Chapter 2: The Woman Who Stole My Sister
For several seconds, I couldn't understand what Elena had said.
The woman who told her I was dead.
I looked at the SUV outside.
Its headlights were still on.
A woman sat behind the steering wheel, staring directly through the store windows.
“Who is she?”” I asked.
Elena's fingers tightened around my wrist.
“Please don't let her take me.””
Something inside my chest broke.
“No one's taking you anywhere.””
The front doors opened.
A woman in an expensive cream-colored coat walked inside. She carried a designer handbag and wore diamond earrings that caught the fluorescent lights.
She looked to be in her late fifties.
Her eyes immediately found Elena.
“There you are.””
Her voice was calm.
Almost affectionate.
“Sweetheart, I've been calling you.””
Elena stepped behind me.
The woman frowned.
“Why are you standing behind that man?””
I shifted slightly, putting myself between them.
“Because she doesn't want to come with you.””
The woman studied my leather vest.
Then my tattoos.
Then the photograph still in my hand.
Her expression changed.
Only for a second.
But I saw it.
She knew exactly who I was.
“Daniel Carter,” she said.
My jaw tightened.
“You know me?””
She gave a small, practiced smile.
“I'm Margaret Hayes. I've been Elena's guardian for twenty-one years.””
I stared at her.
“Guardian?””
“She was a frightened child when I found her. I raised her. Educated her. Gave her a home.””
Elena shook her head.
“You told me my family died.””
Margaret's expression hardened.
“Not now, Elena.””
“You told me I was an orphan.””
“Because you were.””
“No!”” Elena's voice cracked.
“You told me my brother died in a motorcycle accident. You said he never wanted to see me.””
Margaret glanced at me.
“I don't know what this man has told you, but you're confused.””
I pulled the photograph higher.
“Look at this picture.””
Margaret didn't need to look.
She already knew what it showed.
I took another step forward.
“You knew who I was the second you walked in.””
Her lips tightened.
“Daniel, I suggest you lower your voice.””
“Twenty-one years. I've spent twenty-one years looking for my sister.””
“And I've spent twenty-one years taking care of a child who needed stability.””
“You told her I was dead.””
“I told her what was necessary.””
Elena made a small sound behind me.
“What does that mean?””
Margaret turned toward her.
“Sweetheart, remember what we discussed? You have a tendency to become emotionally overwhelmed.””
“I remember you telling me not to ask questions.””
“You were a child.””
“I remember asking about my mother. You said she abandoned me.””
Margaret sighed.
“Because she did.””
I felt my hands curl into fists.
“Don't talk about our mother.””
Margaret's eyes narrowed.
“Your mother was an unstable woman. She couldn't keep her children safe.””
The words hit me like a punch.
“Our mother searched for Lily until the day she died.””
For the first time, Margaret looked uncomfortable.
“I'm sorry for your loss.””
“Don't.””
“Daniel, you have no idea what happened.””
“Then explain it.””
She looked toward the cashier, who had been quietly reaching for the store phone.
“There's no reason to involve the police.””
That caught my attention.
I hadn't mentioned the police.
“Why not?”” I asked.
Margaret straightened her coat.
“Because this is a private family matter.””
Elena stepped out from behind me.
“No. It isn't.””
Margaret looked genuinely offended.
“Elena, get your coat.””
“No.””
“Don't make a scene.””
“I want to know who I am.””
Margaret's voice dropped.
“You are Elena Hayes. You have a home, a job, and a life. Everything you have is because of me.””
Elena's eyes filled.
“Then why did you hide my name?””
Silence.
Margaret looked at me again.
“You should leave. I will handle this.””
I laughed once, without humor.
“You've handled enough.””
The cashier approached us.
“Sir, I've called the police.””
Margaret's expression changed instantly.
“You had no right.””
The cashier lifted her chin.
“He asked for help. And she looks terrified.””
Margaret turned to Elena.
“Come with me now, or you'll regret embarrassing me.””
Elena didn't move.
“I'm not going anywhere.””
Margaret reached for her arm.
I caught her wrist before she could touch my sister.
“Don't.””
Her eyes flashed.
“Take your hand off me.””
“Take yours off my sister.””
She pulled free and stepped backward.
“You have no idea what you're getting involved in.””
“I've been involved since the day she disappeared.””
A few minutes later, two police officers entered the store.
Margaret immediately began explaining.
She described me as an aggressive stranger who had approached her daughter, made false claims, and frightened everyone.
But Elena interrupted her.
“My name is Lily Carter.””
One officer looked at her.
“Ma'am, do you have identification?””
Elena nodded.
“It's in my bag.””
Margaret immediately said, “Her identification says Elena Hayes. That's the legal name I've given her.””
The officer glanced between them.
“Ms. Hayes, are you asking us to remove this man?””
Elena shook her head.
“No. I'm asking you to help me find out why this woman lied about my family.””
The officers separated us and began taking statements.
I showed them the photograph.
Elena showed them the pendant.
Margaret showed them a folder of documents from her handbag.
Everything looked official.
Adoption papers. School records. Medical documents.
But when one officer asked where the original records came from, Margaret hesitated.
“That's a complicated matter.””
The officer wrote something down.
“Then we'll need to examine them.””
Margaret's face tightened.
“Absolutely not.””
“Ma'am, if you're claiming legal guardianship, we'll need to verify the paperwork.””
Elena turned toward me.
“Daniel, I need to tell you something.””
I moved closer.
“What is it?””
“When I was little, Margaret used to take me to a woman who lived in a white house. She would ask me questions about a carousel.””
My stomach dropped.
“What kind of questions?””
Elena swallowed.
“She wanted to know whether I remembered a boy standing beside me.””
I couldn't speak.
“She showed me pictures sometimes. Pictures of a little girl with two braids.””
I looked at the photograph in my hand.
“Did you recognize her?””
Elena nodded.
“But whenever I said I did, Margaret would get angry.””
The officer approached us again.
“Ms. Hayes, one more thing. Do you recognize this signature?””
He showed Elena a document.
She looked at it for several seconds.
Then she pointed to the bottom.
“That's not my handwriting.””
The officer frowned.
“You signed this adoption consent?””
“I was eight years old.””
He looked up.
“Exactly.””
Margaret suddenly stood.
“This conversation is over.””
The second officer stepped toward her.
“Ma'am, please sit down.””
Margaret's face had gone pale.
I thought the truth was finally beginning to come out.
Then Elena looked at the paperwork again.
Her finger stopped at a name printed near the bottom.
She began trembling.
“Daniel?””
“What?””
She turned the document toward me.
“Do you know this name?””
I stared at it.
The name belonged to the woman who had been with our mother at the festival.
Our mother's closest friend.
May you like
The woman who had held Lily's hand while I bought lemonade.
*Margaret Hayes hadn't simply found my sister. She had been there the day Lily disappeared.*
