Chapter 8: The Man on the Hospital Record
Marcus gripped the phone.
“Who was listed?””
Detective Harris didn't answer immediately.
“I need to verify that you're somewhere safe before I discuss details.””
“I'm standing in a wedding venue with my mother, my fiancée, and two security guards. Nobody is going anywhere until I get an answer.””
“Mr. Carter, I understand you're upset. But if the document you described is authentic, it may be connected to an investigation that was never properly concluded.””
Marcus looked at Denise.
His mother was staring at him, her lips moving silently as she tried to understand what was happening.
“Tell me the name,” Marcus demanded.
“Not over the phone. I'll meet you at the venue.””
The call ended.
Marcus stood motionless for several seconds.
Vanessa had moved toward the chair again, her wedding gown pooling around her feet.
“Who was that?”” she asked.
“A detective.””
Her eyes widened.
“You called the police?””
“The security guard did.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“Marcus, please. You can't let them take that document.””
He turned toward her.
“Why?””
“Because once they see it, they'll start asking questions about Renee's death. And there are things you don't understand.””
“Then help me understand.””
She looked at Denise.
Denise rose unsteadily.
“Marcus, perhaps Vanessa should leave until we know more.””
He stared at his mother.
“Why are you protecting her?””
“I'm not.””
“You keep asking me to slow down, to wait, to avoid questions. What are you afraid I'll discover?””
Denise's eyes filled.
“I'm afraid you'll discover that the people you trusted were not the people you thought they were.””
Marcus felt a familiar ache beneath his ribs.
He had spent two years trying to rebuild his life after Renee's death. He had gone to work, raised Lily, attended school events, and learned to make dinner for a child who still asked whether her mother could see her drawings.
He had thought grief was the hardest thing he would ever have to carry.
Now it seemed that grief had only been the beginning.
The door opened.
A tall Black detective in a charcoal suit entered with another officer. Detective Harris carried a thin leather folder and wore the tired expression of someone who had spent too many nights pursuing a case that refused to make sense.
“Mr. Carter?””
Marcus nodded.
Harris introduced himself, then looked toward Vanessa.
“Ms. Cole.””
Vanessa stiffened.
“You know me?””
“We've spoken before.””
Marcus turned sharply.
“What?””
Harris opened his folder.
“Ms. Cole gave a statement shortly after your wife's death.””
Marcus stared at Vanessa.
“You told the police?””
“I told them I had seen Renee that evening.””
“You told me you never reported it.””
“I never said that.””
“You let me believe you had nothing to do with the investigation!””
Harris raised a hand.
“Mr. Carter, please. We'll establish the facts first.””
He placed a photograph on the table.
It showed a hospital corridor, with a younger Renee standing beside a man Marcus had never seen before. The man was tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in a dark coat.
Marcus studied the image.
“Who is he?””
“We believe his name is Daniel Brooks,” Harris said.
“He was a hospital administrator at the time Lily was born.””
Marcus frowned.
“What does a hospital administrator have to do with a paternity test?””
“That's what we're trying to establish.””
Harris removed a second document from his folder.
“This is a copy of the original request. The signature belongs to Daniel Brooks, not your father.””
Marcus felt his stomach tighten.
“Why would he request a paternity test for my daughter?””
“We don't know yet.””
“Then why have you been looking for this document for two years?””
“Because the original was reported missing from a sealed hospital file after your wife's death.””
Vanessa covered her mouth.
Harris turned toward her.
“Ms. Cole, you told investigators you never saw the document.””
“I didn't.””
“But you knew a test had been requested.””
“I heard Renee talking about it.””
“When?””
“The night before she died.””
Harris made a note.
“Did she tell you who requested it?””
Vanessa hesitated.
“No.””
Marcus watched the detective carefully.
“You said the case was never concluded. Was Renee's death considered suspicious?””
Harris closed his folder.
“Officially, it was ruled an accident. But there were inconsistencies in the timeline, missing records, and a witness who later withdrew a statement.””
“Who was the witness?””
Harris looked at Vanessa.
“She was.””
Marcus turned toward his fiancée.
“You withdrew your statement?””
Vanessa's face crumpled.
“I was afraid.””
“Of what?””
“Daniel Brooks.””
The detective's expression sharpened.
“You told us you had never been threatened.””
“I lied.””
Marcus took a step backward.
“What did this man do to you?””
Vanessa shook her head.
“Nothing directly. But he knew things about Renee. He knew where she worked, where she went, and who she spoke to. After she died, he came to see me.””
Harris pulled a pen from his pocket.
“When?””
“Three days after the funeral.””
“What did he say?””
Vanessa's voice dropped.
“He told me that if I cared about Lily, I would forget everything I'd seen.””
Marcus's jaw tightened.
“What had you seen?””
Vanessa looked at him.
“Renee's car.””
The room fell silent.
Harris leaned forward.
“Explain.””
Vanessa wiped her cheeks.
“When I left Renee's house that night, she was planning to drive to a storage facility. She said she had found proof that someone had altered Lily's hospital records. She wanted to retrieve a document before it disappeared.””
Marcus felt his pulse hammering.
“The blue envelope.””
“I think so.””
“Why didn't you go with her?””
“She refused to let me.””
Harris made another note.
“Did you see her leave?””
Vanessa nodded.
“Yes.””
“What time?””
“Just after eight.””
Marcus remembered Renee's phone call at 8:31 p.m. She had sounded tired but calm, telling him she'd be home soon.
He had been sitting in his office, distracted by a business problem.
He'd told her to drive carefully.
Those had been his last words to her.
“Did you see Daniel Brooks that night?”” Harris asked.
Vanessa hesitated.
Then she nodded.
“Yes.””
“Where?””
“Outside Renee's house.””
Marcus felt the room go cold.
“You saw him there and said nothing?””
“I didn't know who he was until later.””
Harris leaned forward.
“What did he do?””
“He was standing beside a dark sedan. He watched Renee leave. Then he got into his car and followed her.””
Marcus's hands began to shake.
“Why didn't you call the police?””
“I thought he was someone she knew.””
“You knew Renee was frightened!””
“I didn't know what to do!””
Marcus turned away, struggling to breathe.
Harris's voice softened.
“Mr. Carter, we need that original document. If it is authentic, it could help us reopen the investigation.””
Marcus handed it over.
The detective studied it closely, then placed it inside a clear evidence sleeve.
“There's one more thing you should know,” he said.
Marcus looked up.
Harris removed a small photograph from his folder.
It showed Daniel Brooks standing outside a storage facility. Beside him was a woman wearing a long coat.
The photograph was grainy, but the woman's face was visible.
Marcus recognized her immediately.
It was Denise.
His mother stepped backward.
“Mom?””
Denise shook her head frantically.
“I can explain.””
Marcus stared at the photograph.
“When were you there?””
Denise began to cry.
“Two weeks after Renee died.””
“Why?””
She looked at the floor.
“Because Daniel told me he had something that belonged to your father.””
“What?””
“A letter.””
Marcus's voice broke.
“What did the letter say?””
Denise covered her face.
“That your father had known about the paternity test before Lily was born.””
Marcus felt his knees weaken.
Harris placed the photograph on the table.
“Mrs. Carter, where is that letter now?””
Denise slowly lowered her hands.
“I gave it to Vanessa.””
Marcus turned toward his fiancée.
Vanessa looked as though she might collapse.
Harris's expression hardened.
“Ms. Cole, where is the letter?””
She shook her head.
“I don't have it anymore.””
“Who does?””
Vanessa looked at Marcus, then at the detective.
Her voice was almost inaudible.
“Daniel Brooks.””
Harris closed his folder.
“Then we need to find him before he realizes we've reopened the case.””
Marcus looked down at the cracked smartphone in his hand.
A thought suddenly struck him.
Renee had recorded three messages.
The first warned him to keep Vanessa away from Lily.
The second mentioned the blue envelope.
The third had warned him about the night she died.
But none had explained the paternity test.
None had revealed what his father knew.
And none had answered the question that now haunted him more than anything else.
Why had Renee been so afraid of the people who claimed to love her?
His phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
A single message appeared.
*Stop asking questions about Daniel Brooks. If you want your daughter to stay safe, come alone to the address below.*
Beneath it was a location.
Marcus showed the screen to Detective Harris.
The detective's expression changed immediately.
“Don't respond,” he said.
“Why?””
“Because that address is an abandoned medical records facility.””
Marcus looked at him.
“And?””
May you like
Harris lowered his voice.
“Daniel Brooks disappeared from there two years ago.””
