Chapter 4
Rachel stared at the image until the hallway seemed to disappear around her.
“No.”
Detective Cole said nothing.
Nathan looked at the phone.
His face changed.
“Jenna?”
Rachel shook her head.
“She brought Ellie to the hospital.”
Cole nodded.
“What time?”
“Around ten-thirty.”
“And she told you she stayed with Ellie?”
“Yes.”
“Did she?”
Rachel thought back.
Everything had been chaos.
Phone calls.
Doctors.
Nathan crashing.
Her own mother crying.
Jenna had texted that she was downstairs with Ellie.
Then she had appeared alone outside the intensive-care hallway and said Ellie was with a volunteer in the family lounge.
Rachel had been furious.
But then someone shouted Nathan’s name.
She ran.
She never checked.
“Ellie said Aunt Jenna went to get juice,” Rachel whispered.
Nathan looked confused.
“What?”
Rachel told him what Ellie had seen.
The small brown bottle.
Margaret standing beside Nathan’s bed.
The argument.
The water.
But now a new detail mattered.
Jenna had been nearby.
Cole put the phone away.
“I need to speak with your sister.”
Rachel immediately called.
Voicemail.
Again.
Voicemail.
A third time.
Nothing.
Rachel’s pulse quickened.
“She always answers me.”
“Where does she live?”
“About fifteen minutes away.”
Cole stepped toward the door.
“Send me the address.”
“I’m coming.”
“No.”
“That is my sister.”
“That is exactly why you’re not coming.”
Rachel’s eyes flashed.
“My husband woke up in a coffin and my four-year-old daughter witnessed something connected to it. You don’t get to tell me to sit here.”
Nathan reached for her hand.
“Rach.”
She turned.
His face was exhausted.
“Stay with me.”
The anger left her immediately.
Nathan squeezed her fingers.
“Please.”
Rachel nodded.
Cole left.
For the next twenty minutes, Nathan drifted in and out of sleep.
Rachel remained beside him.
She kept thinking about Jenna.
Her little sister.
The woman who had helped Rachel choose Ellie’s preschool.
The woman who had slept on Rachel’s couch for a week after Ellie was born because Rachel was overwhelmed.
The woman Nathan had given a job at Carter Construction when she lost hers.
It made no sense.
Then Nathan woke suddenly.
“Phone.”
Rachel leaned closer.
“What?”
“My phone.”
“The police have it.”
“No. Other phone.”
Rachel frowned.
“What other phone?”
Nathan looked toward the door.
“In my office.”
“You have a second phone?”
“Not phone. Recorder.”
Rachel stared.
Nathan’s voice was weak but urgent.
“I started recording meetings.”
“Because of the missing money?”
“Yes.”
“Did Jenna know?”
“Maybe.”
“What’s on it?”
“I don’t know.”
Rachel’s frustration rose.
“Nathan.”
“I put it under my desk before meeting Mom.”
“Why?”
“I thought somebody was coming into my office.”
Rachel froze.
“What made you think that?”
“Files moved.”
“Who has keys?”
“Lucas. Mom. Jenna.”
“And me.”
Nathan nodded.
“But you didn’t know where I kept the financial backups.”
Rachel’s heart sank.
“So whoever used my login did.”
“Yes.”
“What does that have to do with a recorder?”
Nathan swallowed.
“I wanted to hear who came in when I wasn’t there.”
“And did anyone?”
“I collapsed before I could check.”
Rachel stood.
“I’m going to get it.”
Nathan grabbed her wrist.
“No.”
“We need it.”
“Call Cole.”
“He’s dealing with Jenna.”
“Then call Lucas.”
Rachel hesitated.
Nathan saw it.
“You trust him?”
“I don’t know who I trust.”
The truth hurt them both.
Lucas entered ten minutes later.
Rachel told him about the recorder.
His face sharpened.
“I’ll get it.”
Nathan watched him.
“Don’t tell Mom.”
Lucas laughed without humor.
“I’m not telling anyone anything.”
Rachel walked him into the hallway.
“Luke.”
He turned.
“If there’s something you haven’t told us, tell me now.”
He stared at her.
“What are you asking?”
“Nathan said three million dollars is missing.”
Lucas’s face drained.
“You knew?”
“Not three million.”
Rachel’s stomach dropped.
“How much did you know about?”
Lucas looked toward Nathan’s room.
“About eight hundred thousand.”
Rachel grabbed his arm.
“You knew eight hundred thousand dollars was missing and said nothing?”
“I was trying to figure out where it went.”
“For how long?”
“Four months.”
“Does Nathan know you knew?”
“No.”
Rachel stepped back.
“Why?”
“Because the first transactions looked like they came from him.”
Nathan.
Then Rachel.
Someone had used both their identities.
“Who else knew?”
Lucas hesitated.
Rachel’s anger returned.
“Who?”
“Jenna.”
Rachel closed her eyes.
Of course.
“What did she say?”
“She said Nathan had asked her to reorganize archived invoices.”
“And you believed her?”
“She had his credentials.”
“Apparently everyone had everybody’s credentials.”
Lucas ran both hands through his hair.
“That company was built by our father. We trusted family.”
“And someone used that.”
“Yes.”
Rachel stared at him.
“Did your mother know?”
Lucas looked away.
“That’s complicated.”
“No. It isn’t. Yes or no?”
“Yes.”
Rachel’s stomach twisted.
“She knew?”
“I told her six weeks ago.”
“What did she do?”
“She told me not to tell Nathan until we had proof.”
“Why?”
“She said Nathan was under too much pressure.”
Rachel almost laughed.
“He was being robbed!”
“I know.”
“Then why protect him from the truth?”
Lucas’s face darkened.
“I don’t think she was protecting Nathan.”
Rachel stared.
“Who was she protecting?”
“I don’t know.”
His answer came too quickly.
Rachel stepped closer.
“You do.”
Lucas shook his head.
“Go get the recorder.”
He left.
Rachel returned to Nathan.
An hour passed.
No call from Cole.
No call from Jenna.
No call from Lucas.
Then Ellie was brought upstairs by a hospital social worker.
The child ran into Rachel’s arms.
“Mommy.”
Rachel held her tightly.
Nathan opened his eyes.
“Princess?”
Ellie froze.
Rachel lowered her to the floor.
Ellie stared at Nathan.
He smiled weakly.
“Hey, bug.”
She burst into tears.
“Daddy!”
Rachel helped her onto a chair beside the bed.
Ellie carefully touched Nathan’s hand.
“You woke up.”
“Because you called me.”
“I told everybody.”
“I know.”
“They said you were dead.”
Nathan’s eyes filled.
“Everybody was wrong.”
Ellie leaned close.
“I wasn’t.”
Nathan smiled.
“No. You weren’t.”
She kissed his fingers.
For a few minutes, the nightmare disappeared.
Then Ellie looked toward the doorway.
Her face changed.
Rachel followed her gaze.
Margaret stood there.
A uniformed officer was beside her.
Apparently, she had not been arrested.
Not yet.
Ellie climbed down and hid behind Rachel.
Margaret’s expression broke.
“Ellie.”
“No.”
The child’s voice was small but firm.
Margaret stopped.
Nathan looked at his mother.
“Why did Amelia say you sent her?”
Margaret closed her eyes.
Rachel held Ellie closer.
“Answer him.”
Margaret opened her eyes again.
“Because I did.”
Nathan stared at her.
Rachel’s blood turned cold.
“You sent that nurse?”
“I asked her to give you something to calm you down.”
“You knew she had medication?”
“I thought it was harmless.”
“What was it?”
“Something for anxiety.”
“Why?”
Margaret began crying.
“Because you were furious.”
Nathan’s jaw tightened.
“I was furious because someone stole millions from the company.”
“I know.”
“And you told Lucas not to tell me.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Margaret looked at Rachel.
Then at Ellie.
“Because the person taking the money said they would destroy this family if I interfered.”
Rachel felt an icy pressure in her chest.
“Who?”
Margaret shook her head.
“I can’t.”
Nathan stared at her.
“You nearly let them bury me.”
“I didn’t know they were going to kill you!”
Her voice cracked.
Ellie flinched.
Rachel pulled the child against her.
Margaret lowered her voice.
“I swear to you. Amelia told me it was something mild. She had helped me before when your father was dying. I trusted her.”
“Then why did you tell Ellie I wasn’t supposed to wake up?”
Margaret looked confused.
“I didn’t.”
Ellie peeked around Rachel.
“You did.”
Margaret shook her head.
“No, sweetheart.”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“At the hospital.”
Margaret’s face changed.
“I never spoke to Ellie at the hospital.”
Rachel stared at her.
“You were in Nathan’s room.”
“Yes.”
“But Ellie says you spoke to her.”
“I didn’t even see Ellie.”
Rachel’s skin prickled.
Nathan whispered, “Then who did?”
Ellie looked confused.
“She looked like Grandma.”
Rachel crouched.
“What do you mean?”
“The lady.”
“What lady?”
“The one with Aunt Jenna.”
Rachel felt the room tilt.
“What did she look like?”
Ellie pointed toward Margaret.
“Like Grandma.”
Margaret went perfectly still.
Nathan stared at his mother.
Rachel saw it then.
Something passed between them.
Recognition.
Fear.
A family secret.
Rachel stood slowly.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
Margaret sat down.
For the first time, she looked old.
“Nathan.”
He shook his head.
“No.”
Margaret’s eyes filled.
“She deserves to know.”
“Mom.”
“It’s already destroying us.”
Rachel looked from one to the other.
“What?”
Margaret whispered, “I have a sister.”
Rachel blinked.
“So?”
“An identical twin.”
Silence.
Rachel stared at her.
“You have never mentioned a twin.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because we haven’t spoken in twenty-eight years.”
Nathan closed his eyes.
Rachel looked at him.
“You knew?”
“Yes.”
“Who is she?”
Margaret’s lips trembled.
“Victoria.”
“Why haven’t you spoken?”
Margaret looked at Nathan.
Then back at Rachel.
“Because when Nathan was eight years old, Victoria tried to take him from me.”
Rachel frowned.
“What do you mean take him?”
“She believed Nathan should have been hers.”
“Why?”
Margaret began to cry.
“Because biologically…”
Nathan whispered, “Mom, don’t.”
But Margaret finished.
“Biologically, Nathan is Victoria’s son.”
Rachel stopped breathing.
Nathan looked away.
Ellie squeezed Rachel’s hand.
Nothing in the room made sense anymore.
Margaret continued through tears.
“Victoria gave birth to him. I raised him.”
Rachel stared at her husband.
“You knew this?”
“Since I was sixteen.”
“And you never told me?”
“I wanted it dead and buried.”
The words hung painfully in the air.
Rachel almost laughed at the cruelty of them.
Dead and buried.
Nathan winced.
“I’m sorry.”
Before Rachel could answer, her phone rang.
Detective Cole.
She picked up immediately.
“Did you find Jenna?”
There was a pause.
“We found her apartment empty.”
Rachel’s heart dropped.
“But we found something else.”
“What?”
“A photograph.”
Rachel gripped the phone.
“Of who?”
“Your sister.”
Cole’s voice hardened.
“She’s standing beside an older woman who looks exactly like Nathan’s mother.”
Rachel turned toward Margaret.
Margaret saw the answer in her eyes.
“No,” she whispered.
Cole continued.
“The photo is dated six months ago.”
Margaret covered her mouth.
Rachel asked the question everyone was afraid to ask.
“Is the woman Victoria?”
Cole answered.
“We believe so.”
Nathan’s monitor began to beep faster.
Margaret stood.
“No. Victoria doesn’t know Jenna.”
Rachel stared at her.
“Apparently she does.”
Then Cole said something worse.
“We also found a copy of Nathan’s original birth certificate.”
Rachel’s breath caught.
“Why would Jenna have that?”
“We don’t know.”
A nurse rushed in because of Nathan’s heart rate.
Rachel stepped into the hallway.
Cole lowered his voice.
“There’s one more thing.”
Rachel shut her eyes.
“What?”
“Your sister has a flight booked tonight.”
“To where?”
“Mexico City.”
“When?”
“Forty-seven minutes.”
Rachel opened her eyes.
“Can you stop her?”
“We’re trying.”
Then another call flashed across her screen.
Lucas.
Rachel answered.
“Did you get the recorder?”
Lucas was breathing hard.
“Yes.”
“What’s on it?”
“Rachel…”
“What?”
“You need to hear this yourself.”
“Tell me.”
There was a long silence.
Then Lucas said, “Jenna came into Nathan’s office the night before he collapsed.”
Rachel closed her eyes.
“And?”
“She wasn’t alone.”
Rachel already knew.
“Victoria?”
“No.”
Rachel frowned.
“Then who?”
May you like
Lucas’s voice shook.
“Dr. Brent.”
