Chapter 9: Lily's Father
Thomas Mercer answered on the third ring.
Michael had located him through public records and asked whether he would speak with us.
At first, Thomas refused.
Then Michael said one name.
“Patricia Carter.””
Silence.
Thomas finally whispered, “Where did you hear that name?””
We arranged to meet that afternoon in a private conference room at Michael's office.
Thomas arrived ten minutes early.
He was fifty, maybe fifty-five, with gray hair and the exhausted posture of someone who had been carrying something heavy for years.
He didn't shake my hand.
He looked at me.
“You're Emily's father?””
“Yes.””
“She's alive?””
The question hit me strangely.
“Yes.””
Thomas closed his eyes.
“Good.””
We sat.
The orange bottle had already been turned over to investigators, so I showed him only a photograph.
His reaction was immediate.
He pushed his chair backward.
“Where did you get that?””
“My daughter hid it inside a stuffed rabbit.””
Thomas stared at me.
“Why?””
“Because Patricia told her to put it in my bedroom.””
His face drained of color.
Michael leaned forward.
“Mr. Mercer, was that bottle connected to Lily?””
Thomas didn't answer.
His eyes remained fixed on the photograph.
Finally, he whispered, “I bought her that medicine.””
My chest tightened.
“For what?””
“A temporary prescription after a dental procedure.””
He rubbed his forehead.
“There were only a few doses. I gave them to Rebecca because Lily was staying with her that weekend.””
“What happened afterward?””
“Rebecca said the bottle disappeared.””
Michael asked, “And then?””
Thomas looked at me.
“Three months later, police found prescription medication in my apartment.””
“Your medication?””
“No.””
“Lily's?””
He shook his head.
“Rebecca's.””
The similarities were unbearable.
Thomas continued.
“Rebecca told the court Lily said she'd seen me taking pills and falling asleep.””
“Did Lily say that?””
“Not to me.””
His voice cracked.
“She was eight when the accusations started. Nine when she died.””
I swallowed.
“What happened?””
Thomas stared at his hands.
“The official finding was accidental ingestion.””
“Where?””
“Rebecca's house.””
I felt a chill.
“Was Patricia there?””
Thomas looked up.
“Yes.””
Michael and I exchanged a glance.
“Why?””
“She was Rebecca's friend.””
“How close?””
“I don't know. They met through some parent support group.””
Thomas laughed bitterly.
“At least that's what Rebecca told me.””
He leaned back.
“Patricia became her adviser. That's what I called her.””
“Adviser?””
“She told Rebecca what to document. What judges cared about. What mistakes fathers made.””
My jaw tightened.
Thomas continued.
“She convinced Rebecca I was dangerous.””
“Were you?””
“No.””
His eyes met mine.
“But I wasn't perfect either. I yelled once during an exchange. I missed a school meeting. I had two beers at a barbecue when Lily wasn't even with me.””
He shook his head.
“Every ordinary mistake became evidence.””
I knew exactly what he meant.
“What about the bottle?”” I asked.
Thomas looked at the photograph again.
“I haven't seen that since Lily was alive.””
Michael asked, “Are you certain it's the same one?””
“The pharmacy label had a little butterfly sticker.””
I zoomed in.
There it was.
A faded purple butterfly.
Thomas covered his mouth.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then he began crying.
Quietly.
“I thought they threw everything away.””
I didn't know what to say.
Finally, Thomas wiped his face.
“There's something you need to understand about Patricia.””
“What?””
“She doesn't think she's hurting children.””
That sentence disturbed me more than if he'd called her evil.
“What does she think she's doing?””
“Saving mothers.””
Michael frowned.
“From what?””
“Men.””
Thomas looked at me.
“Her husband left her when Sarah was young.””
I remembered fragments Sarah had told me.
Her father had disappeared when she was nine.
At least, that was the story.
Thomas continued.
“Patricia told Rebecca fathers manipulate courts. She said men pretend to be calm while mothers get labeled emotional.””
That sounded exactly like Patricia's call.
“She told Rebecca the only way to win was to create proof before the father created his own.””
Michael asked, “Did Rebecca know Patricia planted evidence?””
Thomas hesitated.
“I don't know.””
Then he looked at me.
“But after Lily died, Rebecca called me.””
My pulse quickened.
“What did she say?””
“She was hysterical.””
Thomas's voice became unsteady.
“She kept saying, ‘It wasn't supposed to be real.’”
The exact implication made my stomach twist.
“Real medication?””
Thomas nodded.
“She said Patricia promised the bottle used against me contained harmless tablets.””
Michael leaned forward.
“Did Rebecca report this?””
“No.””
“Why?””
“She was terrified.””
“Of Patricia?””
Thomas stared at the table.
“Of what she'd already done.””
He reached into his jacket.
“I recorded the call.””
Michael froze.
“You still have it?””
Thomas nodded.
“I've kept everything.””
He placed a small flash drive on the table.
“My attorney told me it wouldn't bring Lily back. Police said Rebecca was grieving and inconsistent.””
He pushed the drive toward me.
“But if Patricia is doing this again, somebody needs to hear it.””
Michael took the drive.
Before he could insert it into his laptop, my phone rang.
Sarah.
Not an unknown number this time.
Her actual number.
I answered immediately.
“Sarah?””
She was whispering.
“Daniel, don't say my name.””
“Where are you?””
“I found Mom.””
My entire body stiffened.
“Where?””
Sarah ignored the question.
“I searched her car.””
I looked at Michael.
“What did you find?””
Sarah started crying.
“Pictures.””
“What pictures?””
“Children.””
Thomas suddenly stood.
Sarah continued.
“Emily. Lily. Three others.””
Thomas's face collapsed.
Then Sarah whispered something that silenced everyone in the room.
“Daniel, there's another child.””
My grip tightened around the phone.
“What do you mean?””
“A current case.””
“Who?””
“I don't know the father's name.””
“Then tell me about the child.””
Sarah inhaled shakily.
“A six-year-old boy.””
A sound came from her end of the call.
A door opening.
Sarah gasped.
May you like
“Mom?””
Then the line went dead.
