Chapter 6: The Dead Woman’s Name
“Natalie died before Lily was conceived.””
Rachel took the photograph.
“Are you sure?””
“I attended her memorial.””
“Did you see her body?””
I stopped.
“No.””
Natalie Shaw had supposedly drowned during a sailing trip off the California coast.
Her body was never recovered.
Claire had been devastated.
For months, she kept Natalie’s photograph beside our bed.
Officer Morales leaned forward.
“When was this memorial?””
“Eight years ago.””
He pointed at the writing on the photograph.
“And when was Lily born?””
“Six years ago.””
Nobody spoke.
I looked again at Natalie’s pregnant stomach.
“This date could be fake.””
“It could,” Morales said.
Rachel turned the photograph toward the light.
“Look at Claire.””
“What?””
“Her necklace.””
Claire was wearing the emerald pendant I gave her for our fifth anniversary.
I remembered buying it.
Seven years ago.
After Natalie’s supposed death.
The date on the photograph might have been wrong by a few months.
But the photograph itself had definitely been taken after Natalie disappeared.
“Natalie survived.””
Rachel whispered it.
I felt sick.
Officer Morales’s radio crackled.
He stepped into the hallway to answer.
I looked through the case again.
“Why would Claire hide her?””
Rachel shook her head.
“Maybe Claire didn’t.””
“Evelyn?””
“Possibly.””
I found another envelope beneath the medical records.
Inside were bank statements.
Regular payments.
$8,000.
Every month.
For nearly seven years.
Recipient: N.S. Holdings.
“What is N.S. Holdings?””
Rachel stared at the initials.
“Natalie Shaw.””
My phone rang.
Maria.
I answered immediately.
“What happened?””
“Daniel…”
Her voice was shaking.
“Where’s Lily?””
“With me.””
“Is she okay?””
“Yes, but you need to come upstairs.””
I ran.
Maria was standing outside Lily’s bedroom.
My daughter sat on the bed holding a stuffed rabbit.
“What happened?””
Maria pointed toward the nightstand.
“I was getting Lily some water when she asked me about the picture.””
“What picture?””
Lily held up a photograph.
“Her.””
My heart stopped.
Natalie.
Older.
Alive.
Standing in my garden.
The photograph couldn’t have been more than a year old.
“Where did you get this?””
Lily pointed toward her wardrobe.
“Vanessa hid it.””
Maria opened a small jewelry box she had found behind Lily’s clothes.
Inside were dozens of photographs.
Natalie outside Lily’s school.
Natalie near our driveway.
Natalie sitting in a parked car.
Natalie watching Lily at a playground.
Every photograph centered on my daughter.
My hands turned cold.
“Lily, have you ever seen this woman?””
She nodded.
Maria and I exchanged a look.
“Where?””
“At school.””
“When?””
“Lots of times.””
“Did she talk to you?””
Lily nodded again.
“What did she say?””
“She said I looked like her.””
I crouched.
“What else?””
“She said she knew Mommy Claire.””
“Did she tell you her name?””
Lily thought.
“She told me not to tell Vanessa.””
“Why?””
“Because Vanessa gets mad when she comes.””
That made no sense.
If Vanessa knew Natalie was alive, why hide photographs of her?
“Lily, did Natalie ever come inside this house?””
My daughter looked toward the hallway.
“Yes.””
“When?””
“Last week.””
Maria covered her mouth.
“What happened?””
“She fought with Vanessa.””
“What did they say?””
“I couldn’t hear everything.””
“Anything you remember.””
Lily squeezed her rabbit.
“The lady said, ‘You promised me Daniel would never know.’”
I stood slowly.
Then Lily added, “And Vanessa said, ‘You shouldn’t have come back for her.’”
“For who?””
Lily pointed at herself.
My stomach dropped.
Officer Morales appeared at the door.
“Mr. Mercer.””
I turned.
His expression told me something else had happened.
“What now?””
“Evelyn is asking for a lawyer.””
“Fine.””
“But Vanessa wants to speak to you.””
“I’m not interested.””
“She says it concerns Lily.””
That changed everything.
Ten minutes later, I sat across from Vanessa in the library.
An officer stood near the door.
Vanessa’s cheek was swollen.
Her hands trembled.
“Where is Lily?””
“Safe.””
“She isn’t.””
I leaned forward.
“Explain.””
Vanessa looked toward the officer.
“Can we speak alone?””
“No.””
“Daniel, please.””
“No more secrets.””
She closed her eyes.
“Natalie is alive.””
“I know.””
Vanessa’s eyes opened.
“You found the photographs.””
“Yes.””
“Then listen carefully.””
“Start talking.””
Vanessa lowered her voice.
“Natalie is Lily’s biological mother.””
I felt nothing this time.
Maybe I had reached the limit of shock.
“You used Natalie’s egg.””
“Yes.””
“Did Claire know?””
“Not at first.””
“Did Natalie consent?””
Vanessa hesitated.
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Money.””
“How much?””
“Enough to disappear.””
I stared at her.
“You helped fake her death.””
Vanessa said nothing.
That was answer enough.
“Why?””
“Because Evelyn needed Natalie legally dead.””
“Needed?””
Vanessa leaned toward me.
“The money wasn’t the real reason.””
“What was?””
“She was protecting something much bigger.””
I laughed without humor.
“Everyone keeps saying that.””
Vanessa’s eyes filled with fear.
“Daniel, the hidden room wasn’t built for Rachel.””
I stopped.
“What?””
“It was already there.””
“Who built it?””
“Claire.””
My mouth went dry.
Vanessa continued.
“Claire discovered what Evelyn and Natalie had done. She built that room because she needed somewhere secure to keep evidence.””
“Evidence of what?””
Vanessa shook her head.
“I never found all of it.””
“Then why imprison Rachel there?””
“Because it was the only place Evelyn didn’t know existed.””
“You said Evelyn told you to get rid of Rachel.””
“She did.””
“And you thought chaining Rachel inside a concrete room was protection?””
“I panicked.””
I stood.
“We’re finished.””
“No!””
Vanessa grabbed the edge of the table.
“Daniel, Natalie didn’t come back because she misses Lily.””
I paused.
“She wants something.””
“What?””
Vanessa stared at me.
“Claire left Lily an inheritance.””
“I know.””
“No, you don’t.””
She swallowed.
“You know about the trust fund.””
“Yes.””
“I’m not talking about the trust fund.””
The officer near the door shifted.
Vanessa leaned closer.
“Claire discovered something in her father’s estate shortly before she died. Something Evelyn had hidden from both of you.””
“What?””
“A controlling interest in Mercer Biotech.””
My chest tightened.
That was my company.
Vanessa continued.
“The shares were transferred into Lily’s name.””
“How many?””
“Thirty-one percent.””
Impossible.
Combined with my holdings, that would give Lily and me controlling voting power.
“Why would Claire’s family own Mercer shares?””
Vanessa whispered, “Because your father didn’t start Mercer Biotech alone.””
Before I could ask what she meant, the library window shattered.
Vanessa screamed.
The officer pulled his weapon.
I dropped behind the desk.
Something had flown through the glass.
Not a bullet.
A small black object.
A phone.
Its screen lit up on the carpet.
One message filled it.
DANIEL, STOP ASKING QUESTIONS.
Then another appeared.
BRING LILY TO THE OLD SHAW HOUSE BY MIDNIGHT.
And beneath it—
May you like
a live photograph of Maria standing beside Lily upstairs.
Taken from inside my mansion.
