Chapter 7: The Dead Man on Vanessa's Phone
Nobody moved.
Vanessa stared at her phone as it continued vibrating against the table.
*THOMAS HALE.*
The name belonged to the hospital administrator who had supposedly died the previous year.
Daniel looked at his wife.
“Answer it.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“What if it's someone pretending to be him?””
“Then we'll find out.””
Richard stepped forward.
“Don't answer that call.””
Everyone turned toward him.
Eleanor narrowed her eyes.
“Why not?””
Richard's expression was rigid.
“Because whoever is calling has already caused enough damage.””
Vanessa looked at him.
“That's a strange thing to say about a dead man.””
The phone stopped ringing.
A second later, a message appeared.
We need to talk. I have the original recording from November 18. You have ten minutes to answer.
Vanessa read it aloud.
Daniel immediately reached for his phone.
“Call him back.””
Richard grabbed his son's wrist.
“Don't.””
Daniel looked at his father.
“Get your hands off me.””
Richard released him.
For a moment, father and son stared at each other.
Then Daniel turned toward Vanessa.
“Call him.””
She pressed the number.
The phone rang twice.
A man's voice answered.
“Mrs. Carter?””
Vanessa swallowed.
“Who is this?””
“Thomas Hale.””
“You're supposed to be dead.””
A dry laugh came through the speaker.
“Apparently, that's what the Carter family wanted everyone to believe.””
Richard closed his eyes.
Daniel stepped closer.
“Thomas, this is Daniel Carter.””
There was a pause.
“Mr. Carter. I've been expecting your call.””
“Are you alive?””
“Very much so.””
“Why did you disappear?””
“Because your father paid me to disappear.””
Richard slammed his cane against the floor.
“That's enough!””
Thomas continued speaking.
“Mr. Carter, I have evidence concerning your sons' birth records. I also have evidence that your father and aunt attempted to remove the children from the maternity ward shortly after delivery.””
Eleanor made a strangled sound.
I gripped the back of a chair.
“Did they try to take my babies?””
Thomas paused.
“Yes, Mrs. Carter.””
My knees weakened.
Daniel immediately moved toward me.
I raised a hand.
“Don't.””
He stopped.
I turned back toward the phone.
“Why?””
Thomas sighed.
“Because they wanted to place the children under the control of the Carter family trust. Your husband was going through a divorce, and his father believed he could arrange custody through a private legal agreement.””
I stared at Richard.
“You wanted to take my children?””
Richard's jaw tightened.
“That's not what happened.””
Thomas's voice came through again.
“I have the original security recording. It shows Mr. Carter and Mrs.
Carter entering the maternity ward. They were accompanied by a hospital administrator.””
Daniel's face went pale.
“Who?””
“Dr. Alan Mercer.””
Vanessa frowned.
“Wasn't he the medical director?””
“Yes,” Thomas replied.
“He was.””
Richard stepped toward the phone.
“Thomas, whatever you think you have, you need to understand that the agreement was confidential.””
“Confidential?”” Thomas laughed bitterly.
“You told me to falsify medical records. You told me to classify two living babies as stillborn. And when I refused to destroy the original footage, you threatened my family.””
Eleanor sat down heavily.
“Oh, Richard.””
He looked at her.
“Don't believe everything you hear.””
But his voice had lost its authority.
Thomas continued.
“I have spent five years carrying this around. I have a daughter, Mr. Carter.
She was a newborn when you made those threats. I couldn't risk her life.””
I swallowed.
“Where are you now?””
“An office in Providence. I can meet you tomorrow morning.””
Richard shook his head.
“No.””
I looked at him.
“You don't get to decide that.””
Thomas gave me an address.
Then he added one final sentence.
“Mrs. Carter, there's something else. The hospital recording doesn't just show your former father-in-law entering the maternity ward.””
“What else does it show?””
A pause.
“It shows someone carrying a baby out.””
The room went silent.
Daniel grabbed the edge of the table.
“Which baby?””
Thomas answered quietly.
“That's what you need to see for yourself.””
The call ended.
The following morning, I left the twins with Olivia.
She had insisted on keeping them at her house until the situation was resolved.
“You don't need to expose them to this,” she told me.
I kissed both boys before leaving.
Ethan held my face between his small hands.
“Mommy, are you going to see the rude man?””
I smiled faintly.
“I have to talk to some people, sweetheart.””
“Will you come back?””
“Always.””
Noah wrapped his arms around my waist.
“Bring us chocolate.””
I laughed.
“Deal.””
Daniel was waiting outside when I arrived.
He looked exhausted.
His shirt was wrinkled, and there were dark circles beneath his eyes.
“Did you sleep?”” he asked.
“Not much.””
“Neither did I.””
I opened the passenger door.
“Let's go.””
He hesitated.
“Nia?””
“What?””
“I know I have no right to ask this, but... thank you for coming.””
I looked at him.
“I'm not doing this for you.””
“I know.””
“I'm doing it for my sons.””
He nodded.
We drove to Providence without speaking.
Thomas Hale's office was on the second floor of an old commercial building.
A faded sign outside read:
*Hale Medical Records Consulting.*
He was waiting behind a desk when we arrived.
He looked to be in his late sixties, with silver hair and a thin scar near his left eyebrow.
When he saw me, he stood immediately.
“Mrs. Carter.””
I didn't sit.
“Show me the recording.””
Thomas studied my face.
“I understand.””
He opened a drawer and removed a small external drive.
“I kept copies of the original hospital security footage, the maternity ward incident report, and several internal communications.””
Daniel leaned forward.
“Why didn't you report this?””
Thomas looked at him.
“I tried.””
He opened another folder.
“Five years ago, I contacted the hospital's legal department. Two days later, my office was searched. My home was visited by men who claimed to be investigators. They told me I could lose my license and my daughter could be placed under investigation for a financial matter she had nothing to do with.””
Daniel frowned.
“My father did that?””
Thomas nodded.
“Your father had influence. A great deal of it.””
He connected the drive to his computer.
The footage appeared on the screen.
A hospital corridor.
The timestamp read November 18, 2:37 a.m.
A nurse pushed a cart past the maternity ward.
Then Richard entered the frame.
Margaret followed.
A third person appeared behind them.
Dr. Alan Mercer.
Thomas paused the recording.
“Watch carefully.””
He resumed it.
Richard spoke to the nurse at the station.
Margaret handed her a document.
The nurse shook her head.
Richard leaned forward and pointed toward the nursery.
The nurse stepped backward.
Then Dr. Mercer entered the nursery.
A minute later, he emerged carrying a small bundle.
I pressed a hand against my mouth.
“No.””
Daniel stood abruptly.
“What is he doing?””
Thomas paused the footage.
“The camera angle doesn't show the baby's face.””
“Where is he taking the baby?”” I whispered.
Thomas switched to another camera.
The corridor outside the maternity ward.
Dr. Mercer walked toward a private elevator.
Richard followed him.
Margaret remained behind.
Then another person entered the frame.
A woman in a dark coat.
She approached the nurse's station and handed over an envelope.
The nurse looked inside.
Then she pointed toward the nursery.
Thomas froze the image.
“Do you recognize her?””
I leaned closer.
My heart began pounding.
The woman turned slightly toward the camera.
I knew that face.
I had seen it at my wedding.
At my baby shower.
At my hospital bedside.
May you like
It was Olivia.
My sister.
