Chapter 12: The Son Who Was Never Supposed to Exist
My mother arrived at the government office less than an hour later.
She looked as though she hadn't slept in days. Her blouse was buttoned incorrectly, and she clutched a small handbag against her chest.
When she saw the photograph of Ethan Brooks, she stopped in the doorway.
“That is him,” she whispered.
I stood.
“You're sure?””
She nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks.
“He has the same eyes as Daniel.””
Captain Hayes pulled out a chair for her.
“Denise, we need you to tell us everything you remember about meeting this young man.””
She sat down slowly.
“Samuel invited me to dinner three weeks ago. He said he wanted to make peace before the investigation became public. I almost didn't go, but he told me he had information about Daniel.””
“What happened?”” Bennett asked.
“He introduced Ethan as his nephew. He said the boy's parents had died when he was young, and Samuel had helped his family raise him.””
“Did Ethan know who you were?””
“I don't think so. Samuel introduced me as an old family friend.””
I looked at her.
“Did you speak to him?””
“Only briefly. He was polite. Quiet. He asked how long I had known Samuel.””
“What did you say?””
“That I had known him for many years.””
She pressed a tissue to her mouth.
“I remember noticing a small scar above his eyebrow. Samuel said he'd gotten it falling off a bicycle when he was a child.””
I stared at the photograph.
The scar matched.
“Did you ask how old he was?””
“He said twenty-three.””
The room fell silent.
My mother looked at me.
“Nia, I think I know what happened.””
I pulled my chair closer.
“Tell me.””
She took a trembling breath.
“After Daniel disappeared, Samuel became obsessed with the blue suitcase. He searched our house for weeks. He wanted the original shipment records, but I had hidden them somewhere he couldn't find.””
“Where?””
“I won't tell you until I know you're safe.””
I felt anger rise, but I forced myself to listen.
“Go on.””
“One night, Samuel came home drunk. He told me the operation had gone wrong because Daniel had discovered something that wasn't supposed to exist. He said the baby had been moved to protect everyone involved.””
“Did he say the baby was alive?””
“He said the baby was better off believing he had no parents.””
I gripped the table.
“He knew?””
“Yes.””
“And he raised him?””
My mother nodded slowly.
“I think he arranged the adoption. I think he used his own family name to keep the boy close.””
I stared at the photograph.
Ethan Brooks.
My brother.
A person who had grown up somewhere in the same world as me, possibly hearing stories about Daniel Carter without ever knowing he was his father.
“Does Ethan know?”” I asked.
“I don't know.””
Investigator Bennett stood.
“We need to establish his identity through official records. We also need to locate him before Samuel does.””
“Why would Samuel hurt him?”” I asked.
“Because if Ethan is Daniel's son, he may be connected to the evidence Samuel has spent twenty years trying to control.””
I shook my head.
“He's a person, not evidence.””
Bennett softened her expression.
“I agree. But someone has already made him part of this case without his consent.””
Captain Hayes examined the photograph again.
“There's another possibility. Samuel may have kept Ethan close because he knew the boy could eventually lead him to the safe deposit box.””
I turned toward him.
“The key.””
“Yes. The silver key in the hospital photograph may have been linked to the missing records. If Ethan received it at birth, Samuel may have spent years trying to discover where it belonged.””
My mother suddenly stood.
“No.””
Everyone turned toward her.
She was staring at the table, shaking her head.
“No, Samuel told me the key had been destroyed.””
“When?”” Bennett asked.
“Years ago. He said Daniel had hidden it with the baby, but the key was lost during the transfer.””
I felt a cold pressure in my chest.
“What transfer?””
My mother closed her eyes.
“The night I returned home after those three days, Samuel told me the baby had died. He said the hospital had sent me the wrong paperwork and that there was nothing I could do.””
“Did you see the baby?””
She shook her head.
“No. They said he had been taken for emergency treatment. By the time I was released, he was gone.””
Her voice broke.
“I never held him.””
I reached for her hand.
For the first time since the ceremony, I didn't pull away when she touched me.
I was still furious with her. I wasn't ready to forgive her.
But I could finally see the frightened young woman she had been, trapped between powerful people and a secret she couldn't understand.
“What happened to the blue suitcase?”” Bennett asked.
My mother wiped her cheeks.
“I hid it in a storage room beneath my sister's old house in Savannah. Samuel found it three weeks ago. I think he took it because he realized the investigation was getting too close.””
“Why didn't you tell us that earlier?””
“Because I was afraid he'd go after Ethan.””
The room went silent.
I looked at the photograph again.
“If Ethan is my brother, he deserves to know the truth.””
Bennett nodded.
“We'll locate him and approach him carefully.””
My phone rang before she could finish.
An unknown number.
I answered.
“Hello?””
A young man's voice spoke.
“Is this Nia Carter?””
“Yes. Who is this?””
“My name is Ethan Brooks.””
My heart slammed against my ribs.
“Ethan?””
“I was told you might be looking for me.””
I glanced at Captain Hayes.
He motioned for me to put the call on speaker.
“Who told you that?”” I asked.
“My uncle.””
Samuel.
“What did he say?””
“He said there were people asking questions about my birth. He said I shouldn't trust them.””
“Ethan, I need to ask you something. Do you know anything about a hospital bracelet with the number 214?””
The line went quiet.
Then I heard a door close in the background.
“Where did you hear about that?””
“Please, Ethan. It's important.””
He breathed shakily.
“When I was eighteen, I found a box of old documents in my uncle's office. There was a hospital bracelet inside. It had a number written on it, and a note that said I was supposed to receive something when I turned twenty-five.””
My skin prickled.
“Your twenty-fifth birthday is coming up?””
“In two weeks.””
I looked at Bennett.
She was already writing.
“Ethan, do you know who your biological parents are?””
“No. My uncle always told me my parents died before I was old enough to remember them.””
“Did he ever show you any photographs?””
“Yes.””
“Of whom?””
“My mother.””
My throat tightened.
“What did she look like?””
“I only saw one picture. She had dark hair and wore a pearl necklace.””
My mother covered her mouth.
Ethan continued.
“There's something else. My uncle gave me an envelope last night. He said I should open it if anything happened to him.””
“What's inside?””
“A photograph of a man in a Navy uniform. On the back, someone wrote my name and a date.””
I could barely breathe.
“What date?””
“The day I was born.””
I looked at my mother.
She was crying silently now.
“Ethan,” I said, forcing myself to speak clearly, “I believe your biological parents may be my parents, too.””
The silence on the line was absolute.
Then he whispered, “What are you saying?””
“I'm saying you might be my brother.””
He let out a short, disbelieving laugh.
“That's impossible.””
“I know how it sounds. But we have records, photographs, and a witness who can help us investigate.””
“Why would my uncle lie to me?””
I had no answer that wouldn't destroy him.
Before I could speak, Ethan said, “There's one more thing you need to know.””
“What?””
“My uncle told me to meet him tonight at an abandoned boathouse outside Beaufort. He said he was going to tell me the truth about my parents.””
My stomach dropped.
“Don't go.””
“I have to. He's the only person who's ever known anything about my past.””
“Ethan, please listen to me. Samuel may be dangerous.””
He was silent for a moment.
Then he said, “If what you're telling me is true, he stole my entire life. I deserve to look him in the face and ask why.””
I understood that anger. I understood the desperate need to hear the truth from the person who had kept it hidden.
But I also knew what my father had written.
Do not trust Samuel Brooks.
“Ethan, let the investigators come with you.””
“No.””
“Please.””
“I need to know what happened to my mother.””
His voice broke on the final word.
Then the line went dead.
I stared at my phone.
Investigator Bennett immediately contacted her team, but before anyone could establish Ethan's exact location, a new message arrived.
It contained a photograph of an old wooden boathouse surrounded by dark water.
Beneath it was a single sentence.
Come before midnight if you want your brother to live.
I looked at Captain Hayes.
He was already reaching for his coat.
May you like
Outside, thunder rolled over Charleston.
And somewhere near Beaufort, my brother was walking toward the man who had stolen both our childhoods.
