Ortiz refused to let us drive to the clinic alone.<\/p>\n
For once, I did not argue.<\/p>\n
Two patrol cars went ahead. Ortiz rode with us. Michael drove because he knew the route, while Grace sat beside me in the back seat.<\/p>\n
Leah was not with us.<\/p>\n
That bothered me.<\/p>\n
Ortiz had officers looking for her after she disappeared from hospital security earlier.<\/p>\n
Grace stared out the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think Leah went there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo do I.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know her for fifteen minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer sounded exactly like something Rachel would have said.<\/p>\n
The old clinic sat behind a rusting fence on the edge of a highway outside the city.<\/p>\n
The building was larger than I expected.<\/p>\n
Two stories.<\/p>\n
Brick.<\/p>\n
Boarded windows.<\/p>\n
A faded sign still showed the ghost of blue lettering.<\/p>\n
VALE WOMEN\u2019S CENTER.<\/p>\n
An ambulance was parked beside the rear entrance.<\/p>\n
My heart started pounding.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz raised a hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one moves until backup clears the building.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy wife is inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEx-wife.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
Ortiz sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cFine. Poor choice of correction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is still your wife to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I said nothing.<\/p>\n
The side door opened.<\/p>\n
Leah stepped out.<\/p>\n
She lifted both hands.<\/p>\n
Ortiz\u2019s officers aimed their weapons.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t shoot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace pushed past me.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeah!\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz caught her.<\/p>\n
Leah shouted, \u201cRachel is alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDownstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHarlan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Leah looked at Michael.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he wants all of us together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael got out of the car.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Leah laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou still don\u2019t know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re supposed to be the smart one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz motioned for Leah to approach slowly.<\/p>\n
When she reached us, officers searched her.<\/p>\n
No weapon.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarlan contacted me after I left the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou went willingly?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he said he would tell me the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou trusted him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why come?\u201d<\/p>\n
Leah\u2019s eyes moved to Grace.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause people like us don\u2019t get many chances to ask why.\u201d<\/p>\n
I understood that.<\/p>\n
Too well.<\/p>\n
Ortiz asked, \u201cHow many people inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHarlan. Rachel. One orderly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArmed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHarlan has a pistol.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Leah hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cElaine.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was detained.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe escaped during transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz swore under her breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs she helping Harlan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s tied to a chair.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward the building.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does Harlan want?\u201d<\/p>\n
Leah\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wants blood samples.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the mutation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leah looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHarlan tracked us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long did you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd didn\u2019t tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t find you without him finding you too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace looked hurt.<\/p>\n
Leah added, \u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy leaving notes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy staying alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz interrupted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re done talking outside.\u201d<\/p>\n
She started giving instructions to officers.<\/p>\n
Michael stepped close to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a basement entrance around the east side.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up here.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the clinic?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUpstairs apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
Harlan had raised one stolen child inside the building where he had trafficked others.<\/p>\n
Michael pointed.<\/p>\n
\u201cService stairs lead to the old operating rooms.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz overheard.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re staying here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll know the police layout. He designed the security system.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThirty years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe updated it after closing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve been here recently.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cSix months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo remove records.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned on him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father\u2019s research.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou destroyed evidence?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI moved it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSafe deposit storage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz looked furious.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou withheld evidence related to trafficking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was trying to protect patients.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can explain that after Rachel is safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
The tactical team entered through the front.<\/p>\n
Ortiz took us around the side.<\/p>\n
We were supposed to remain outside the perimeter.<\/p>\n
Then a gunshot came from inside.<\/p>\n
I ran.<\/p>\n
Ortiz cursed and followed.<\/p>\n
The basement stairwell smelled of mildew and antiseptic.<\/p>\n
Somehow the antiseptic was worse.<\/p>\n
It meant the place was not abandoned.<\/p>\n
Emergency lights glowed along the walls.<\/p>\n
At the bottom, a steel door stood open.<\/p>\n
Rachel\u2019s voice came from beyond it.<\/p>\n
\u201cDanny?\u201d<\/p>\n
I moved toward the sound.<\/p>\n
Ortiz grabbed my shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay behind me.\u201d<\/p>\n
We entered an old procedure room.<\/p>\n
Rachel lay on a medical bed.<\/p>\n
An IV hung beside her.<\/p>\n
Elaine was tied to a chair near the wall, blood running from a cut above her eyebrow.<\/p>\n
Harlan Vale stood beside Rachel.<\/p>\n
He was smaller than he looked in photographs.<\/p>\n
Eighty, perhaps older.<\/p>\n
But his hand around the pistol was steady.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet her go.\u201d<\/p>\n
He smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look like Samuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve heard enough about him today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael entered behind Ortiz.<\/p>\n
Harlan\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMichael.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPut the gun down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou brought police.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou kidnapped a patient.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is my patient.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe hasn\u2019t been for twenty-six years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harlan glanced toward Grace and Leah.<\/p>\n
The twins stood near the doorway.<\/p>\n
For the first time, the old man\u2019s composure slipped.<\/p>\n
Not guilt.<\/p>\n
Fascination.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace recoiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t look at us like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy God.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harlan lowered the weapon slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cIdentical expression. Even after separate environments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leah\u2019s face twisted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not your experiment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
His smile returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re the result.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped between him and the twins.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harlan did.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened twenty-six years ago?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMany things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy Rachel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was useful.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hands curled.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was a pregnant woman.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe carried a rare inherited mutation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer mother participated in an early screening project.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe never told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cParticipants rarely understood what was being collected.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace whispered, \u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Harlan.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou engineered this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI observed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou separated twins intentionally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harlan tilted his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat possibility presented extraordinary scientific value.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel began crying silently.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me one was dying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne was unstable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou made me choose.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI needed a decision quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou already had buyers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harlan\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cFamilies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sold babies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI placed children where they could thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elaine laughed from the chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell them what you charged.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harlan ignored her.<\/p>\n
I looked at Rachel.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou chose Grace because she wasn\u2019t breathing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel nodded.<\/p>\n
Harlan smiled faintly.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that choice worked beautifully.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wanted to kill him.<\/p>\n
Ortiz must have seen it because she shifted between us.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep talking, Harlan.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked amused.<\/p>\n
\u201cDetective, you have no idea what you\u2019ve found.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve found kidnapping, assault, trafficking, falsified records, and probably enough medical crimes to fill the rest of your life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy life is almost over.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you can spend what remains answering questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
He laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
His thumb moved against the gun.<\/p>\n
Michael stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harlan looked at him.<\/p>\n
The word changed something.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were always sentimental.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou raised me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you love me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Michael\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust answer once.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harlan looked almost annoyed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI provided for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t what I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were a child whose circumstances required management.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael absorbed that.<\/p>\n
Then nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harlan frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor making this easy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael moved.<\/p>\n
Fast.<\/p>\n
He struck Harlan\u2019s gun arm.<\/p>\n
A second shot exploded into the ceiling.<\/p>\n
Ortiz lunged.<\/p>\n
I reached Rachel.<\/p>\n
Grace and Leah pulled Elaine\u2019s chair backward.<\/p>\n
Harlan fell against the instrument tray.<\/p>\n
The gun skidded beneath a cabinet.<\/p>\n
Ortiz pinned him.<\/p>\n
Michael stood over him, breathing hard.<\/p>\n
Harlan looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think they\u2019ll forgive you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou used my data.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou built your career on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re no different.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael\u2019s face collapsed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the part I\u2019m going to have to live with.\u201d<\/p>\n
Officers flooded the room.<\/p>\n
I turned to Rachel.<\/p>\n
Her eyes were open.<\/p>\n
\u201cDanny.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n
She touched my face weakly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew you\u2019d come.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should have told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo more disappearing.\u201d<\/p>\n
She almost smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo promises I can\u2019t keep.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was Rachel.<\/p>\n
Even now.<\/p>\n
The paramedics prepared her for transport.<\/p>\n
Grace stood on one side.<\/p>\n
Leah on the other.<\/p>\n
Rachel looked at both of them.<\/p>\n
She tried to speak.<\/p>\n
Nothing came.<\/p>\n
Grace reached for her hand.<\/p>\n
Leah did not.<\/p>\n
Rachel whispered, \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leah\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor not finding you sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou found Grace.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI found her first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leah laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlways first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leah looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou chose her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI chose the baby who couldn\u2019t breathe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not what Elaine told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elaine closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
Leah turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elaine shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell her what you told me my entire childhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room quieted.<\/p>\n
Elaine began crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elaine looked at Rachel.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told Leah you picked Grace because you wanted the stronger child.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she kept asking for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The admission was almost too small for the damage it had caused.<\/p>\n
Elaine continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wanted to know why she couldn\u2019t meet her mother. Why she had to use another last name. Why she couldn\u2019t have pictures.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leah\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you told me she rejected me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elaine nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought if you hated Rachel, you\u2019d stop looking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you want me to stop?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Samuel was still alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
I became still.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father knew where Leah was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elaine looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll those years?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he contact you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProof she was still with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elaine glanced at Harlan.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe and Vale had an agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harlan\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n
Ortiz noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat agreement?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elaine swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNeither twin could know about the other until adulthood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the research.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leah stepped back.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo my entire childhood was part of a study.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elaine cried.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried to protect you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leah\u2019s voice was quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou tried to control the experiment differently.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words struck Elaine harder than shouting would have.<\/p>\n
A paramedic interrupted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to move Rachel.\u201d<\/p>\n
I walked beside the stretcher.<\/p>\n
Before the doors opened, Rachel caught my wrist.<\/p>\n
\u201cDanny.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s one more thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is always one more thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey all matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at Grace.<\/p>\n
Then Leah.<\/p>\n
Then back at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cVale didn\u2019t choose our daughters only because they were twins.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel whispered, \u201cBecause someone had already paid him before they were born.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Harlan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel\u2019s eyes closed.<\/p>\n
Harlan answered from the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went silent.<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother paid you to take my children?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harlan smiled without warmth.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward Rachel.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe paid me to make sure you never learned they existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz refused to let us drive to the clinic alone. For once, I did not argue. Two patrol cars went ahead. Ortiz rode with us. Michael drove because he knew … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19914,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19922","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\/19922","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=19922"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19922\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20000,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19922\/revisions\/20000"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}