Chapter 10: The Photograph Taken Inside Her Home
Daniel read the message three times.
“She was never supposed to leave the family.””
His voice was barely audible.
Rachel Bennett sat across from him in her office, the photographs spread between them. One showed Lily standing beside a yellow bicycle. Another captured her eating ice cream on a front porch. The final photograph showed the little girl asleep in a bedroom, her face turned toward a stuffed rabbit.
Someone had taken that last picture from inside the house.
Daniel pushed the photograph away.
“Who would do this to a child?””
Rachel folded her hands.
“We don't know yet. But the adoptive parents have reported the photographs to the police, and we're treating the situation seriously.””
“Does the family know who sent them?””
“Not yet. The envelope was delivered without a return address. The handwriting doesn't match anything we've seen so far.””
Daniel stood and began pacing.
“I haven't even met my daughter. I haven't called them. I've followed every instruction you've given me. Why would someone threaten them?””
“That's precisely why we need to avoid jumping to conclusions.””
He stopped beside the window.
“Could it be Marcus?””
“It's possible, but we have no evidence establishing that.””
“Claire?””
“Again, we don't know.””
Daniel pressed his palms against the windowsill.
“What if somebody is trying to make the adoptive parents think I'm dangerous?””
Rachel looked at him carefully.
“That is one possibility. Another is that someone wants to force the family into making a decision before the legal questions are resolved.””
“Which decision?””
“Perhaps moving Lily. Perhaps refusing any future contact. We shouldn't speculate beyond what the evidence supports.””
Daniel returned to his chair.
For the first time since learning that Lily existed, he looked frightened in a way that had nothing to do with his own pain.
“Can you tell the family I don't want to hurt them?”” he asked.
“I don't want to take their daughter away. I just want to know her someday, if that's what the law allows and what's best for her.””
“I can communicate that through their attorney.””
“Please do.””
That evening, Daniel came to my house carrying a small paper bag.
Inside was a stuffed rabbit with floppy ears.
“I saw it at a toy store,” he explained.
“I know I shouldn't be buying things for her yet. I just couldn't leave it there.””
I touched the soft gray fur.
“It's lovely.””
He sat on the living-room floor while Sophie played with her building blocks.
“Do you think she'll like rabbits?”” he asked.
“I think most little girls like something they can cuddle.””
“What if she doesn't?””
“Then you learn what she does like.””
He smiled faintly.
Sophie crawled over and examined the toy.
“Is that for Lily?””
Daniel nodded.
“Maybe someday.””
Sophie hugged it against her chest.
“Can I keep it safe until then?””
Daniel's eyes filled.
“Yes, sweetheart. That would mean a lot to me.””
For several days, we heard nothing more about the photographs.
Then Rachel called with an update.
The adoptive parents, Michael and Laura Bennett, had agreed to speak with Daniel through their attorneys. They were frightened, she explained, but they understood that Daniel hadn't been proven responsible for the anonymous messages.
Daniel spent an hour writing a letter.
He rewrote the first paragraph six times.
Eventually, he settled on simple words.
He acknowledged that Michael and Laura had raised Lily since birth. He thanked them for loving her. He explained that he had only recently learned of her existence and wanted to respect their role in her life.
He didn't ask them to surrender custody.
He didn't demand photographs or medical records.
He asked only that, when appropriate, they consider telling Lily the truth about her biological father.
Rachel forwarded the letter.
Two days later, Laura responded.
She agreed to a supervised meeting after the investigation into the photographs had progressed and the attorneys had established appropriate boundaries.
Daniel read the message at my kitchen table.
Then he covered his face.
“They're going to let me meet her.””
I hugged him.
“Yes.””
He laughed and cried at the same time.
But the relief lasted only until the next morning.
At 7:12 a.m., Rachel called.
“The police have identified a vehicle that appeared near the Bennett home on two occasions,” she said.
“It's registered to someone connected to Claire.””
Daniel went silent.
“Who?””
“Your mother.””
He stared at me.
“What?””
Rachel continued carefully.
“The vehicle was recorded by a neighbor's security camera. Investigators have not established why it was there or whether your mother took any of the photographs. They want to speak with her.””
Daniel lowered himself into a chair.
“No. She wouldn't do that.””
“Daniel, I'm not saying she did. I'm telling you what the evidence currently shows.””
He hung up after thanking Rachel.
For a long moment, he didn't speak.
Then he reached for his phone.
He called our mother.
She answered on the fourth ring.
“Daniel?””
“Were you near Lily's house?””
Silence.
“Mom, answer me.””
“I drove past once.””
“Once?””
“I wanted to see her.””
Daniel closed his eyes.
“You know where she lives?””
“Claire told me the general area.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because you were already dealing with so much.””
He let out a bitter breath.
“Stop using that excuse!””
Mom began crying.
“I didn't take any pictures. I swear to you, Daniel. I just wanted to see my granddaughter.””
“Then why were you there twice?””
“I couldn't stop thinking about her.””
“Did you go inside the house?””
“No!””
“Did you send those photographs?””
“Absolutely not!””
Daniel pressed his fingers against his forehead.
“Then you need to tell the police everything you know.””
“I will.””
“And Mom?””
“Yes?””
“If you lie to me again, I don't know how I'll ever trust you.””
He ended the call.
That afternoon, Rachel received another message from the adoptive family's attorney.
Michael and Laura were still willing to meet Daniel.
But they had one new condition.
Before any meeting could happen, they wanted Claire to disclose everything she knew about Lily's birth, the adoption, and the disputed DNA report.
Rachel read the message aloud.
Daniel looked toward the stuffed rabbit sitting on my kitchen counter.
“Then we ask Claire.””
He picked up his phone.
“Because if my daughter is being used to cover up something else, I need to know what it is.””
And just as he began dialing, an unknown number sent him a photograph.
It showed Claire standing outside a hospital room.
Beside her was a nurse holding a newborn baby.
May you like
On the back of the photograph, someone had written:
*LILY WASN'T THE ONLY BABY BORN THAT NIGHT.*
