Chapter 10: The Mother Who Never Died
For seventeen years, I'd visited my mother's grave every Christmas.
I'd taken flowers there on her birthday. I'd sat beside the headstone and told her about my life, my marriage, and eventually, the granddaughter she'd never met.
Now my brother was telling me she'd never died.
I stared at him.
“Say that again.””
Daniel rubbed his face.
“Mom is alive, Michael.””
I grabbed his jacket.
“Where is she?””
“Please, listen to me.””
“WHERE IS SHE?””
The courtroom had nearly emptied, but several people turned toward us.
Jennifer stepped between us.
“Michael, let's take a breath.””
I released Daniel.
He looked devastated.
“I was twenty-one when she contacted me. She told me she'd been hiding because someone was threatening her.””
“Who?””
“Uncle David.””
I shook my head.
“That's impossible. David told us she died six months after Dad.””
Daniel nodded.
“He arranged everything. The funeral, the death certificate, even the cemetery records. Mom disappeared because she believed David had arranged Dad's death.””
I felt sick.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because she made me promise. She said you were being watched.””
“Watched by whom?””
“Richard. David. And someone else.””
I stepped closer.
“Who?””
Daniel looked at Sophie.
“Not here.””
I turned toward Jennifer.
“Can you take Sophie somewhere safe?””
She nodded.
“Margaret can accompany us. I'll arrange a protected location.””
Sophie immediately grabbed my hand.
“Daddy, are you leaving?””
I knelt.
“I need to find someone, sweetheart. Aunt Margaret will stay with you.””
She looked frightened.
“Will you come back?””
I kissed her forehead.
“Always.””
Daniel and I left the courthouse with Detective Morgan.
She wasn't happy about our decision to pursue my mother immediately, but she agreed to accompany us after checking the information.
We drove to a small house outside Atlanta.
Daniel had an address written on an old envelope.
The property stood behind a row of tall trees. The curtains were closed, and a porch light flickered above the front door.
Daniel knocked three times.
Then twice.
A small window opened.
A woman's voice spoke.
“Who's there?””
Daniel swallowed.
“It's me, Mom.””
The door opened.
And there she stood.
Older.
Thinner.
Her hair had turned almost completely gray.
But those were my mother's eyes.
She looked at Daniel first.
Then she saw me.
Her hand flew to her mouth.
“Michael?””
I couldn't move.
For several seconds, we simply stared at each other.
Then I stepped forward.
“Why?””
She began crying.
“Oh, sweetheart.””
“Don't call me that.””
Her face crumpled.
“Michael, please.””
“You let me bury you. You let me visit your grave. You let me believe I had lost everyone.””
She reached for my hand.
I pulled away.
“I needed to protect you.””
“From what? My own family?””
She looked toward Detective Morgan.
“Come inside. There's something you need to know.””
The house smelled of old coffee and lavender.
On the living-room wall were photographs.
Daniel as a teenager.
My father holding me as a baby.
And one photograph of Emily carrying newborn Sophie.
My mother had been watching our lives from a distance.
I felt another wave of anger.
“You knew Emily died?””
She nodded.
“I found out the morning after the accident.””
“And you didn't come?””
“I couldn't.””
“Why?””
She sat down.
“Because your father discovered something before he died. He found evidence that David and Richard were stealing money from a company established by your grandfather. He planned to expose them.””
She wiped her eyes.
“When your father refused to cooperate, they threatened our family. Then he died.””
Detective Morgan leaned forward.
“Did you witness anything?””
My mother nodded.
“I was in the passenger seat when David followed us that night.””
I stared at her.
“What night?””
“The night your father died.””
She looked directly at me.
“David was driving the car behind us. Richard was in the passenger seat. They forced your father off the road.””
My stomach twisted.
“You were there?””
“Yes.””
“Then why did everyone say you died six months later?””
“Because David found me after the accident. He told me if I ever spoke, he'd make sure my sons suffered the same fate.””
I looked at Daniel.
He was crying silently.
My mother continued.
“I disappeared. I changed my name. I moved between safe houses. I thought distance would protect you.””
“Instead, you left us with David.””
She lowered her head.
“I know.””
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Detective Morgan asked the question I had been avoiding.
“Mrs. Bennett, do you know where David is now?””
My mother looked toward the window.
“He knows I'm alive.””
“How?””
She stood and walked toward a small cabinet.
Inside was a photograph.
It showed David standing outside our family home.
The photograph had been taken that morning.
On the back was a message.
Family reunions are dangerous.
My mother began shaking.
“He found me.””
Detective Morgan immediately called for backup.
But before she could finish, the lights went out.
A car engine roared outside.
Then glass shattered.
Someone had thrown a brick through the living-room window.
A folded piece of paper landed beside it.
Daniel picked it up.
“Michael, look.””
The message contained three words.
*Bring me Sophie.*
My mother grabbed my arm.
“There's another reason David wants your daughter.””
“What?””
She looked at me with tears in her eyes.
“Your father didn't leave the inheritance to you, Michael.””
She paused.
“He left it to both of you.””
I frowned.
“Both of whom?””
She looked toward the photograph of Emily holding Sophie.
“Your father had another child before you were born.””
I felt the blood drain from my face.
“And that child is…”
My mother whispered a name.
“David Bennett.””
My uncle wasn't my uncle.
May you like
He was my father's firstborn son.
And suddenly, seventeen years of lies began making a terrible kind of sense.
