Chapter 9: The Child They Switched
Opal couldn't move.
The note lay between us on the coffee table.
THE WOMAN YOU'RE PROTECTING IS NOT WALTER'S DAUGHTER.
I looked at Eleanor.
"Tell us what that means.""
She sat down slowly.
"I don't know who sent that message, but I know why they want you to believe it.""
Opal shook her head.
"You're my daughter. I gave birth to you.""
Eleanor looked at her mother.
"I know you did.""
"Then what are you talking about?""
Eleanor opened the folder she had been holding.
"Twenty-three years ago, when I disappeared, Richard told me something. He said Walter had discovered that I wasn't biologically his child.""
Opal stared at her.
"That's ridiculous.""
"He claimed Dad had known for years.""
"Your father loved you. He never questioned whether you were his daughter.""
Eleanor's voice broke.
"Then why did he write that note asking someone to find me?""
Opal looked away.
Daniel interrupted gently.
"Let's separate what we know from what Richard told you. Do you have any documents?""
Eleanor nodded.
She removed an old hospital record.
It was a birth certificate issued twenty-six years earlier.
The mother's name was Opal Hargrove.
The father's name was Walter Hargrove.
Everything appeared normal.
Then she showed us a second document.
A hospital admission record.
It listed another newborn girl delivered on the same night.
The mother's name was Catherine Voss.
I looked at Eleanor.
"Richard's wife?""
She nodded.
"She died shortly after giving birth.""
Opal sat down.
"What are you suggesting?""
Eleanor took a breath.
"Richard told me that two babies were switched at the hospital.""
The room went silent.
"That's impossible," Opal whispered.
"He claimed Catherine's baby was taken home by you and Dad. He said I was actually his biological daughter.""
Opal stood abruptly.
"No. No, that's not true.""
Eleanor began crying.
"I wanted to believe it was a lie. But Richard showed me a document.""
"What document?""
"A private genetic report.""
Daniel leaned forward.
"Do you still have it?""
Eleanor opened another envelope.
Inside was a photocopied DNA report.
The names were partially obscured.
But the results showed a biological relationship between Eleanor and Richard Voss.
Opal pressed her hand against her chest.
"Why would Walter never tell me?""
"Because Richard claimed Walter knew about the switch and had agreed to keep it secret.""
I stared at the report.
Something wasn't right.
"Wait.""
Everyone turned toward me.
I examined the document.
"Look at the date.""
Daniel leaned over.
The report had supposedly been prepared four years earlier.
But the laboratory named on the document had closed six years before that.
Daniel took it from me.
"That's a serious inconsistency.""
Eleanor looked confused.
"What does that mean?""
"It means this report may be fabricated.""
Opal sat down again.
"Richard lied?""
"Possibly," Daniel replied.
"We need an independent DNA test before accepting anything.""
Eleanor wiped her eyes.
"He used that report to control me. He said I couldn't return to my family because my entire life had been built on a lie.""
I felt a surge of anger.
"He used the same tactic with me.""
Eleanor looked at me.
"What do you mean?""
"My husband and sister made everyone believe I was a thief. They used forged documents and witnesses to convince a court.""
I pointed to the report.
"Richard knew how to make lies look official.""
Daniel nodded.
"We need to find the original hospital records.""
Eleanor hesitated.
"There's something else.""
She removed a small cassette tape from the bottom of the folder.
"Richard recorded conversations. He kept them because he liked having insurance against people.""
"What's on this one?"" Daniel asked.
"My father.""
Opal's eyes widened.
"Your father?""
"Yes. Walter.""
Eleanor placed the cassette on the table.
"I found it among his belongings after he disappeared.""
Daniel examined the label.
It contained a date.
The date Walter was supposedly dead.
I looked at Eleanor.
"Can we listen to it?""
She nodded.
Daniel found an old cassette player in a cabinet.
He inserted the tape.
A burst of static filled the room.
Then a man's voice emerged.
"If anything happens to me, Opal needs to know the truth.""
Opal covered her mouth.
It was Walter.
Older. Tired.
But unmistakably her husband.
Another voice answered.
Richard.
"You're making a mistake, Walter.""
"I've seen the transfers. I've seen the signatures. You used my daughter.""
"I protected her.""
"You kidnapped her.""
"I gave her a life.""
Walter's voice grew louder.
"You destroyed everything we built.""
There was a pause.
Then Richard spoke again.
"You're forgetting something. You have your own secrets.""
"What secrets?""
"The Hale family.""
My heart stopped.
Walter continued.
"Leave Rebecca's father out of this.""
Richard laughed.
"Thomas knew exactly what we were doing.""
I gripped the edge of the table.
My father?
No.
That couldn't be right.
The recording continued.
Richard spoke slowly.
"Your wife isn't the only person who has been lied to. Ask Thomas Hale why he kept a second set of books.""
I felt the blood drain from my face.
My father had been dead for six years before my arrest.
He couldn't defend himself.
He couldn't explain anything.
Daniel stopped the tape.
"Rebecca, did your father ever mention Richard Voss?""
I shook my head.
"No.""
"Did he keep private business records?""
"I don't know.""
Eleanor looked at me.
"Richard said Thomas helped him establish the original shell companies.""
I stepped away from the table.
"You're telling me my father was involved?""
"I'm telling you that's what Richard claimed.""
I looked at Opal.
She appeared just as shocked as I was.
Then I remembered something.
My father's old office.
The locked desk drawer.
The one I had never opened because he had told me it contained personal papers.
After his death, Trevor had insisted that I let him handle the estate paperwork.
I had trusted him.
I had given him the key.
I suddenly understood why he had wanted control of everything.
"Daniel, I need to get into my father's old office.""
"Where is it?""
"At my former house.""
Opal looked at me.
"Isn't that where Trevor and Monica live?""
"Yes.""
Daniel shook his head.
"We can't simply walk in.""
I looked at the cassette player.
My father had been mentioned in a recording connected to a multimillion-dollar theft.
If Richard was telling the truth, my father might have known more than I had ever imagined.
And if he was lying, there was still a reason he had chosen Thomas Hale's name.
Before Daniel could respond, Eleanor's phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
Her face went white.
"Who is it?"" Opal asked.
Eleanor didn't answer.
The phone rang again.
Then she pressed the speaker button.
A man's voice filled the room.
"Hello, Eleanor.""
Richard Voss.
Eleanor began trembling.
"How did you get this number?""
He laughed.
"You're asking the wrong question.""
Then his voice changed.
"Put Opal on the phone.""
Opal stood.
"Richard?""
"Hello, Opal. It's been a long time.""
"You told me Walter was dead.""
"I told you what you needed to believe.""
Opal's face crumpled.
"Where is my husband?""
Richard remained silent for several seconds.
Then he said something none of us expected.
"He's been alive all these years. And if you want to see him again, you will bring me Rebecca Hale.""
The call ended.
I stared at the phone.
Opal slowly turned toward me.
Daniel closed the curtains.
Eleanor began crying.
And for the first time since leaving prison, I understood something terrifying.
My wrongful conviction hadn't been the end of a conspiracy.
May you like
It had been the beginning of one.
*And Walter Hargrove was still alive.*
