Chapter 6: The Doctor Who Signed the Lie
The office door opened three inches.
Principal Harris moved between Maya and the doorway.
“Dr. Reed, you need to step away from this office.””
The man outside didn't move.
He was in his late seventies, with a silver head of hair, a brown leather briefcase, and a dark suit that looked too formal for a school graduation. His eyes moved from Principal Harris to Maya, then settled on the silver locket at her throat.
His face changed.
“Good Lord,” he whispered.
Maya gripped the edge of the desk.
“You're Samuel Reed?””
The doctor nodded.
“Yes.””
“Did you deliver me?””
He looked at Principal Harris.
“May we speak privately?””
“No,” Maya said.
“You may speak where I can hear you.””
Dr. Reed lowered his briefcase.
“You have Elena's eyes.””
“Everyone keeps saying that as if it explains something.””
“It explains more than you realize.””
Principal Harris stepped closer to the door.
“You have no right to approach her.””
“I'm aware.””
“Then leave.””
“I can't.””
Her expression hardened.
“Why?””
Dr. Reed looked directly at Maya.
“Because I received a message this morning telling me that you had found the locket.””
Maya's stomach tightened.
“Who sent it?””
“I don't know.””
“What did it say?””
He reached into his jacket and produced a folded piece of paper.
Principal Harris snatched it before he could hand it to Maya.
She read the message silently.
Her fingers began to shake.
“What is it?”” Maya demanded.
The principal passed her the paper.
One sentence was printed across it in black ink.
*THE GIRL HAS THE LOCKET. FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED.*
Maya stared at the words.
Dr. Reed opened his briefcase and removed a thick manila envelope.
“I've carried these records for twelve years,” he said.
“I should have handed them to the police a long time ago.””
Principal Harris's voice turned cold.
“Then why didn't you?””
“Because I was afraid.””
“Of what?””
Dr. Reed looked at the window, then back at Maya.
“Of the people who controlled the records. The people who could make a child disappear on paper and convince an entire institution she had never existed.””
Maya felt her knees weaken.
“Are you saying someone erased me?””
“Not exactly.””
“Then explain it.””
The doctor placed the envelope on the desk.
“Your birth record was altered after you were delivered. The hospital registered you under one name, then replaced the record with another. Someone also removed the documentation for your twin.””
Principal Harris covered her mouth.
Maya looked at the envelope.
“Who was my twin?””
“I don't know.””
“Was it a boy or a girl?””
“A girl.””
The answer came so quickly that Maya stared at him.
“You know that?””
“I delivered both infants.””
Principal Harris sank into her chair.
“You told me the second baby died.””
Dr. Reed's shoulders sagged.
“I was instructed to tell you that.””
“By whom?””
He looked at Maya.
“Your mother's husband.””
Maya blinked.
“My mother wasn't married.””
Dr. Reed slowly shook his head.
“Not according to the records you were given.””
Principal Harris stood.
“Elena never married.””
“I was present when she signed the marriage paperwork.””
“That is impossible.””
“No,” he said quietly.
“It was concealed.””
Maya stepped between them.
“Stop talking around me! Who was my father?””
Neither answered.
She slapped her palm against the desk.
“Who was he?””
Dr. Reed opened the envelope.
Inside were photocopies of medical records, a hospital wristband, and a photograph of two newborn infants lying side by side in a clear hospital bassinet.
Maya picked up the photograph.
Both babies wore identical white caps.
One had a tiny silver bracelet around her wrist.
The other wore a plain hospital band.
On the back, someone had written two names.
*MAYA ELENA HARRIS.*
*MARA ELENA HARRIS.*
Maya's vision blurred.
“Mara.””
She said the name like a prayer.
Principal Harris leaned over her shoulder.
“I never knew her name.””
Dr. Reed nodded.
“Your mother named both of you.””
“Where is she?””
“I don't know.””
“Did she die?””
“I don't know.””
“Then what do you know?””
The doctor's eyes filled with tears.
“I know that I signed a death certificate for a baby who was alive when I last saw her.””
Principal Harris grabbed the desk.
“You did what?””
Dr. Reed didn't look away.
“I was threatened. I was told that if I didn't cooperate, both girls would be taken, and Elena would be charged with kidnapping her own children.””
Maya stared at him in horror.
“You signed a lie that made everyone believe my sister was dead?””
“Yes.””
“And my mother?””
He swallowed.
“Your mother discovered the altered records. She came to me, demanding the truth. I told her everything I knew.””
“What happened next?””
“She disappeared two days later.””
Maya felt the room spin.
“Did you call the police?””
“I tried. Someone intercepted the complaint. My medical license was threatened, and my family received warnings.””
Principal Harris struck the desk with her palm.
“And you simply stayed silent?””
Dr. Reed flinched.
“Yes.””
The admission was ugly, unpolished, and impossible to excuse.
“I have regretted it every day since.””
Maya looked at the photograph again.
Two babies.
Two names.
One erased from history.
“What does the locket have to do with this?”” she asked.
Dr. Reed leaned forward.
“Your mother came to the hospital wearing that locket. After the delivery, she told me it contained something important. She said it was the only proof that could identify the person who arranged the falsification.””
Maya lifted the chain.
“There's nothing inside it except a tiny photograph.””
“May I see it?””
Maya hesitated, then opened the locket.
Inside was a faded picture of Elena holding a newborn against her chest. The image was so small that Maya had to angle it toward the window to make out the details.
On the back of the photograph, a string of numbers had been scratched into the metal.
Dr. Reed leaned closer.
His face went white.
“Where did you get that?””
“My mother left it to me.””
He shook his head.
“No. She didn't leave it to you.””
Maya froze.
“What?””
Dr. Reed pointed at the numbers.
“That's an archived case number. I recognize it because I was the physician who signed the original report.””
Principal Harris moved closer.
“What report?””
The doctor looked from Maya to the principal.
“The report that identifies the person who ordered the second baby removed from the hospital.””
Maya clutched the locket.
“Who was it?””
Dr. Reed opened his mouth.
Before he could answer, the office telephone rang.
Principal Harris stared at it.
Nobody moved.
It rang again.
She picked up the receiver.
“Principal Harris speaking.””
A woman's voice came through the speaker, faint but unmistakable.
“Mother?””
Principal Harris stopped breathing.
The receiver slipped against her fingers.
Maya stared at her.
“Who is it?””
The principal couldn't speak.
The voice on the line returned, trembling.
“Mother, it's Elena.””
Maya's heart slammed against her ribs.
Principal Harris gripped the telephone with both hands.
“Where are you?”” she whispered.
A pause.
Then Elena answered.
“I'm outside the school.””
Maya rushed toward the door.
But the voice on the telephone suddenly changed.
It became colder, sharper, almost unfamiliar.
“And if Maya is with you, don't let her leave that building.””
May you like
A loud crash sounded through the receiver.
Then the line went dead.
