Chapter 8: Two Women in the Same Photograph
The following morning, Hannah brought me a photograph I had never seen.
It was taken at a hospital charity event, almost four years earlier.
Claire stood in the middle, wearing a white dress.
Beside her was another woman.
They had the same eyes, the same smile, and almost identical facial features.
I looked at Hannah.
“Who is this?””
“Margaret Hale.””
I stared at the photograph.
“Richard's sister-in-law?””
“His wife's younger sister.””
“Why does she look like Claire?””
Hannah hesitated.
“Because they're twins.””
I sat down.
“Claire had a twin?””
Hannah nodded.
“They were separated when they were young. Claire was adopted by your wife's parents. Margaret remained with her biological family.””
I looked again at the photograph.
The resemblance was unmistakable.
“Why didn't Claire ever tell me?””
“She did. But you were overseas when she was preparing to meet Margaret again.””
I remembered that period.
I had spent almost two months in London negotiating a merger. Claire had told me she was reconnecting with someone from her childhood.
I had assumed it was an old school friend.
“Did Richard know?””
Hannah nodded.
“He found out shortly after Claire became pregnant with Lily.””
I rubbed my face.
“This keeps getting worse.””
Hannah sat across from me.
“There's more.””
She opened her bag and placed several printed emails on the table.
“They're copies of messages Claire sent me.””
I read the first one.
Hannah, Margaret says Richard has been watching her. She believes he knows about the twins' agreement.
I looked up.
“What twins' agreement?””
Hannah turned to the next page.
If anything happens to me, Margaret will protect Lily. I will protect Sophia. Richard must never be allowed to bring the girls together until we understand what he wants.
My stomach tightened.
“What does that mean?””
“I don't know,” Hannah admitted.
The next email was dated the day before the accident.
Margaret has agreed to meet me tomorrow. She says she has proof that Richard arranged the transfer of our company funds. She also knows where Lily's original medical records are.
At the bottom was a final sentence.
I think he's going to hurt us.
I looked at Hannah.
“Why didn't you show me these before?””
“Because I didn't have them. I recovered them from an old email account last night.””
James entered the room.
“Daniel, I've found something.””
He placed his laptop on the table.
It showed the corporate ownership structure of Moretti Holdings.
“Your wife transferred her shares into a family trust three weeks before the accident.””
I leaned closer.
“Can Richard access it?””
“No. Not directly. But the trust has a clause allowing a temporary administrator to manage the shares if both beneficiaries are declared missing or legally incapacitated.””
I understood.
“Sophia was declared permanently disabled.””
James nodded.
“And Lily was legally registered as an abandoned infant with no known father.””
I felt my jaw tighten.
“Richard needed both girls to remain out of the picture.””
“Exactly.””
James pointed to another document.
“But there's a problem with his plan.””
“What?””
“The trust names a second guardian.””
“Who?””
He enlarged the document.
*Margaret Hale.*
Hannah stood abruptly.
“That's why Richard wanted her gone.””
James nodded.
“If Margaret is alive, she may be able to challenge the entire arrangement.””
I looked at the photograph again.
Two women who looked almost identical.
One dead, according to the world.
The other supposedly destroyed in a fire.
But I was beginning to understand that Richard's entire operation depended on making people disappear.
And he had been very good at it.
At noon, I received a call from Eleanor Hale.
I answered immediately.
“Where is Lily?””
Her voice was calm.
“Daniel, I was hoping we could speak.””
“Tell me where my daughter is.””
“She is safe.””
“She's not your daughter.””
Eleanor exhaled.
“I raised her.””
“You stole her.””
“Richard told me Claire had agreed to the arrangement.””
“That's a lie.””
“I know that now.””
I gripped the phone.
“What?””
Eleanor's voice began trembling.
“I found the original hospital documents. Claire never signed an adoption agreement.””
“Where did you find them?””
“In Richard's office.””
“Why are you calling me?””
“Because I can't protect Lily anymore.””
I closed my eyes.
“Where is she?””
“At the house.””
“Which house?””
“The lake house.””
I looked at James.
He immediately shook his head.
“Don't go alone,” he mouthed.
Eleanor continued.
“Richard left an hour ago. He said he was going to meet someone.””
“Who?””
“I don't know. But before he left, he told me that if you contacted me, I should tell you Lily had been taken out of the country.””
“Why didn't you?””
“Because I saw what he did to Claire.””
My throat tightened.
“Did you see my wife?””
“Yes.””
“When?””
“Three years ago.””
“Was she alive?””
Eleanor began crying.
“Yes.””
I closed my eyes.
“Where is she now?””
“I don't know. Richard moved her after the fire.””
I gripped the edge of the desk.
“Why did you help him?””
“Because I wanted a child. I had lost three pregnancies, Daniel. Richard promised me he could give me a baby.””
“So you stole mine?””
“I didn't know the truth until it was too late.””
I almost laughed.
“Too late? You've had three years.””
“I know.””
Her voice dropped.
“There's something else. Richard didn't just take Lily. He told me Sophia wasn't supposed to survive the accident.””
I stopped breathing.
“What?””
“He said Claire had been planning to take both girls away. He couldn't allow that.””
I looked toward Sophia's bedroom.
My daughter had been asleep when the crash happened.
She had survived because the impact had pushed her side of the car away from the tree.
“Eleanor, listen carefully. I need you to tell the police everything.””
“I will. But first, I need you to know something.””
“What?””
“Richard has a recording of Claire.””
“What kind of recording?””
“A video made shortly before the accident. Claire was talking about the baby.””
“Where is it?””
“In his office safe.””
“What's the combination?””
Eleanor hesitated.
Then she gave me six numbers.
I wrote them down.
“Daniel?””
“Yes?””
“If you find the video, watch it before you trust anyone.””
The call disconnected.
An hour later, James and I entered Richard's office.
His security system had been disabled by someone with access to the building.
I suspected Eleanor.
The office smelled of expensive leather and polished wood.
Behind a large painting was a steel safe.
I entered the six numbers.
The lock clicked.
Inside were three folders, a flash drive, and a small envelope.
The first folder contained bank transfers.
The second contained medical documents.
The third contained photographs of Claire.
I picked up the flash drive.
James connected it to his laptop.
A video appeared.
Claire was sitting in a room I recognized.
Our bedroom.
Her face was bruised.
She looked directly into the camera.
“Daniel,” she said, “if you ever see this, I'm sorry.””
I covered my mouth.
Claire continued.
“Richard has taken Lily. He says he will return her if I sign the company shares over to Eleanor. But I know he's lying.””
She paused.
Then she leaned closer.
“There's something I haven't told you about our daughters.””
My heart began pounding.
“Lily isn't the only child Richard has been hiding.””
James looked at me.
Claire's eyes filled with tears.
“Daniel, before you came into my life, I had another baby.””
The screen flickered.
Then Claire said:
“She was born before Sophia.””
I felt the blood drain from my face.
“Her name is Grace.””
The video stopped.
James stared at the screen.
I couldn't move.
Three daughters.
Not two.
Claire had given birth to three girls.
And Richard had hidden one more.
Then my phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph of a little girl standing in front of a school.
May you like
Underneath were seven words.
*Stop searching, or Sophia will be next.*
