Chapter 11: The Second Woman With Rachel's Face
For several seconds, nobody in the room spoke.
The woman on Thomas's screen struggled against the restraints around her wrists. Her dark hair fell across her face, and a bruise darkened one cheek.
But it wasn't Rachel.
It couldn't be.
The woman standing beside me was Rachel, older and thinner, with silver in her hair and a scar running beneath her left ear.
The woman on the screen had the same scar.
The same eyes.
The same shape of face.
My father reached for the phone with shaking hands.
“Thomas, what have you done?””
My uncle laughed.
“I'm correcting a mistake you should have corrected six years ago.””
Rachel stepped closer to the screen.
“Who is she?””
Thomas tilted the camera toward the captive.
“Ask your husband, Rachel. He's the one who signed the papers.””
Rachel recoiled.
“Daniel?””
My father looked as though he'd been punched.
“I've never seen that woman before.””
Thomas smiled.
“Then why did you pay to have her buried?””
The call ended.
For a moment, the only sound was the ticking clock above my father's desk.
Then the police officer took the phone.
“Can you trace that call?””
“We'll try,” another officer replied.
“But we need to preserve the device and get the number.””
I turned toward my father.
“Who is that woman?””
“I don't know.””
“Thomas said you signed the papers.””
“I signed many documents during the investigation. Some were presented as medical authorizations. I didn't see every page.””
Rachel stared at him.
“You signed something that allowed them to bury a woman under my name?””
“I never knowingly did that.””
“You expect me to believe you?””
“No,” he whispered.
“But it's the truth.””
I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe there was a simple explanation hidden beneath the years of lies.
But the photograph, the false death certificate, and the payments to the private medical facility had already taught me how dangerous belief could be.
I looked at the officer.
“We need to find Thomas.””
“We're coordinating with local authorities. But we need a confirmed location before we can move.””
My father suddenly straightened.
“I know where he keeps the records.””
Everyone turned toward him.
“The old Miller Development building,” he said.
“There's a service entrance behind the loading dock. Thomas used it to access the basement archive without going through the main office.””
The officer picked up his radio.
“Dispatch, we need units at the former Miller Development property on West Broad Street. Possible hostage situation. Suspect identified as Thomas Miller.””
Rachel gripped my arm.
“Ethan, we have to go.””
“No,” I said.
“We're not walking into another trap.””
“That's my face on that screen.””
“And we don't know who that woman is.””
Rachel's eyes filled.
“What if she knows something about the accident? What if she knows why they used my name?””
I looked at her.
She was right.
But Nora was still with my mother at the police station, and every new revelation seemed to put another target on our family.
I took Rachel's hand.
“We'll help her. But we do it with the police.””
My father nodded.
“There's something you should know before you go.””
He opened the folder he'd brought with him and removed a photocopy of an old personnel record.
The name at the top read *Eleanor Shaw*.
Beneath it was a photograph of a woman with dark hair.
The resemblance to Rachel was unmistakable.
“Who is she?”” I asked.
My father sat down heavily.
“Eleanor worked for the company that handled the investment accounts. She was a bookkeeper. Six years ago, she discovered the forged transfers and threatened to report them.””
Rachel examined the photograph.
“She looks like me.””
“Yes,” my father said.
“That's why Thomas believed he could use her.””
“Use her for what?””
“To create a false death record. Eleanor disappeared the same night Rachel's car crashed.””
I stared at the photograph.
“So they used Eleanor's body and told everyone it was Rachel?””
My father nodded.
“They planned to make Rachel's death appear genuine while keeping her alive as leverage. But the plan fell apart when Marcus took control of her medical transfer.””
Rachel looked horrified.
“And Eleanor?””
“We never found her.””
I thought about the woman in the video.
“Is that Eleanor?””
“I don't know. The photograph is old.””
My father rubbed his forehead.
“Thomas was obsessed with controlling the family company. He believed I had hidden money from him. When Vanessa approached him with a plan to recover the disputed assets, he agreed to help.””
“Why would he risk murder for money?”” I asked.
“Because it wasn't just money. It was control. He believed the company should have belonged to him.””
A police officer entered the room.
“We've located the building. A unit is checking the perimeter now.””
Rachel stood.
“I'm going with you.””
The officer shook his head.
“Ma'am, that's not advisable.””
“I know the people involved. I know the documents. And I know what they did to me.””
“Your safety is our priority.””
“Then let me help you understand what you're walking into.””
The officer exchanged a glance with his colleague.
After a brief discussion, they agreed to take Rachel and my father to a nearby staging point, where investigators could question them while the police secured the building.
I stayed behind long enough to call my mother.
Nora answered first.
“Daddy?””
My throat tightened.
“Hey, sweetheart.””
“Is Mommy really going to stay with us?””
I looked through the window at Rachel standing beside the police cruiser.
“Yes,” I said.
“She's coming home.””
“Promise?””
I closed my eyes.
“I promise I'll do everything I can.””
Nora was quiet for a moment.
Then she whispered, “Daddy, I remembered something.””
My heart began pounding.
“What is it?””
“The man who came to our house yesterday. The one who said Mommy was alive.””
“Yes?””
“He had a picture of another woman.””
I gripped the phone.
“What woman?””
“He showed me a picture of someone who looked like Mommy. But he said her name was Eleanor.””
I looked toward the police cruiser.
“Did he tell you anything else?””
Nora hesitated.
“He said if Mommy came back, the wrong woman would die.””
My blood ran cold.
Before I could ask another question, I heard a crash on Nora's end of the line.
She screamed.
Then a man's voice came through the phone.
“Thank you, Ethan. Your daughter has been very helpful.””
The call went dead.
I ran outside.
“Rachel!””
She turned as I reached the cruiser.
“They have Nora.””
My father's face went white.
Rachel grabbed my coat.
“Ethan, listen to me. If they took Nora, they're not trying to scare us anymore.””
I stared at her.
“Then what are they trying to do?””
May you like
She looked at the police officers rushing toward us.
“They're trying to force us to choose which woman lives.””
