No one asked Daniel why he had gone pale.<\/p>\n
We did not need to.<\/p>\n
For several seconds he stared at the photograph on Claire\u2019s phone, then at the warning beneath it.<\/p>\n
DO NOT TELL DANIEL WHERE SHE IS.<\/p>\n
His mouth opened, but no sound came.<\/p>\n
Claire leaned one forearm on the dining table. \u201cYou know her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou recognized her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI recognized Rebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat woman isn\u2019t Rebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey look alike.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is standing beside a lake one week ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel rubbed his mouth.<\/p>\n
Marlene was still crying from what he had admitted about Peter. She looked at the photograph next, and something in her expression softened with grief.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has Rebecca\u2019s eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire turned toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou believe it\u2019s Anna?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe she could be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is exactly how people get manipulated. A photograph. A few documents. Anonymous messages. You\u2019re letting a stranger construct a story.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell us which part is false.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel said nothing.<\/p>\n
I balanced Luca against my shoulder and listened to his tiny breaths while the adults around him dismantled thirty years of family history.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know the second baby lived?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Victor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Peter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire\u2019s eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did the message say not to tell you where Anna is?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat answer is getting old.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel pushed away from the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo is being accused of things I didn\u2019t do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marlene laughed once.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou gave Victor Peter\u2019s location.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Peter died two days later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you, I didn\u2019t know\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew enough to hide it for twenty-eight years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel turned toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was twenty-seven, broke, terrified, and stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou married his sister.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter helping a man find my brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t help kill Peter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know I never wanted him dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marlene stared at him with such quiet disgust that Daniel looked away first.<\/p>\n
Claire pulled the phone closer.<\/p>\n
The unknown number had not sent anything else.<\/p>\n
I typed:<\/p>\n
WHY SHOULD ANNA FEAR DANIEL?<\/p>\n
The answer did not come immediately.<\/p>\n
Claire watched the screen.<\/p>\n
Daniel watched me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re feeding whoever this is information.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I asked a question.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey know we\u2019re together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey already knew what was in Rebecca\u2019s box.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat should concern you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sound scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, honesty.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s shoulders dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf what Victor built.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor Shaw is dead. His system isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered what Daniel had said about favors, debts, people in banks and police departments and construction offices.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat system?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel dragged a chair out and sat.<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor never trusted anyone with everything. That was how he survived. One person handled money. Another person handled permits. Somebody else took care of lawsuits. Somebody else cleaned records. Nobody could expose the whole structure because nobody knew the whole structure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire crossed her arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeter did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeter started connecting pieces.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why Victor wanted him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas knew enough to understand Peter was right.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother\u2019s face had tightened beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always blamed Thomas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI blamed him for helping Victor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow you\u2019re saying he tried to stop him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth can be true, Elaine.\u201d<\/p>\n
That silenced her.<\/p>\n
Daniel continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas took Victor\u2019s money when he started his company. He signed things he should never have signed. He moved money he knew wasn\u2019t clean. Then Peter showed him where it came from.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca\u2019s trust,\u201d Claire said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPart of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOther families. Other accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough to destroy people who still have things named after them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire gave him a hard look.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep saying things like that without names.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause names get people hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat fear didn\u2019t save Peter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel absorbed the blow.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOr Rebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOr Thomas.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother flinched.<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo stop protecting ghosts.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone vibrated.<\/p>\n
We all looked down.<\/p>\n
The reply had arrived.<\/p>\n
DANIEL IS NOT THE ONE ANNA FEARS MOST.<\/p>\n
Daniel exhaled.<\/p>\n
Then another message:<\/p>\n
BUT HE KNOWS THE NAME OF THE MAN SHE DOES.<\/p>\n
Claire looked at him.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat man?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The third message arrived immediately.<\/p>\n
ASK HIM WHO SIGNED REBECCA\u2019S DEATH CERTIFICATE.<\/p>\n
Daniel stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marlene turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel grabbed his keys.<\/p>\n
Claire moved first.<\/p>\n
She stepped between him and the doorway.<\/p>\n
\u201cSit down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho signed it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMove.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho signed my mother\u2019s death certificate?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at Marlene.<\/p>\n
She had gone still.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
He closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cDr. Leonard Voss.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marlene sat back.<\/p>\n
My mother whispered, \u201cOh God.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked between them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is Leonard Voss?\u201d<\/p>\n
No one answered quickly enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elaine looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was Victor\u2019s doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPersonal doctor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFriend too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel added, \u201cAnd chairman of St. Vincent\u2019s medical board.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hospital where Rebecca delivered the twins.<\/p>\n
Claire\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had access to my birth records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Rebecca\u2019s death record.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Peter?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Peter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Voss have anything to do with Peter\u2019s death?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer sounded genuine.<\/p>\n
Claire looked at Marlene.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs he alive?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marlene nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe retired years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel corrected her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe retired publicly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe sits on three foundations and owns part of a private clinic network.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire\u2019s mouth tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course he does.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the photograph of Anna again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Anna fear a retired doctor?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel sat slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Voss handled problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMedical ones.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means if Victor needed a diagnosis to disappear, Voss could make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas once said Leonard could turn a living person into a dead one with paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou remember that now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elaine\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know what it meant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire gave a bitter laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sentence describes my entire family.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one challenged her.<\/p>\n
I typed another question to the unknown number.<\/p>\n
IS VOSS ANNA\u2019S FATHER?<\/p>\n
The reply took nearly a minute.<\/p>\n
NO.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
BUT HE KNOWS WHO IS.<\/p>\n
Claire\u2019s fingers pressed against her mouth.<\/p>\n
Marlene whispered, \u201cThen the paternity records.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk if Voss switched them.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did.<\/p>\n
The reply came:<\/p>\n
HE ERASED ONE CHILD AND REASSIGNED THE OTHER.<\/p>\n
Claire closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
My stomach turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Daniel answered slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt could mean one twin\u2019s identity was removed, and the surviving record was attached to Claire.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marlene shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Claire is Claire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does maybe mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel realized his mistake.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean the name. Not you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marlene reached across the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca named you Claire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she told me before the delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Anna?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe second baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I\u2019m Claire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel said nothing.<\/p>\n
Claire noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s another possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marlene snapped, \u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire looked from one to the other.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel spoke carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Rebecca believed someone was looking for one specific child, she may have switched the names herself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would anyone be looking for one newborn twin?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause only one might have been connected to the man she was afraid to name.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
My thoughts stalled.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwins can have different fathers?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cRarely.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marlene frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s possible?\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother answered before he could.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith fraternal twins, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone looked at her.<\/p>\n
Elaine swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a nurse before Evan was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had forgotten.<\/p>\n
She had stopped working when I was three.<\/p>\n
Claire leaned toward the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re saying Rebecca could have conceived the twins from two different men.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s biologically possible,\u201d Elaine said.<\/p>\n
Daniel whispered, \u201cThat would explain the two paternity results.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat two results?\u201d<\/p>\n
He froze.<\/p>\n
Marlene turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said there was no result.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s face collapsed.<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Another lie.<\/p>\n
Claire stood slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you just say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw part of a lab report.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Rebecca died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne sample excluded me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire\u2019s breath caught.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the other?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel rubbed both hands across his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas inconclusive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marlene stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew there were twins.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just said two samples.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought they tested Claire twice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would you think that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause that\u2019s what Voss told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire laughed, sharp and exhausted.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou believed the man who erased my sister?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know he erased anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did he show you the results?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo days after Rebecca died.\u201d<\/p>\n
The timing settled over us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy then?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I told him I planned to seek custody.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVoss wanted to stop you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted to help me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cHelp you how?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said if I stopped asking questions about Rebecca\u2019s accident, he would make sure no one challenged my claim to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marlene closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou took the deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou ended up raising her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t agree that night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn\u2019t the question.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at Claire.<\/p>\n
His voice lowered.<\/p>\n
\u201cA week later, I stopped asking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire sat down.<\/p>\n
The betrayal was quieter now.<\/p>\n
More complete.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother died,\u201d she said, \u201cand you traded the truth for access to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I was your father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo that made it acceptable?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you love me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why did love keep looking exactly like control?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel could not answer.<\/p>\n
My phone vibrated again.<\/p>\n
The unknown sender had responded with a document.<\/p>\n
A partial laboratory page.<\/p>\n
Two infant codes.<\/p>\n
114.<\/p>\n
115.<\/p>\n
Two lines beneath them.<\/p>\n
PATERNAL MARKER PROFILE A: EXCLUDED.<\/p>\n
PATERNAL MARKER PROFILE B: COMPATIBLE.<\/p>\n
The father\u2019s name had been blacked out.<\/p>\n
Claire zoomed in.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich baby was which?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then I noticed a handwritten notation at the bottom.<\/p>\n
C = 115.<\/p>\n
A = 114.<\/p>\n
Claire saw it too.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf C means Claire\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you were 115,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Anna was 114.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another message appeared.<\/p>\n
CORRECT.<\/p>\n
Claire\u2019s hands trembled.<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk whose profile matched.\u201d<\/p>\n
I typed it.<\/p>\n
No answer.<\/p>\n
A full minute passed.<\/p>\n
Then two.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe they don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The reply came.<\/p>\n
WE KNOW.<\/p>\n
A second line appeared.<\/p>\n
ANNA\u2019S FATHER WAS DANIEL BENNETT.<\/p>\n
Every face on the call changed.<\/p>\n
Daniel sat as if struck.<\/p>\n
Claire looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna is your daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
He shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The phone vibrated again.<\/p>\n
CLAIRE\u2019S FATHER WAS SOMEONE ELSE.<\/p>\n
Marlene whispered, \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
One final message appeared.<\/p>\n
LEONARD VOSS KILLED REBECCA TO KEEP THAT NAME SECRET.<\/p>\n
Daniel rose so abruptly his chair fell backward.<\/p>\n
\u201cCall the police.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou spent thirty years avoiding the police.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at the photograph of Anna.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if Anna is alive, Voss already knows she\u2019s looking.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one asked Daniel why he had gone pale. We did not need to. For several seconds he stared at the photograph on Claire\u2019s phone, then at the warning beneath … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14027,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14036"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14036\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14064,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14036\/revisions\/14064"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}