The address belonged to a private rehabilitation hospital nearly an hour outside the city.<\/p>\n
Sarah called ahead.<\/p>\n
The administrator refused to discuss patients.<\/p>\n
We arrived with police authorization.<\/p>\n
Lily stayed with a female officer in the waiting room.<\/p>\n
I didn't want her hearing another piece of this story until I understood what it meant.<\/p>\n
Sarah walked beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't have to do this today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just learned you have two siblings.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know what I've spent my entire life thinking?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat I was alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah said nothing.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up believing my parents had one child. Me.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I married Anthony. We had Matthew.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward the waiting room.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now I find out there were two others.\u201d<\/p>\n
She touched my shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever happens, you don't have to decide everything today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you deserve to know the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
The administrator finally came downstairs.<\/p>\n
Her name was Mrs. Reynolds.<\/p>\n
She looked at the documents.<\/p>\n
Then at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're Helena?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
She hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have two patients here whose records contain the Ellis name.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart began pounding.<\/p>\n
\u201cElla and Jonah?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre they siblings?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at Sarah.<\/p>\n
\u201cI cannot discuss medical information.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't need medical information.\u201d<\/p>\n
I swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to know whether they are alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
She studied me.<\/p>\n
Then nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Alive.<\/p>\n
The word was enough to make my knees weak.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I see them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have to agree.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs. Reynolds disappeared.<\/p>\n
A few minutes later, a woman entered the room.<\/p>\n
She was in her late sixties.<\/p>\n
Gray hair.<\/p>\n
Thin face.<\/p>\n
A red scarf around her neck.<\/p>\n
I froze.<\/p>\n
The scarf.<\/p>\n
Evelyn.<\/p>\n
The woman looked at me.<\/p>\n
Neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n
Then she whispered, \u201cMara?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody had called me that in decades.<\/p>\n
I couldn't answer.<\/p>\n
She came closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew you would come eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
She touched the scarf.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy name is Ella.\u201d<\/p>\n
My breath caught.<\/p>\n
Behind her came a man with a cane.<\/p>\n
He was older.<\/p>\n
Broad-shouldered.<\/p>\n
His face resembled Anthony's.<\/p>\n
He looked at me and smiled faintly.<\/p>\n
\u201cJonah.\u201d<\/p>\n
I covered my mouth.<\/p>\n
Three children.<\/p>\n
Three lives.<\/p>\n
Three people who had grown up separated because someone wanted property more than truth.<\/p>\n
Ella reached for my hand.<\/p>\n
I hesitated.<\/p>\n
Then I took it.<\/p>\n
Her fingers were cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cI've been looking for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I whispered, \u201cI didn't know you existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't anyone tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the people who raised us didn't know the whole story.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jonah sat down.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur records were changed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah pulled out the documents.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy Helena's grandfather.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ella nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wasn't the only one.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho else?\u201d<\/p>\n
She glanced toward the hallway.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnthony.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe tried to help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe couldn't undo everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jonah looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe sent money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor years.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo help us.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought about the bank records.<\/p>\n
The hidden transfers.<\/p>\n
The payments.<\/p>\n
Perhaps some of the money I had assumed was missing had been Anthony trying to repair what his father had destroyed.<\/p>\n
Sarah looked at the ledger.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Anthony ever tell you about the original documents?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ella shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me there was evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he say where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jonah looked toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut he said Mara would eventually find it.\u201d<\/p>\n
My eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you lived in the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
Willow Creek.<\/p>\n
The house that had belonged to the family before any of us understood why.<\/p>\n
Ella sat beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn wanted the three of us together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ella looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know if she died?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen where is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ella shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jonah looked at the red scarf.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe left that with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe same scarf?\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me to keep it until the family was ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
I touched the fabric.<\/p>\n
It was identical to the one found in Anthony's box.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen there were two?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Sarah.<\/p>\n
The clue had been there all along.<\/p>\n
Anthony had kept one scarf.<\/p>\n
Jonah had another.<\/p>\n
Two pieces of a story divided between two branches of the same family.<\/p>\n
Mrs. Reynolds returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to talk somewhere private.\u201d<\/p>\n
We followed her into a small office.<\/p>\n
She closed the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone has been accessing Ella's records.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah stiffened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral times this month.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn outside legal representative.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cName?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel Cole.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was looking for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs. Reynolds hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe requested copies of their original admission records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you give them to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut someone did access the files.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn employee.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah wrote down the name.<\/p>\n
We would deal with that later.<\/p>\n
Right now, I needed to understand the bigger picture.<\/p>\n
Ella looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMatthew came here.\u201d<\/p>\n
I froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo see us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told us he was your son.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said you were sick.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was already preparing the story.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ella nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked about the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you tell him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat it belonged to Mara.\u201d<\/p>\n
My eyes filled again.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe became angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jonah leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked whether we had the ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Sarah.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ella nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cMatthew said he needed it before Cole found it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would he care if Cole found it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ella's answer was quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Cole was going to eliminate the evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cDestroy it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the original ledger doesn't just prove the property fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ella looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt names everyone who participated.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cMatthew's name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's why he said he didn't start it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jonah nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe inherited it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah closed her folder.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to find Cole before he finds the remaining evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Ella.<\/p>\n
\u201cWill you come with us?\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know what happens next.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neither did she.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I don't want to lose another person from my family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jonah stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI'll come too.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time in my life, I looked at the two people who had been hidden from me.<\/p>\n
Not strangers.<\/p>\n
Not ghosts.<\/p>\n
Family.<\/p>\n
We returned to the waiting room.<\/p>\n
Lily ran toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandma!\u201d<\/p>\n
I knelt and hugged her.<\/p>\n
Then I introduced her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is Ella.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lily stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs she family?\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Ella.<\/p>\n
She smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt's a very long story.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lily considered that.<\/p>\n
Then she asked, \u201cDoes she know Grandpa?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ella's smile disappeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she know him well?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut he helped you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ella nodded.<\/p>\n
Lily looked thoughtful.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen maybe Grandpa wasn't bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
I swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe made mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n
The question cut deeper than she knew.<\/p>\n
I looked toward the hallway.<\/p>\n
Matthew had made mistakes.<\/p>\n
Anthony had made mistakes.<\/p>\n
I had made mistakes.<\/p>\n
But now the truth was finally bigger than any one person.<\/p>\n
Outside, a police officer approached Sarah.<\/p>\n
\u201cCole has been located.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart jumped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
The officer looked at the paper in his hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cNear the old property archive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah's face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe archive?\u201d<\/p>\n
The officer nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe's looking for something.\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew immediately.<\/p>\n
The original ledger.<\/p>\n
And somewhere in those records was the final piece of the story.<\/p>\n
The piece that would tell us exactly what Anthony had done.<\/p>\n
And exactly what Matthew had been trying to hide.<\/p>\n
The address belonged to a private rehabilitation hospital nearly an hour outside the city. Sarah called ahead. The administrator refused to discuss patients. We arrived with police authorization. Lily stayed … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16167,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16177","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\/16177","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=16177"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16177\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16204,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16177\/revisions\/16204"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}