Chapter 14: The Last Lie in the Hospital
The detective immediately ordered an investigation into Dr. Lawson's whereabouts.
But I couldn't stop looking at the photograph.
Peter Lawson Jr.
The baby my mother had carried out of the hospital.
The child she had protected for thirty-four years.
My father reached for the picture.
His face turned pale.
"No.""
I looked at him.
"What?""
Robert examined the bracelet.
Then he closed his eyes.
"That isn't possible.""
Evelyn began crying.
"Robert, tell me what it means.""
He looked at her.
"Jonathan knew the hospital had changed the records. He must have taken the wrong baby deliberately.""
I frowned.
"Why would he do that?""
"To confuse Samuel.""
Claire stepped closer.
"Wait. Are you saying Evelyn didn't take Marcus?""
Robert nodded.
"She took Peter Lawson's child.""
I stared at my mother.
She looked devastated.
"Then where was Marcus?""
Robert looked at me.
"Margaret's second baby was transferred to a different hospital. You were the child Jonathan took.""
I felt my stomach tighten.
"Then how did I end up with Mom?""
Robert answered quietly.
"Because Jonathan brought you to her later that night.""
My mother shook her head.
"No. I remember the baby I held. I remember his little birthmark.""
She looked at me.
"It was you.""
Robert nodded.
"Because Jonathan exchanged the babies after the photograph was taken.""
The detective interrupted.
"Then where is Lawson's son?""
Nobody answered.
The phone on the table suddenly vibrated.
A message had arrived from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph of an old hospital admission form.
*Patient: Peter Lawson Jr.*
*Admitted: October 15, 1992.*
*Discharged: October 22, 1992.*
The discharge address belonged to an orphanage.
Claire recognized it immediately.
"That's where Ethan was sent.""
Ethan stepped forward.
"Are you saying I was registered as Lawson's son?""
Robert shook his head.
"No. I think Lawson used his own child's identity to hide the transfer of one of Margaret's babies.""
The detective took the document.
"We need the original records.""
My father nodded.
"There's only one place they could be.""
"Where?""
"Jonathan's old property.""
Daniel looked up.
"That house burned down.""
Robert shook his head.
"Not the house. The underground archive.""
He looked toward Claire.
"Do you remember the cellar?""
Claire nodded.
"Yes.""
I stared at them.
"What's in it?""
"The original company files, the hospital records, and Jonathan's private recordings.""
The detective called for another unit.
Within twenty minutes, we were on our way to a small property outside the city.
The building looked abandoned.
Its windows were boarded up, and weeds had grown across the driveway.
Robert walked slowly toward the entrance.
He stopped beside an old stone wall.
"Here.""
He pressed a loose brick.
A small metal panel clicked open.
Behind it was a keypad.
Claire entered six numbers.
The lock released.
A narrow staircase led underground.
We followed her into a concrete room filled with metal cabinets.
Dust covered everything.
At the far end stood a large safe.
Robert took the brass key from his pocket.
The same key my mother had kept for years.
He inserted it.
The safe opened.
Inside were three folders and a small cassette recorder.
The first folder contained company records.
The second contained medical documents.
The third had my name written across it.
I opened it.
Inside was a letter from Jonathan.
Robert,
If you are reading this, I have failed to protect the children myself.
Samuel knows about Margaret's twins. He intends to use their identities to take control of the company.
I have arranged for Evelyn to raise one child. The other must remain hidden until the trust is activated.
But there is something I haven't told you.
The third child was never part of the original agreement.
He was born to Dr. Lawson's wife, who died during childbirth.
I stopped reading.
My father took the letter.
His face went pale.
"Keep reading," he whispered.
I continued.
Lawson's son was born the same night as Margaret's children. Samuel arranged the transfer because he needed a child who could legally inherit the Lawson medical records without exposing the hospital.
He believed he could control the boy through his father.
But the child was never his.
The real third child is the person who has been holding these records for years.
I looked up.
"Who?""
My father stared at the cassette recorder.
"Play it.""
I pressed the button.
A man's voice filled the room.
Jonathan.
"If you're listening to this, then Richard has probably discovered the truth. I need you to understand that the children are not the only victims.""
There was a pause.
"Peter Lawson's son was raised by the wrong family. Margaret's second child was hidden. And Robert's son was given a false identity.""
I looked toward Ethan.
Then Michael.
Then myself.
Jonathan continued.
"But the person who knows where the original records are is not a Carter, a Whitmore, or a Lawson.""
Another pause.
"It's the child Evelyn saved.""
My mother covered her mouth.
I turned toward her.
"Mom...""
She began crying.
"Jonathan gave me a baby that night. I thought it was yours.""
Robert looked at the letter.
"Because he wanted you to believe you were protecting Marcus.""
The recording continued.
"If Evelyn is still alive, tell her this: the child she saved is the only person who can identify the real killer.""
A final click.
Then silence.
I looked at the detective.
"Who is that child?""
Before she could answer, a door slammed behind us.
We turned.
A young woman stood at the top of the staircase.
She wore a dark coat and carried a folder.
The detective immediately reached for her weapon.
"Stay where you are!""
The woman raised both hands.
"Please. I'm not here to hurt anyone.""
My mother stared at her.
Then she whispered:
"Anna?""
The woman looked at Evelyn.
"Hello, Mrs. Carter.""
My mother began crying.
"You're alive.""
I looked between them.
"Who is she?""
Evelyn stepped forward.
"This is Anna.""
"Who is Anna?""
She swallowed.
"The little girl I adopted after your father disappeared.""
I felt my chest tighten.
"You have a daughter?""
Evelyn nodded.
"Yes.""
Anna placed the folder on the table.
"I've been looking for you for years.""
I stared at her.
"Why?""
She opened the folder.
Inside was a DNA report.
*Genetic relationship: Biological daughter of Robert Carter and Margaret Lawson.*
I looked at my father.
His face had gone completely white.
Anna's eyes filled with tears.
"My name was originally supposed to be Margaret's third child.""
Robert shook his head.
"No. You were never supposed to exist in the records.""
Anna nodded.
"Exactly.""
She turned toward me.
"Marcus, I wasn't the baby Evelyn was supposed to save.""
I felt my blood turn cold.
"Then who was?""
Anna looked at my mother.
"Evelyn saved me because Jonathan told her I was the only child Samuel hadn't been able to locate.""
She placed another document on the table.
And the name printed at the top made everyone freeze.
*Jonathan Carter — Biological Father.*
Anna looked at Robert.
Then she whispered:
"Jonathan was my father.""
The room fell silent.
My father's brother had secretly fathered a child with Margaret.
And that child had been raised by the woman who had protected me.
Anna turned toward me.
"There's one more thing.""
"What?""
She pointed to the final page.
"The person who ordered Margaret's death wasn't Samuel Whitmore.""
She looked directly at my father.
"It was someone who wanted Jonathan dead because he knew the truth.""
Robert's eyes filled.
"Who?""
Anna answered:
"Your mother.""
My father staggered backward.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Anna opened the final document.
A handwritten confession.
Signed by *Evelyn Carter*.
My mother stared at it.
And whispered:
"That's not my signature.""
The detective examined the paper.
Then she looked up.
"Someone has forged this document.""
Anna nodded.
"I know.""
She turned toward the staircase.
"Because the person who forged it is still alive.""
A man's voice came from the darkness above us.
"Actually, I'm standing right here.""
May you like
And when he stepped into the light, my father dropped his cane.
It was Dr. Peter Lawson.
