Raymond\u2019s voice came through the phone sharper than it had sounded since surgery.<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel Mercer never bought a child.\u201d<\/p>\n
Douglas remained silent.<\/p>\n
Margaret\u2019s adoptive father had been named first on the buyer index.<\/p>\n
A perfect target.<\/p>\n
Dead.<\/p>\n
Unable to defend himself.<\/p>\n
Connected to private adoption through Margaret.<\/p>\n
Plausible enough.<\/p>\n
False.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy frame him?\u201d I asked Douglas.<\/p>\n
He looked at Natalie.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the real first name would have exposed everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
No answer.<\/p>\n
Rebecca laughed softly from against the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou still cannot say it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Douglas closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d I repeated.<\/p>\n
He whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur Vale.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Arthur had founded charitable placement program.<\/p>\n
We knew that.<\/p>\n
But buyer?<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Arthur buy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA girl.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Douglas looked at Rebecca.<\/p>\n
She smiled without humor.<\/p>\n
\u201cMe.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room changed.<\/p>\n
Arthur had publicly never acknowledged Rebecca.<\/p>\n
Privately, he had apparently paid through the network to remove her from Evelyn.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat age?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn threatened him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith paternity?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Arthur took you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe called it placement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA boarding family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did not live with him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he visit?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That explained Rebecca\u2019s deepest grievance differently.<\/p>\n
Arthur did not merely abandon an unacknowledged daughter.<\/p>\n
He paid to relocate her.<\/p>\n
Separated her from mother.<\/p>\n
Controlled access.<\/p>\n
Then later employed her.<\/p>\n
Always near.<\/p>\n
Never acknowledged.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou remembered?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt three?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPieces.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you learn?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow old?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwelve.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI confronted Arthur.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said Evelyn was unstable.\u201d<\/p>\n
The classic excuse.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca\u2019s answer surprised me.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was also telling the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both could be true.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Arthur regret it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid that matter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Douglas said Arthur\u2019s name at top of real index would have destroyed foundation.<\/p>\n
So he created false index with Samuel Mercer and other convenient names.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is real index?\u201d<\/p>\n
Douglas hesitated.<\/p>\n
Rebecca answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cLinda.\u201d<\/p>\n
Natalie stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Linda had stolen real list years before Douglas\u2019s staged death.<\/p>\n
She kept it because she believed criminal justice could not be trusted with wealthy buyers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she intend?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSelective disclosure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMeaning?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExpose one person at time when proof strongest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Natalie shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe became her own prosecutor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd judge.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd jury.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she kill anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked toward Caleb\u2019s empty restraints.<\/p>\n
\u201cLinda was many things. Murderer was not one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Douglas whispered, \u201cShe nearly became one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith who?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Years earlier Linda planned to expose Arthur publicly.<\/p>\n
Not kill physically.<\/p>\n
Destroy foundation.<\/p>\n
Arthur convinced her to wait for recovery archive.<\/p>\n
Then Matthew died.<\/p>\n
The child Linda found with pneumonia.<\/p>\n
That death broke her trust in gradual reform.<\/p>\n
She stole buyer index.<\/p>\n
From then on, she operated independently.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo where is it now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Natalie asked.<\/p>\n
Douglas looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe gave it to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Natalie stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCollege graduation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA music box.\u201d<\/p>\n
Natalie froze.<\/p>\n
I remembered it.<\/p>\n
Small wooden box Linda gave her.<\/p>\n
Natalie kept jewelry inside for years.<\/p>\n
It sat in our bedroom.<\/p>\n
Or had before break-in.<\/p>\n
\u201cMusic box is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Natalie whispered.<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
Home burglary.<\/p>\n
Someone may have taken it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLinda. Douglas. Rebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never knew it contained index.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you take it from our house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho did?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then I remembered another person with access.<\/p>\n
Thomas had attended our wedding.<\/p>\n
Natalie knew him.<\/p>\n
Rebecca influenced him.<\/p>\n
Could he?<\/p>\n
But no.<\/p>\n
He had his own pain, not necessarily this theft.<\/p>\n
Michael pulled home security footage from earlier burglary.<\/p>\n
Masked figure.<\/p>\n
Height.<\/p>\n
Build.<\/p>\n
Could be anyone.<\/p>\n
Then Priya noticed something.<\/p>\n
Left hand.<\/p>\n
Ring.<\/p>\n
Square black stone.<\/p>\n
Natalie went pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy uncle.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat uncle?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLinda\u2019s brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have not heard about another brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he was not biological.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cName?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor Dawson.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dawson.<\/p>\n
Eleanor\u2019s alias Claire Dawson.<\/p>\n
Coincidence?<\/p>\n
Probably not.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy Dawson?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLinda used mother\u2019s maiden name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArizona.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael searched.<\/p>\n
Victor Dawson, sixty-three.<\/p>\n
Former records clerk.<\/p>\n
Worked\u2014<\/p>\n
\u201cAt St. Agnes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was inside network?\u201d<\/p>\n
Natalie whispered, \u201cMom said he did hospital paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n
Douglas looked horrified.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never told me she stayed in contact with Victor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow often?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBirthdays.\u201d<\/p>\n
Douglas covered his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKnew what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor handled identity records.<\/p>\n
Birth certificates.<\/p>\n
Death certificates.<\/p>\n
Placement codes.<\/p>\n
When network collapsed, he vanished west.<\/p>\n
Linda remained in contact secretly.<\/p>\n
If anyone could recognize buyer index disguised inside music box mechanism, Victor could.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would he burglarize our home now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Because Rebecca\u2019s therapy work with Natalie exposed where box was.<\/p>\n
Maybe Linda told him to retrieve.<\/p>\n
Maybe he wanted list for himself.<\/p>\n
Michael called Arizona authorities.<\/p>\n
Victor\u2019s home empty.<\/p>\n
Neighbor reported he left two weeks ago.<\/p>\n
Car found airport.<\/p>\n
Flight to our city.<\/p>\n
He was here.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat motive?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Douglas answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cBlackmail.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor had always wanted money.<\/p>\n
He knew enough to survive by threatening people.<\/p>\n
Linda despised him for it.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould he have been Rebecca\u2019s source?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca shook head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI used him twice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRecords.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
She glared.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot trusted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody trusted anyone.<\/p>\n
Still they all used each other.<\/p>\n
Michael searched hotel registrations.<\/p>\n
Victor under alias.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
Then Natalie remembered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has a cabin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother took me once.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLocation?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorth Ridge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Remote.<\/p>\n
We drove.<\/p>\n
Douglas remained under guard.<\/p>\n
Rebecca too.<\/p>\n
This time Natalie came willingly with us.<\/p>\n
She knew cabin.<\/p>\n
No tactical surprise.<\/p>\n
If Victor was there, he had likely watched roads.<\/p>\n
Cabin looked empty.<\/p>\n
Door unlocked.<\/p>\n
Inside, dust except kitchen.<\/p>\n
Fresh coffee.<\/p>\n
A disassembled music box sat on table.<\/p>\n
Natalie stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wood cracked open.<\/p>\n
Hidden cavity empty.<\/p>\n
Index gone.<\/p>\n
On wall, photographs.<\/p>\n
Buyers.<\/p>\n
Children.<\/p>\n
Adults.<\/p>\n
Money amounts.<\/p>\n
Victor had been building own network.<\/p>\n
Not merely blackmail.<\/p>\n
Catalog.<\/p>\n
Then Michael found ledger.<\/p>\n
Payments recent.<\/p>\n
Several from names on civil case.<\/p>\n
Victor had contacted buyers before Rebecca\u2019s lawsuit.<\/p>\n
Selling warnings.<\/p>\n
He had monetized disclosure.<\/p>\n
Natalie looked sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe warned them victims were coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDozens.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some clients had begun moving assets.<\/p>\n
Hiring lawyers.<\/p>\n
Destroying records.<\/p>\n
Victor may have compromised prosecutions.<\/p>\n
Then floorboard creaked upstairs.<\/p>\n
Michael raised weapon.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice!\u201d<\/p>\n
No response.<\/p>\n
We heard window.<\/p>\n
Running.<\/p>\n
Officers outside moved.<\/p>\n
A man crashed through rear woods.<\/p>\n
Captured within minutes.<\/p>\n
Victor Dawson.<\/p>\n
Older.<\/p>\n
Thin.<\/p>\n
Furious.<\/p>\n
He was brought inside.<\/p>\n
Natalie looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cUncle Victor.\u201d<\/p>\n
He smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cNat.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is the index?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSafe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith who?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomewhere you cannot reach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael cuffed him.<\/p>\n
Victor did not care.<\/p>\n
He had copies.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you sell them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI sold information.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo buyers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo clients.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople who bought children.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd others?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFamilies who had no idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor shrugged.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone pays to keep shame quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese people were children.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are adults.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAdults pay.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was no wound in him.<\/p>\n
No complicated grief.<\/p>\n
No delusion of protection.<\/p>\n
Just exploitation.<\/p>\n
Almost refreshing in its ugliness.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you take from my house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBox.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPhotograph.\u201d<\/p>\n
The warning written across wedding photo?<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho did that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas.\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted you to find Eleanor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas had left threat-looking clue.<\/p>\n
Not to harm.<\/p>\n
To force search.<\/p>\n
That matched later behavior.<\/p>\n
Victor continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe hired me to get into house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wrote message?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he cut my face out?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSymbolic nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another mystery resolved smaller than expected.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho told Thomas Claire\u2019s address?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n
Always interconnected.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is real buyer index?\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy should I tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Natalie said, \u201cBecause every buyer you warned will know you have their names.\u201d<\/p>\n
His smile disappeared slightly.<\/p>\n
Good.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf police announce they recovered you but not index,\u201d Natalie continued, \u201cevery person you blackmailed becomes afraid you kept copies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey already know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen one of them will kill you in prison.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael said, \u201cWe can protect you if you cooperate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor looked between them.<\/p>\n
\u201cProtection.\u201d<\/p>\n
He laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cFamily word.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then gave location.<\/p>\n
Bank box.<\/p>\n
False name.<\/p>\n
Priya retrieved under warrant.<\/p>\n
Real index.<\/p>\n
Verified against Arthur records.<\/p>\n
First name:<\/p>\n
Arthur Vale.<\/p>\n
Then others.<\/p>\n
Some appeared in false list too.<\/p>\n
Others entirely different.<\/p>\n
This would take months.<\/p>\n
Years.<\/p>\n
No dramatic exposure tonight.<\/p>\n
Real justice was paperwork.<\/p>\n
Depositions.<\/p>\n
DNA.<\/p>\n
Survivor consent.<\/p>\n
Trials.<\/p>\n
Slow.<\/p>\n
Necessary.<\/p>\n
Then near end of index, Natalie found one name.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrant.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked.<\/p>\n
Raymond Mercer.<\/p>\n
My father.<\/p>\n
Buyer number 88.<\/p>\n
Payment:<\/p>\n
$0.<\/p>\n
Status:<\/p>\n
UNDERCOVER \/ COOPERATING WITNESS.<\/p>\n
He had been entered as buyer because that was his role.<\/p>\n
Undercover.<\/p>\n
Proof of what he told us.<\/p>\n
Then next name.<\/p>\n
Margaret Mercer.<\/p>\n
Payment:<\/p>\n
$15,000 received.<\/p>\n
Not paid.<\/p>\n
Received.<\/p>\n
The money Stephen had used to suggest Raymond was purchased.<\/p>\n
Actually payment to Margaret.<\/p>\n
For what?<\/p>\n
Notation:<\/p>\n
WITNESS EXTRACTION.<\/p>\n
Arthur paid Margaret fifteen thousand to help remove a child.<\/p>\n
Which child?<\/p>\n
Code:<\/p>\n
M-17.<\/p>\n
Michael searched registry.<\/p>\n
M-17 not among stolen children.<\/p>\n
Different category.<\/p>\n
M probably mother.<\/p>\n
Mother 17.<\/p>\n
Name:<\/p>\n
Evelyn Cole.<\/p>\n
Rebecca, Harriet and Margaret\u2019s biological mother.<\/p>\n
Arthur paid Margaret to extract her own mother from somewhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
1987.<\/p>\n
Same year I was born.<\/p>\n
Where did they move Evelyn?<\/p>\n
No record.<\/p>\n
Rebecca stared when told.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother died in 1986.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another false death.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Harriet know?\u201d<\/p>\n
No.<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret?\u201d<\/p>\n
We called.<\/p>\n
She did not answer.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
Then message from her.<\/p>\n
I KNOW WHERE EVELYN IS.<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
Rebecca was sixty-ish.<\/p>\n
Evelyn, if alive, perhaps in eighties.<\/p>\n
Margaret\u2019s next message:<\/p>\n
SHE HAS BEEN ALIVE THIS WHOLE TIME.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
AND SHE IS THE REASON ARTHUR ORDERED GRANT REMOVED FROM ELEANOR.<\/p>\n
Raymond\u2019s voice came through the phone sharper than it had sounded since surgery. \u201cSamuel Mercer never bought a child.\u201d Douglas remained silent. Margaret\u2019s adoptive father had been named first on … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18867,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18898","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\/18898","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=18898"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18898\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18938,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18898\/revisions\/18938"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}