"Maya, tell me where you are."<\/p>\n
The line crackled.<\/p>\n
I heard a door close.<\/p>\n
Then the muted rumble of an engine.<\/p>\n
"I'm okay."<\/p>\n
"No, you're not."<\/p>\n
My voice came out too sharply.<\/p>\n
I softened it immediately.<\/p>\n
"I'm sorry. Please. Just tell me where she's taking you."<\/p>\n
Maya hesitated.<\/p>\n
"I don't know."<\/p>\n
"Can you see street signs?"<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
"She says we're going somewhere private so she can show me records."<\/p>\n
"Tell her to stop the car."<\/p>\n
"I can't."<\/p>\n
"Why?"<\/p>\n
Maya's voice dropped.<\/p>\n
"Because she knows about Sarah."<\/p>\n
The name meant her adoptive mother.<\/p>\n
"What does she know?"<\/p>\n
"Things nobody should know."<\/p>\n
I looked at Anna.<\/p>\n
"What kinds of things?"<\/p>\n
"She knows Mom used to call me Birdie. She knows about the music box Dad bought me when I was seven. She knows Sarah kept my baby teeth in a blue jar because she thought throwing them away was bad luck."<\/p>\n
Those were intimate details.<\/p>\n
Not medical records.<\/p>\n
Someone had known the Bennett family.<\/p>\n
"That doesn't mean she's telling the truth."<\/p>\n
"I know."<\/p>\n
"Then why are you with her?"<\/p>\n
Maya went quiet.<\/p>\n
When she answered, the hurt in her voice made me grip the phone harder.<\/p>\n
"Because everybody else has lied to me."<\/p>\n
I had no defense against that.<\/p>\n
Carl had withheld the truth.<\/p>\n
Evelyn had withheld the truth.<\/p>\n
Dad had withheld the truth from me.<\/p>\n
And I, despite not knowing anything, was asking Maya to trust another stranger claiming to be family.<\/p>\n
"You're right."<\/p>\n
Anna looked at me.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
"You shouldn't trust me just because I say I'm your mother."<\/p>\n
Maya said nothing.<\/p>\n
"But you don't have to trust Dr. Voss either."<\/p>\n
"I don't."<\/p>\n
"Then keep me on the phone."<\/p>\n
A long silence.<\/p>\n
"Okay."<\/p>\n
Relief almost made me dizzy.<\/p>\n
"Put the phone somewhere she can't see it."<\/p>\n
I heard fabric move.<\/p>\n
Then Maya's voice became muffled.<\/p>\n
"I'm going to put it in my pocket."<\/p>\n
"Good."<\/p>\n
The phone shifted.<\/p>\n
Voices became faint.<\/p>\n
I turned to Evelyn.<\/p>\n
"Who is Laura Voss?"<\/p>\n
Evelyn glanced at Anna.<\/p>\n
Anna answered.<\/p>\n
"Pediatric neurologist."<\/p>\n
"At the hospital?"<\/p>\n
"Thirteen years ago."<\/p>\n
"What did she do?"<\/p>\n
Anna's jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
"She signed my transfer."<\/p>\n
Dad stopped walking.<\/p>\n
"The transfer under 3079?"<\/p>\n
"Yes."<\/p>\n
We reached the parking lot.<\/p>\n
Anna headed toward a black hatchback.<\/p>\n
"My car."<\/p>\n
Dad looked at me.<\/p>\n
"We should call the police."<\/p>\n
"We are."<\/p>\n
I dialed emergency services from my own phone while keeping Carl's phone connected to Maya.<\/p>\n
I explained there was a possible kidnapping in progress.<\/p>\n
The dispatcher asked for the vehicle description.<\/p>\n
I didn't have one.<\/p>\n
I leaned toward the prepaid phone.<\/p>\n
"Maya, can you hear me?"<\/p>\n
No response.<\/p>\n
Then a woman's voice emerged faintly.<\/p>\n
Dr. Voss.<\/p>\n
"You're frightened because Carl overwhelmed you."<\/p>\n
Maya answered, too quietly for me to catch everything.<\/p>\n
Voss continued.<\/p>\n
"He has been obsessed with this story for years."<\/p>\n
I turned up the volume.<\/p>\n
Anna pulled out of the parking lot.<\/p>\n
Dad sat in front.<\/p>\n
Evelyn and I were in the back, my phones in both hands.<\/p>\n
"Where would Voss take her?" I asked.<\/p>\n
Anna shook her head.<\/p>\n
"I don't know."<\/p>\n
"Think."<\/p>\n
"There was a clinic."<\/p>\n
Evelyn turned.<\/p>\n
"North Ridge?"<\/p>\n
Anna nodded.<\/p>\n
"It closed years ago."<\/p>\n
"Where?"<\/p>\n
"Forty minutes west."<\/p>\n
I repeated the information to the dispatcher.<\/p>\n
They said units would check the address.<\/p>\n
On the prepaid phone, Maya spoke louder.<\/p>\n
"Why would DNA say he's my father?"<\/p>\n
Voss answered calmly.<\/p>\n
"Because the sample was contaminated."<\/p>\n
I almost shouted at the phone.<\/p>\n
Anna caught my eye.<\/p>\n
"Don't. If Voss knows you're listening, she may take it."<\/p>\n
I forced myself silent.<\/p>\n
Maya asked, "And Rebecca?"<\/p>\n
Voss paused.<\/p>\n
"Rebecca Carter lost a daughter."<\/p>\n
I could hear every word now.<\/p>\n
"Grief can make people vulnerable to believing things they desperately want to be true."<\/p>\n
My hands began shaking.<\/p>\n
Evelyn whispered, "She's turning Maya against you."<\/p>\n
Anna kept driving.<\/p>\n
"Let her talk."<\/p>\n
Dr. Voss continued.<\/p>\n
"Carl has spent years searching for a child he couldn't save. He found you because you resemble Emily."<\/p>\n
Maya said, "I look exactly like Lily."<\/p>\n
"Many unrelated people look similar."<\/p>\n
"Not like this."<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Voss changed direction.<\/p>\n
"Did Carl tell you that Rebecca stopped searching after only a few months?"<\/p>\n
My breath caught.<\/p>\n
Maya said nothing.<\/p>\n
"Did he tell you she accepted Emily's death?"<\/p>\n
I wanted to reach through the phone.<\/p>\n
I wanted to explain the coffin.<\/p>\n
The death certificate.<\/p>\n
The years in which I had believed searching for Emily would have meant digging through a grave.<\/p>\n
Voss continued.<\/p>\n
"People are complicated, Maya. Sometimes they rewrite their own history because guilt is easier to bear when someone else becomes the villain."<\/p>\n
My stomach turned.<\/p>\n
"She's preparing her," Anna said quietly.<\/p>\n
"For what?"<\/p>\n
"To reject you."<\/p>\n
"Why does she care?"<\/p>\n
Anna glanced in the mirror.<\/p>\n
"Because if Maya believes she's Emily, she can reopen everything."<\/p>\n
"She's eighteen. What can she do?"<\/p>\n
"Demand records. Give testimony. Submit DNA. Ask questions no one can dismiss as a grieving father imagining things."<\/p>\n
Dad turned around.<\/p>\n
"So Voss needs Maya to believe she's someone else."<\/p>\n
"Or disappear again."<\/p>\n
The words filled the car.<\/p>\n
Evelyn looked out the window.<\/p>\n
"We should have stopped this years ago."<\/p>\n
Anna's laugh was cold.<\/p>\n
"You had chances."<\/p>\n
"I know."<\/p>\n
I watched her.<\/p>\n
For the first time, Evelyn didn't defend herself.<\/p>\n
On the phone, Maya suddenly said, "Where are we going?"<\/p>\n
Voss answered, "Somewhere quiet."<\/p>\n
"I thought we were going to see records."<\/p>\n
"We are."<\/p>\n
"Why did you turn off the highway?"<\/p>\n
Anna's eyes sharpened.<\/p>\n
"What did she say?"<\/p>\n
I repeated it.<\/p>\n
"North Ridge isn't off the highway yet."<\/p>\n
Dad looked at the navigation map.<\/p>\n
"Could be heading south."<\/p>\n
Anna cursed under her breath.<\/p>\n
"There's another place."<\/p>\n
"Where?"<\/p>\n
"Old rehabilitation center near Lake Mercer."<\/p>\n
"How far?"<\/p>\n
"Twenty-five minutes."<\/p>\n
I relayed the location to emergency services.<\/p>\n
The dispatcher said officers were being sent to both addresses.<\/p>\n
Maya's breathing became audible.<\/p>\n
She was afraid now.<\/p>\n
I spoke loudly enough for her pocket to catch my voice.<\/p>\n
"Maya, if you can hear me, do not confront her. Just keep track of where you're going."<\/p>\n
No response.<\/p>\n
Voss said something I couldn't hear.<\/p>\n
Then Maya asked, "Did you know Sarah?"<\/p>\n
A long pause.<\/p>\n
"Yes."<\/p>\n
Everybody in our car went still.<\/p>\n
Maya's voice trembled.<\/p>\n
"How?"<\/p>\n
"I helped arrange your adoption."<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
A direct connection.<\/p>\n
Voss continued.<\/p>\n
"Sarah and Thomas wanted a child. You needed a home."<\/p>\n
"I was five."<\/p>\n
"Yes."<\/p>\n
"So where was I before them?"<\/p>\n
Another silence.<\/p>\n
"You were recovering."<\/p>\n
"From what?"<\/p>\n
"An accident."<\/p>\n
"What accident?"<\/p>\n
Voss did not answer.<\/p>\n
Maya pushed.<\/p>\n
"Why don't I remember it?"<\/p>\n
"Trauma can affect memory."<\/p>\n
"Did you know my real parents?"<\/p>\n
"Maya\u2014"<\/p>\n
"Did you know them?"<\/p>\n
Voss sighed.<\/p>\n
"I knew enough to believe you were safer without them."<\/p>\n
My fingers went numb.<\/p>\n
Evelyn whispered, "There."<\/p>\n
"What?"<\/p>\n
"She just admitted it."<\/p>\n
Anna shook her head.<\/p>\n
"Not enough."<\/p>\n
Dad looked back.<\/p>\n
"Enough for what?"<\/p>\n
"For a criminal case? Maybe not. For Maya? It might be."<\/p>\n
The vehicle slowed.<\/p>\n
I could hear the change in engine pitch.<\/p>\n
Then gravel under tires.<\/p>\n
Anna sped up.<\/p>\n
"Where are you?" I asked into the phone.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
A car door opened.<\/p>\n
Voss's voice became clearer.<\/p>\n
"Leave the phone."<\/p>\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
Maya answered, "It's mine."<\/p>\n
"I said leave it."<\/p>\n
Fabric rustled.<\/p>\n
"Maya?"<\/p>\n
A sharp sound.<\/p>\n
Then the connection jolted.<\/p>\n
I heard Maya gasp.<\/p>\n
The phone struck something.<\/p>\n
"Maya!"<\/p>\n
Voss said, "Who are you talking to?"<\/p>\n
The line went dead.<\/p>\n
I stared at the screen.<\/p>\n
No call.<\/p>\n
Anna pressed harder on the accelerator.<\/p>\n
"Call back."<\/p>\n
I did.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
Straight to voicemail.<\/p>\n
I called Carl.<\/p>\n
Still nothing.<\/p>\n
Dad said, "Police will get there."<\/p>\n
"You don't know that."<\/p>\n
Neither did he.<\/p>\n
We left the city.<\/p>\n
Buildings thinned.<\/p>\n
The road curved through pine woods and low hills.<\/p>\n
I kept seeing the face from the photograph.<\/p>\n
Eight-year-old Emily.<\/p>\n
Eighteen-year-old Maya.<\/p>\n
My daughter sitting in a stranger's car because every adult connected to her childhood had given her a different version of who she was.<\/p>\n
Twenty minutes later Anna turned onto a narrow county road.<\/p>\n
"No police."<\/p>\n
"Maybe ahead."<\/p>\n
The rehabilitation center appeared beyond rusted gates.<\/p>\n
Three low brick buildings faced a weed-filled parking lot.<\/p>\n
A faded sign hung crooked beside the entrance.<\/p>\n
MERCER LAKE RECOVERY CENTER.<\/p>\n
Closed.<\/p>\n
No vehicles visible.<\/p>\n
Anna parked behind a maintenance shed.<\/p>\n
Dad reached for his door.<\/p>\n
Evelyn stopped him.<\/p>\n
"Wait."<\/p>\n
"For what?"<\/p>\n
"Look."<\/p>\n
A tire track crossed the dust.<\/p>\n
Fresh.<\/p>\n
Someone had driven in recently.<\/p>\n
Anna opened the glove compartment.<\/p>\n
Inside was a flashlight and a folding knife.<\/p>\n
Dad stared.<\/p>\n
"That's your plan?"<\/p>\n
"My plan is not to pretend we're safe."<\/p>\n
She handed the flashlight to him and kept the knife.<\/p>\n
I called emergency services again.<\/p>\n
They confirmed officers were en route.<\/p>\n
I didn't wait.<\/p>\n
The nearest building had broken windows and boarded doors.<\/p>\n
The second appeared sealed.<\/p>\n
The third had a side door slightly open.<\/p>\n
We moved toward it.<\/p>\n
My heart hammered so loudly I could barely hear the wind.<\/p>\n
Inside, the corridor smelled of mildew.<\/p>\n
Old hospital rooms lined both sides.<\/p>\n
Dad called softly, "Maya?"<\/p>\n
No answer.<\/p>\n
Evelyn pointed to fresh footprints in the dust.<\/p>\n
Two sets.<\/p>\n
One smaller.<\/p>\n
They led downstairs.<\/p>\n
I followed.<\/p>\n
At the bottom was a long hallway lit by a single fluorescent tube.<\/p>\n
Someone had restored power to part of the building.<\/p>\n
"That's not abandoned," Dad whispered.<\/p>\n
A door stood open ahead.<\/p>\n
Inside was a chair.<\/p>\n
A desk.<\/p>\n
Boxes of documents.<\/p>\n
No Maya.<\/p>\n
But her phone lay on the floor.<\/p>\n
I ran to it.<\/p>\n
The screen was cracked.<\/p>\n
Beside it was a strip of torn gray fabric.<\/p>\n
Her jacket.<\/p>\n
"She was here."<\/p>\n
Anna moved to the window.<\/p>\n
"Car tracks behind the building."<\/p>\n
I felt sick.<\/p>\n
"They moved her."<\/p>\n
Dad checked the papers on the desk.<\/p>\n
"Rebecca."<\/p>\n
He held up a folder.<\/p>\n
My name was written across it.<\/p>\n
Inside were photographs.<\/p>\n
Me leaving work.<\/p>\n
Me buying groceries.<\/p>\n
Me at Emily's grave.<\/p>\n
Years of photographs.<\/p>\n
The oldest was dated twelve years ago.<\/p>\n
The newest had been taken last week.<\/p>\n
Another folder carried Lily's name.<\/p>\n
School.<\/p>\n
Soccer games.<\/p>\n
Birthday parties.<\/p>\n
Someone had watched her grow up.<\/p>\n
Evelyn covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
"My God."<\/p>\n
Anna grabbed another file.<\/p>\n
Then she stopped.<\/p>\n
"What?"<\/p>\n
She turned the folder toward us.<\/p>\n
CARL CARTER.<\/p>\n
Inside were recent photographs.<\/p>\n
One showed Carl outside a motel three days earlier.<\/p>\n
Another showed him meeting Maya beside the lake.<\/p>\n
Then I saw the final photograph.<\/p>\n
It had been taken that morning.<\/p>\n
Carl was unconscious in the back seat of a vehicle.<\/p>\n
A handwritten note had been clipped beneath it.<\/p>\n
Move both assets before noon.<\/p>\n
Dad whispered, "Both?"<\/p>\n
I already knew.<\/p>\n
Carl.<\/p>\n
And Maya.<\/p>\n
Then a door slammed somewhere above us.<\/p>\n
Anna turned off the flashlight.<\/p>\n
Footsteps crossed the floor overhead.<\/p>\n
Slow.<\/p>\n
Heavy.<\/p>\n
Not police.<\/p>\n
A man's voice called down the stairwell.<\/p>\n
"Rebecca Carter?"<\/p>\n
My skin went cold.<\/p>\n
He knew I was there.<\/p>\n
"Come upstairs."<\/p>\n
Nobody moved.<\/p>\n
Then he added:<\/p>\n
"If you want your husband and your daughter alive, come alone."<\/p>\n
"Maya, tell me where you are." The line crackled. I heard a door close. Then the muted rumble of an engine. "I'm okay." "No, you're not." My voice came out … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24518,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24524","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\/24524","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=24524"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24570,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24524\/revisions\/24570"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}