Claire expected to take Elias home.<\/p>\n
No one had promised her that.<\/p>\n
Still, I saw the expectation in the way she stood when Dr. Murray mentioned suspending the transfer.<\/p>\n
She looked toward the hallway.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we leave with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Murray\u2019s face softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause legally, his guardianship is unresolved.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat guardianship was built on forged documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel stepped in.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned on Rachel.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone keeps telling me to wait while people who stole my son get to keep making decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one here is telling you Margaret keeps control.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who does?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor tonight? The facility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe facility funded by Margaret.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Murray did not defend herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat funding does not give her operational authority.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently Daniel has enough authority to request transfers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The director looked angry now.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that is being revoked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you revoke it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPending legal review, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The detectives confirmed that Elias would remain at St. Arden while the guardianship records were investigated.<\/p>\n
Claire still hated it.<\/p>\n
But when Dr. Brooks returned from speaking with Elias, the issue became more complicated.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t want to leave tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire\u2019s face collapsed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Daniel scared him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPartly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Brooks chose her words carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is his home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire looked as though she had been struck.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has lived here for five years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, his home should have been with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShould have been.\u201d<\/p>\n
The psychologist let the distinction stand.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut what should have happened eight years ago cannot be repaired by pretending those eight years didn\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire\u2019s eyes filled again.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has friends here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSchool?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStaff he trusts?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire looked away.<\/p>\n
I understood the cruelty of it.<\/p>\n
To love Elias now, she had to respect the life created by the people who had stolen him from her.<\/p>\n
She could not simply tear him out of that life to prove he belonged somewhere else.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does he want?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo see you again tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire shut her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wants you to call before bed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
One small permission.<\/p>\n
It mattered.<\/p>\n
Julian asked if Elias would speak with him.<\/p>\n
Dr. Brooks hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat he\u2019s angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe also said he doesn\u2019t believe you didn\u2019t know where he was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew he was alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou signed his placement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou accepted that your mother controlled everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen from an eight-year-old\u2019s perspective, the difference between not knowing and not looking may not matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian did not answer.<\/p>\n
We stayed at St. Arden for several more hours while lawyers exchanged emergency filings.<\/p>\n
Rachel secured a temporary order preventing Elias\u2019s transfer.<\/p>\n
The detectives collected copies of authorization records.<\/p>\n
Dr. Murray suspended Daniel Kessler\u2019s access.<\/p>\n
Then, just before we were leaving, Elias asked to give Claire something.<\/p>\n
A staff member brought out a large sheet of drawing paper folded in half.<\/p>\n
Claire opened it carefully.<\/p>\n
The picture showed a house.<\/p>\n
A woman.<\/p>\n
A boy.<\/p>\n
And a tall man near a black car.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe drew this?\u201d Claire asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLast week.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at Dr. Brooks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho\u2019s the man?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe assumed Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire studied it.<\/p>\n
The figure had gray hair.<\/p>\n
A line above one eyebrow.<\/p>\n
Daniel.<\/p>\n
But another figure stood behind the house.<\/p>\n
Smaller.<\/p>\n
Dark hair.<\/p>\n
The person wore a blue shirt.<\/p>\n
Claire pointed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is that?\u201d<\/p>\n
The staff member frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the bottom corner, Elias had written two letters.<\/p>\n
B.S.<\/p>\n
Julian saw them.<\/p>\n
His face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBenjamin Sterling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think Elias knows your brother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The phrase sounded less like avoidance now and more like terror.<\/p>\n
Dr. Brooks asked Elias.<\/p>\n
She returned several minutes later.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says that man\u2019s name is Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian stood so abruptly his chair scraped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe visits sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow often?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElias says every few months.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes he know where Ben lives?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian pointed at the drawing.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes Ben know who Elias is?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Brooks answered after another trip down the hall.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says Ben calls him nephew.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one spoke.<\/p>\n
Julian looked as if he might collapse.<\/p>\n
His supposedly dead twin knew Elias.<\/p>\n
Not only knew him.<\/p>\n
Visited him.<\/p>\n
Claire stared at the drawing.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Benjamin knew the family connection.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline whispered, \u201cThen Mother has been keeping them connected.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel said, \u201cMaybe D-eight and D-seven were never separately hidden.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey may have been part of the same structure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline\u2019s eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNorth Harbor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cSupported living. Medical oversight. Family trust payments. Controlled contact.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian looked at Dr. Murray.<\/p>\n
\u201cHas Benjamin Sterling ever signed in?\u201d<\/p>\n
She checked visitor logs.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo Benjamin Sterling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral Bens.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPhotographs?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSecurity keeps archival images for twelve months.\u201d<\/p>\n
The detectives requested them.<\/p>\n
An administrator returned twenty minutes later with printouts.<\/p>\n
One image showed a man entering St. Arden three months earlier.<\/p>\n
Julian stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
The resemblance was unmistakable.<\/p>\n
Same height.<\/p>\n
Same jaw.<\/p>\n
Same eyes.<\/p>\n
Older around the face than Julian, but not by much.<\/p>\n
Caroline covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian reached toward the image but stopped short of touching it.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word sounded strange in his mouth.<\/p>\n
Not memory.<\/p>\n
Discovery.<\/p>\n
Claire looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look almost identical.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian nodded slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father used to say I looked like his side.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline stared at the image.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. You look like each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel asked for visitor records associated with that entry.<\/p>\n
The man had signed in as Benjamin Ward.<\/p>\n
Ward.<\/p>\n
The same surname Elias had been given.<\/p>\n
A cold feeling spread through me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey gave them the same false surname.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich suggests whoever established those identities wanted them administratively linked.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire\u2019s eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Benjamin live at St. Arden?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Dr. Murray said. \u201cVisitor address says North Harbor.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
The thread connected cleanly.<\/p>\n
D-eight.<\/p>\n
North Harbor.<\/p>\n
Benjamin Ward.<\/p>\n
Elias Ward.<\/p>\n
Julian\u2019s twin.<\/p>\n
Julian\u2019s son.<\/p>\n
Two relatives separated from the public family and joined inside the same hidden system.<\/p>\n
Caroline whispered, \u201cMother built another family.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one corrected her.<\/p>\n
Not another family.<\/p>\n
A shadow version of the Sterling one.<\/p>\n
The members Margaret did not want seen.<\/p>\n
Julian stared at Benjamin\u2019s photograph.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we go to North Harbor?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause after today, Margaret knows we found St. Arden.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen she\u2019ll move him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we move faster.\u201d<\/p>\n
The detective spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re already contacting local authorities near North Harbor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian turned toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian\u2019s frustration tightened the room.<\/p>\n
Then my phone rang.<\/p>\n
Unknown number again.<\/p>\n
Everyone looked at me.<\/p>\n
Rachel put it on speaker.<\/p>\n
A man\u2019s voice answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaya Collins?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy name is Thomas Reed. I\u2019m calling from North Harbor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian went still.<\/p>\n
The man continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was given this number by someone named Benjamin Ward.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one breathed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says you\u2019re with Julian Sterling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then Thomas said, \u201cMr. Sterling, Benjamin is asking to speak with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cPut him on.\u201d<\/p>\n
A shuffle.<\/p>\n
Then another voice.<\/p>\n
Older than Julian\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Quieter.<\/p>\n
But unmistakably similar.<\/p>\n
\u201cJulian?\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian gripped the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The voice on the phone trembled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou finally found Elias.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Benjamin exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you need to get him away from Mother before she does what she did to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire expected to take Elias home. No one had promised her that. Still, I saw the expectation in the way she stood when Dr. Murray mentioned suspending the transfer. She … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31296","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\/31296","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=31296"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31331,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31296\/revisions\/31331"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}