Chapter 7: The Woman Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
For three years, I had visited my wife's grave every Sunday.
I had brought fresh flowers, cleaned the marble, and told her about Sophia's progress.
I had cried there when the doctors said my daughter might never walk again.
I had even apologized to Claire for failing to protect our family.
Now Richard Hale was standing in front of me, holding a photograph of my wife alive.
And I wanted to kill him.
“Where is she?”” I demanded.
Richard calmly adjusted his cufflinks.
“Daniel, I think you should sit down.””
“WHERE IS MY WIFE?””
The man beside him tightened his grip on Peter.
James stepped forward.
“Richard, release him. We've already contacted the authorities.””
Richard laughed.
“Have you?””
James didn't answer.
Richard placed the photograph on the table.
“Your wife is alive. Or at least, she was when this picture was taken.””
I grabbed it.
Claire looked older. Her hair was shorter, her face thinner, but there was no mistaking her.
She was sitting in a wheelchair in front of a white building.
The little girl standing behind her was approximately three years old.
Lily.
My daughter.
“Where was this taken?””
Richard took a seat.
“Somewhere safe.””
“You stole my children.””
“I protected them.””
I slammed my hand against the table.
“You stole a newborn baby from her mother!””
Richard's expression hardened.
“Your wife was unstable, Daniel. She was making terrible decisions.””
“She was your friend!””
“She was a threat.””
The words came out so casually that I almost didn't understand them.
“What did you do to her?””
Richard leaned back.
“Claire discovered the financial arrangements I had made. She threatened to expose me. She wanted to take Lily and disappear.””
“So you arranged the accident?””
He looked at me for several seconds.
Then he smiled.
“You always were an emotional man.””
James stepped between us.
“I'm recording this conversation.””
Richard barely glanced at him.
“Then make sure you record the next part.””
He turned toward me.
“Your wife was supposed to die that night. But she survived. Unfortunately, the doctors believed she had suffered severe neurological damage. She couldn't speak properly, and she couldn't identify anyone.””
I felt nauseated.
“You knew she was alive?””
“Of course.””
“And you told me she was dead?””
Richard shrugged.
“It was easier that way.””
I grabbed his jacket.
“You let me bury an empty coffin?””
His security man moved toward us.
James shouted, “Don't!””
Richard raised one hand.
The guard stopped.
“Let him go,” Richard said.
I released him.
Richard straightened his jacket.
“You want to know why I did it? Because Claire was going to destroy everything we had built.””
“Everything you had built?””
“Our company. Our reputation. Our future.””
“You mean your stolen money.””
Richard's smile vanished.
“Your wife had no understanding of business.””
“She understood enough to know you were stealing.””
He leaned forward.
“Claire was going to give forty-nine percent of the company to her daughters. She had also discovered that the company funds were being transferred through accounts connected to Eleanor.””
I looked at the photograph.
“Where is Eleanor?””
“At home.””
“And Lily?””
“With her.””
“Take me to them.””
Richard shook his head.
“Not yet.””
I moved toward him again.
James caught my arm.
Richard continued.
“There's a condition.””
“What?””
“You sign the voting rights over to me. Both girls' inheritance remains under my control. In exchange, I'll tell you where Claire is.””
I stared at him.
“You think I'd trade my children for company shares?””
“I think you'd do anything to see your wife again.””
He stood and walked toward the door.
Then he stopped.
“One more thing. Sophia must never meet Lily.””
I frowned.
“Why?””
Richard looked over his shoulder.
“Because the moment those girls are together, they might remember what really happened that night.””
He left.
The security man followed.
James immediately checked on Peter.
The old man was still breathing, but his face was pale.
“Call an ambulance,” I ordered.
James reached for his phone.
I looked at the photograph again.
Claire.
Alive.
I could almost hear her voice.
Then Peter grabbed my sleeve.
“Daniel.””
I knelt beside him.
“What?””
He struggled to speak.
“The picture... look at the building.””
I examined it.
There was a small sign above the entrance.
*Hawthorne Rehabilitation and Recovery Center.*
Peter nodded.
“That's where they took her.””
“Where is it?””
“About forty miles north. Closed to the public.””
“Is she still there?””
Peter's eyes filled.
“I don't know. But there's something you should understand.””
“What?””
“Claire wasn't the only patient they moved there.””
He looked toward the photograph.
“Your wife was sharing a room with another woman.””
“Who?””
Peter whispered:
“Eleanor Hale's sister.””
James froze.
I turned.
“Eleanor has a sister?””
Peter nodded.
“Her name is Margaret. She was the nurse who helped Richard arrange Lily's transfer.””
“Why would she be there?””
“Because she knew too much.””
I looked at James.
He had already begun searching the building's name.
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
A few seconds later, his face changed.
“Daniel.””
“What?””
“That facility officially closed eighteen months ago.””
“Where were the patients transferred?””
James looked at the screen.
“There's no transfer record.””
I felt cold.
“Then where are they?””
James turned the phone toward me.
A local news article showed a photograph of a building engulfed in flames.
The headline read:
*FORMER REHABILITATION CENTER DESTROYED IN OVERNIGHT FIRE.*
The date was six months earlier.
I looked at Claire's photograph.
Then at the burning building.
And for the first time, I wondered whether Richard had already killed my wife.
That evening, Sophia sat on my bed holding the photograph.
She traced Claire's face with her finger.
“Daddy?””
“Yes, sweetheart?””
“Is Mommy really alive?””
I sat beside her.
“I don't know.””
She looked down.
“Hannah said she might be.””
I glanced toward the doorway.
Hannah was standing there.
She looked as exhausted as I felt.
Sophia suddenly lifted her head.
“There's something I haven't told you.””
“What is it?””
“When I was little, Mommy used to sing a song before I went to sleep.””
I smiled sadly.
“I remember.””
Sophia shook her head.
“No. Not that one.””
She began humming a melody.
Four notes.
A pause.
Then three more.
Hannah covered her mouth.
I turned toward her.
“What?””
Hannah's eyes were wide.
“Claire used to sing that song to Lily.””
Sophia stopped humming.
Then she whispered:
“Lily sings it too.””
I felt my heart stop.
Sophia looked at the photograph.
“And Daddy, I remember something else about the night of the accident.””
“What?””
She leaned closer.
“Mommy didn't get out of the car alone.””
“Who was with her?””
Sophia looked toward Hannah.
May you like
Then she said:
“A woman who looked exactly like Mommy.””
