Chapter 7: The Man Who Knew My Mother's Secret
“She's leaving!””
Madison ran toward the front door.
My father was already moving.
He reached the driveway just as Vanessa's black SUV reversed toward the street. Its tires screeched against the pavement.
“VANESSA!””
She didn't stop.
Dad pulled out his phone and called Detective Harris.
“Vanessa Carter just left my property. She's involved in an investigation concerning my first wife's death and the unauthorized transfer of my son. I need you to locate her.””
The detective asked several questions.
Dad answered them quickly before hanging up.
I stood on the porch, still holding the photograph.
The man in the hospital identification badge looked familiar.
Not because I'd met him.
Because I'd seen his face somewhere else.
“Rebecca?””
She turned toward me.
“Do you recognize him?””
She nodded.
“Dr. Alan Whitmore. He was Claire's obstetrician before he became her surgeon.””
“Why would Mom have a photograph of him at her wedding?””
Rebecca looked toward Dad.
“Because Alan and Claire were friends long before you were born.””
Dad shook his head.
“I never knew they were close.””
“They weren't just friends, Michael.””
Rebecca hesitated.
“Claire once told me she had known him since college. He helped her through a difficult time before she met you.””
Dad stared at her.
“What difficult time?””
Rebecca looked down.
“That's something Claire should have told you herself.””
Madison came back inside, holding her phone.
“Mom isn't answering.””
Dad barely glanced at her.
“Call the police if she contacts you. Don't delete anything from your phone.””
Madison nodded.
For the first time, she seemed to understand that this wasn't another family argument.
A few minutes later, Daniel received a call.
He listened silently, then looked at Dad.
“The detective has located the original transfer file.””
Dad stepped forward.
“And?””
“There's a second authorization form. It was signed by someone claiming to be the baby's biological father.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“Who?””
Daniel looked at the photograph.
“Alan Whitmore.””
The room went silent.
Dad slowly sat down.
“That can't be right.””
Rebecca closed her eyes.
“I was afraid of this.””
I looked at her.
“Are you saying Dr. Whitmore was my brother's father?””
“I don't know. But Claire once told me she had a secret from before her marriage. She said it was something she would explain when the time was right.””
Dad stared at the floor.
“Claire never told me she had another relationship.””
Rebecca answered gently.
“Michael, whatever happened before your marriage doesn't change what she felt for you afterward.””
He rubbed his face.
“But if Alan was Daniel's father, why did he help transfer the baby?””
Daniel interrupted.
“There's something else in the file. The hospital recorded a payment made three days after the transfer.””
“From whom?”” Dad asked.
“An account belonging to a company called Whitmore Medical Holdings.””
Rebecca looked shocked.
“Alan's private company?””
Daniel nodded.
“And the recipient was a private adoption agency.””
I felt sick.
“Did someone sell my brother?””
Nobody answered immediately.
Daniel carefully closed the folder.
“We cannot conclude that from these records alone. But the transaction needs to be investigated.””
My phone suddenly vibrated.
An unknown number.
I almost ignored it.
Then a message appeared.
Emily, this is Vanessa. You need to listen carefully. Your father has no idea what your mother did before she died. Ask Rebecca what happened at the lake.
I read it twice.
“Dad?””
He took my phone.
His expression darkened.
Rebecca stepped closer.
“What did she say?””
I showed her the message.
The moment she read the words, her face lost its color.
Dad noticed.
“Rebecca?””
She sat down slowly.
“The lake.””
“What happened at the lake?”” I asked.
Rebecca looked at the photograph again.
“Your mother took me there about a month before she died. She was terrified. She told me that Alan had discovered something about Daniel's birth records.””
“What?””
“She said the baby had been registered under a different name.””
Dad leaned forward.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because Claire begged me not to. She believed someone was watching her.””
I stared at Rebecca.
“Who?””
Rebecca's voice dropped.
“Your mother thought Alan had been working with Vanessa for years.””
Dad stood abruptly.
“Then why was he at our wedding?””
Rebecca looked at him.
“Because Claire invited him.””
“Why?””
“To prove something.””
“What?””
Rebecca took a breath.
“Claire believed Alan wasn't Daniel's father. She believed he was helping someone conceal the identity of the actual biological father.””
My head began spinning.
“So who is my brother's father?””
Rebecca looked at me.
“I don't know.””
Then she reached into her handbag and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
“This is the only thing Claire left me that might answer that question.””
It was a laboratory report.
The date was two weeks before Mom died.
At the top were the words:
*PATERNITY TEST — CONFIDENTIAL.*
Dad took the paper.
He read the first line.
Then the second.
His hand began shaking.
“Rebecca,” he whispered, “why didn't you show me this before?””
She looked at him with tears in her eyes.
“Because I never knew whether the results were real.””
Dad turned the paper toward me.
The name listed as the biological father wasn't Alan Whitmore.
It was someone I knew.
Someone who had attended every family Christmas.
Someone who had helped raise me after my mother died.
*Michael Carter.*
But beside the result was a handwritten note.
Second sample required. Initial result inconsistent with recorded medical history.
May you like
And underneath it, in Claire's handwriting:
If Michael is not the father, then who changed the original sample?
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