stared at the words.
Another baby.
Another child my mother had hidden.
Daniel immediately contacted the investigators.
Meanwhile, Oliver handed me a small envelope.
“I found this inside Whitaker's office.””
My name was written across the front.
I opened it.
Inside was a letter from Denise.
Nia,
If you are reading this, then William has finally lost control of the situation.
I know what you think of me. I know you believe I took you because I wanted money. That is partly true.
I stopped.
Partly?
I continued.
But there was another reason. The night you were born, Evelyn asked me to protect one of her children. Not all three. One.
My hands trembled.
She knew that Richard intended to separate the babies. She gave me a choice. Take Nia and disappear, or allow all three children to be transferred into the program.
I looked at Daniel.
He was reading over my shoulder.
I chose you.
I swallowed.
*I told myself that I could save your siblings later. I told myself the money would help me protect you. But I became afraid.
I became greedy. And when Margaret demanded that I return you, I refused.*
The next paragraph was worse.
The seventh baby was not part of the original transfer. She was Evelyn's niece, born the same night. Her mother died during childbirth. Evelyn asked me to protect her, too.
I looked at Oliver.
“Another daughter?””
He nodded.
The letter continued.
Her name was Rose.
I felt tears gather.
I placed Rose with a family who lived far away. They believed she was an orphan. I kept the truth from everyone because I knew Richard would come looking for her.
The letter ended with an address.
A small town in Maine.
And a final sentence.
If you want to find the last child, look for the girl who wears the silver star.
I looked down at the photograph of the seven children.
The little girl standing beside the boy identified as Benjamin wore a silver star necklace.
The same necklace Margaret Ellis had worn.
I looked at Daniel.
“Rose is alive.””
He nodded.
“Then we'll find her.””
But before we could leave, the admiral's phone rang.
It was the medical center.
He answered.
Listened.
Then his face went pale.
“What happened?”” I asked.
He looked directly at me.
“Evelyn has disappeared.””
Daniel grabbed the phone.
“What do you mean disappeared?””
“She left the medical center forty minutes ago.””
“Was she taken?””
The admiral hesitated.
“No. She signed herself out.””
I couldn't understand.
“Why would she leave?””
The admiral handed Daniel a message that had been sent to his phone.
It was from Evelyn.
*I'm going to find Rose. Do not follow me. I know who raised her.*
Daniel immediately called her.
No answer.
Then my phone rang.
A familiar voice spoke.
“Nia?””
“Mom? Where are you?””
“I need you to listen.””
“Are you safe?””
A pause.
Then Evelyn whispered:
“Rose isn't the only child Denise kept.””
My blood ran cold.
“What do you mean?””
Evelyn began crying.
“There's another secret. One I have never told Daniel.””
I looked toward my father.
His expression changed.
“Evelyn, what is it?””
Her voice broke.
“Daniel, before we had the triplets, I gave birth to another daughter.””
Daniel froze.
“What?””
“She was born in 1999. I was told she died.””
I gripped the phone.
“Who was she?””
Evelyn whispered a name.
“Rose.””
Then she added:
“But the child Denise placed in Maine wasn't Rose.””
The call disconnected.
I stared at my phone.
The seven names in the ledger.
The three missing Hayes children.
The child raised by Richard.
The child hidden by Denise.
And now a daughter whose identity had apparently been switched.
Daniel looked at me.
“Nia, we need to find Evelyn before anyone else does.””
I nodded.
Because I finally understood.
May you like
The last person who knew the complete truth was my mother.
And she was running toward the woman who had spent twenty-four years hiding it.
