Chapter 7: The Little Girl Everyone Wanted
For several seconds, I couldn't hear anything except the recording.
The real daughter of Richard Hayes is the little girl you have been raising.
Ava.
My six-year-old daughter.
The child who had screamed at her mother's funeral.
The child who had carried Danielle's pendant down the aisle.
The child Evelyn had tried to take from my brother's house.
I turned toward Margaret.
“Play it again.””
Her fingers trembled as she pressed the button.
My father's voice filled the hallway once more.
Michael, if you're hearing this, then Evelyn has finally told you the truth. But there is one thing she still doesn't know. The baby she switched wasn't the one she thought. And the real daughter of Richard Hayes is the little girl you have been raising.
The recording stopped.
I looked at Detective Brooks.
“Does this mean Ava isn't my biological daughter?””
He didn't answer immediately.
“Michael, we need to establish exactly what happened at that hospital. Nothing on this recording proves biological parentage.””
I turned toward Margaret.
“You knew?””
She shook her head desperately.
“No. I swear I didn't know about Ava.””
“Then why did Evelyn want to take her?””
Margaret looked toward the basement.
“Because Richard's estate was never transferred properly. He left everything to his biological daughter.””
I frowned.
“Richard Hayes has an estate?””
Margaret nodded.
“A substantial one. His family owns several medical facilities, property investments, and a private healthcare company.””
Detective Brooks interrupted.
“Where is Richard now?””
Margaret looked down.
“Dead.””
“How?””
She hesitated.
“His car went off a bridge six months ago.””
I remembered the photograph.
The doctor standing beside Evelyn outside Danielle's hospital room.
If Richard Hayes was dead, who had signed Danielle's death certificate?
I turned toward the detective.
“Someone is using his identity.””
Brooks nodded slowly.
“That's one possibility.””
Then a sound came from the basement.
A metallic crash.
We all turned.
Evelyn was gone.
The officers rushed downstairs.
“Police! Stop!””
A door slammed.
Detective Brooks ran after them.
I started to follow, but Margaret grabbed my arm.
“Michael, wait!””
I turned.
“What now?””
She looked at me with desperate eyes.
“Evelyn isn't the person you should be afraid of.””
I pulled away.
“You've said that about everyone.””
“Richard is alive.””
I froze.
“What?””
Margaret nodded.
“The man who died in that car was someone else. Evelyn arranged the identification. Richard disappeared because he knew someone was looking for him.””
“Who?””
Margaret looked toward the basement exit.
“Your father.””
Before I could ask another question, an officer shouted.
“Detective! We found something!””
I rushed downstairs.
The records room was empty except for the burning waste bin.
One officer had extinguished the fire.
Another held up a leather folder.
“Sir, you need to see this.””
Inside were several birth records, adoption agreements, and photographs.
But the last document was different.
It was a legal trust agreement.
The beneficiary's name was clearly printed.
*AVA CARTER.*
Beneath it was a handwritten note.
To my granddaughter, when she turns eighteen.
I recognized my father's signature.
But the date was wrong.
He had supposedly signed the document three months after his death.
I looked at Detective Brooks.
“Who prepared this?””
He examined the bottom of the page.
“Richard Hayes.””
Then he noticed another signature.
Evelyn Carter.
And beneath hers, a third name.
Margaret Carter.
My mother.
The three people who had supposedly spent decades hiding the truth had been working together on something much more recent.
“Why would my father leave Ava an inheritance?”” I asked.
Margaret answered quietly.
“Because he knew she would be in danger.””
I turned toward her.
“From Richard?””
“From everyone who wanted control of his fortune.””
I stared at the trust agreement.
“How much?””
Margaret swallowed.
“Your father transferred almost everything he owned into it.””
I looked at the figure.
Nearly forty million dollars.
The room seemed to tilt.
My father had created a fortune for a child who wasn't even born when he died.
“How?””
Margaret's voice cracked.
“He knew Danielle would have a daughter. He made the arrangement before his death.””
I looked up.
“Then he knew what would happen?””
She nodded.
“He suspected it.””
A sudden vibration came from my phone.
An incoming video call.
The number was hidden.
I answered.
A man's face appeared.
Older. Gray hair. Deep lines around his mouth.
I recognized him from the hospital photograph.
Dr. Richard Hayes.
“Hello, Michael,” he said.
My entire body went cold.
Detective Brooks moved beside me.
“Richard Hayes?””
The man smiled.
“Still asking questions, I see.””
I held up the phone.
“You're supposed to be dead.””
“People believe many things when the paperwork is convincing.””
“Where is Evelyn?””
Richard glanced away.
“Your mother-in-law has always been impulsive.””
“Why did you try to kill Danielle?””
His smile disappeared.
“I didn't try to kill her.””
“Then explain the drugs. The false death certificate. The coffin.””
He leaned toward the camera.
“Because Danielle discovered something she wasn't supposed to discover.””
“What?””
Richard looked directly into my eyes.
“Your daughter isn't who you think she is.””
The call ended.
I stared at the black screen.
Then another message arrived.
A photograph.
Ava, sitting in Daniel's living room.
Behind her stood a man wearing a dark coat.
The message contained five words.
*BRING THE TRUST. COME ALONE.*
I immediately called Daniel.
He didn't answer.
I called again.
Nothing.
Then my phone rang.
This time, it was Ava's tablet.
I answered.
“Daddy?””
My heart nearly stopped.
“Baby, where's Uncle Daniel?””
Ava whispered.
“He went outside.””
“Who's with you?””
There was a pause.
Then a man's voice came from behind her.
“Hello, Michael.””
Richard Hayes.
“Your daughter and I are going to have a little conversation.””
Ava began crying.
“Daddy, please come home.””
The call disconnected.
I turned toward Detective Brooks.
“Get every available officer. Now.””
He was already reaching for his radio.
But before we could leave, Margaret grabbed the trust agreement.
“Michael, you cannot give him that money.””
I stared at her.
“My daughter is in his hands.””
Margaret looked at the document.
May you like
Then she whispered:
“That's exactly what he wants.””
