Chapter 13: The Woman Who Had Raised Richard Cross’s Missing Granddaughter
The call had lasted eleven seconds.
Eleven seconds was all Evelyn Brooks had needed to tell me that Richard Cross had found her.
I called back immediately.
The number was disconnected.
“Rebecca!”” I shouted from the conference room doorway.
“We need to find Evelyn Brooks. Right now.””
My attorney stood, grabbing her phone.
“What happened?””
I played the recording of the call. When Evelyn's frightened voice came through the speaker, Rebecca's expression changed.
“Don't go anywhere alone,” she said.
“I'm contacting the authorities.””
“I can't sit here while someone is threatening her.””
“You won't be sitting here. We'll arrange a response, but you are not going to confront Richard Cross yourself.””
I paced the room, replaying the three words that had ended the call.
He's found us.
Who was with Evelyn? Was she hiding with the missing child? And how had Richard discovered their location after all these years?
Then I remembered the photograph Vanessa had shown me.
Two children beside Claire Bennett.
One was Samuel.
The other was a little girl whose name had been written on the back in my father's handwriting.
Evelyn Brooks.
The name belonged to the woman who had raised the child, not the child herself.
“Rebecca, Vanessa said Evelyn raised Claire's daughter. We need to know where she lived.””
Rebecca spoke briefly with her colleague, then turned back to me.
“We have an address from an old document in the trust records. It's outside Savannah. The authorities are checking it now.””
“How long?””
“I don't know.””
My phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number appeared.
If you want Evelyn alive, bring the red ledger to the old Mercer property in Savannah. Come alone.
I showed Rebecca.
She shook her head immediately.
“No.””
“They have Evelyn.””
“Or they want you to believe they do. This could be an attempt to obtain the documents.””
“Either way, I can't ignore it.””
“You won't. We'll give this information to the authorities and let them decide how to proceed.””
I wanted to argue, but the expression on her face stopped me.
For the first time, I understood that rushing into danger could put Evelyn, Sophie, and everyone else at greater risk.
I forwarded the message and waited.
Forty minutes later, Rebecca received a call from the investigator coordinating the response.
Evelyn's property had been found empty. A rear window was broken, and there were signs that someone had entered the house. No one was there, and the authorities were working to establish where she had gone.
Then the investigator mentioned something that changed everything.
A neighbor had seen a woman leaving in an old blue sedan with a young adult passenger.
The neighbor couldn't identify either person.
But the passenger had been carrying a red backpack.
I remembered the photograph.
The little girl beside Claire had worn a red knitted sweater.
“Could that be the missing child?”” I asked.
“It's possible,” Rebecca said.
“But we don't have enough information to know.””
My phone rang again.
This time, it was David.
“Michael, where are you?””
“At Rebecca's office. What's wrong?””
“I found Evelyn.””
I gripped the phone.
“What?””
“Not physically. I found her through an old charity registry. She used a different surname after moving from Savannah.””
“Where is she?””
“I don't know. But I found a photograph of her with a woman named Anna Reed.””
The name meant nothing to me.
David continued.
“Anna was adopted as a child. Her adoption records were sealed, but the charity registry lists Evelyn as her emergency contact.””
“Could Anna be Claire's daughter?””
“I think so.””
I closed my eyes.
“David, be careful. Richard may be looking for both of you.””
“I know. That's why I'm calling. I received a package this morning.””
“What package?””
“A photograph of me as a baby. On the back, Dad wrote that I was Samuel Bennett.””
He paused.
“There's also a letter addressed to me. It says I have a sister.””
I heard him take a shaky breath.
“Michael, if Anna is my sister, she's been living under another name her entire life.””
“Then we need to find her before Richard does.””
Rebecca arranged for the information to be passed to the investigator. We agreed not to contact Anna directly until her location and safety could be established.
An hour later, an update arrived.
Anna Reed had been located at a small motel outside Savannah. She was safe and had agreed to speak with investigators.
Evelyn was with her.
When I heard that, my knees nearly gave way.
At last, someone connected to Claire's missing children was safe.
But there was another problem.
Richard Cross had disappeared.
The authorities had found his abandoned vehicle near the old Mercer property. Inside, they discovered copies of the trust agreement, a photograph of Sophie, and a handwritten list of addresses.
At the top was Emily's apartment.
I immediately called my sister.
“Emily, take Sophie somewhere secure. The authorities will help arrange it. Don't wait for me.””
Her voice tightened.
“Michael, what's happening?””
“Richard has been looking for her.””
“Is he coming here?””
“We don't know. Please follow the safety instructions and keep your phone available.””
She agreed.
I turned to Rebecca.
“Why would Richard go after Evelyn now?””
“Because she may possess evidence that could settle the trust dispute.””
“And if Anna is the missing child?””
“Then Richard may be trying to control the people who know the truth.””
That evening, the investigator called with a new development.
Evelyn had agreed to provide a statement.
She said Claire had entrusted her with two children after receiving threats from Richard. One child had been placed with Thomas Mercer, who raised him as David. The other had remained with Evelyn under a new identity.
But before Evelyn could explain why the children had been separated, she made one request.
She wanted to speak with me and David together.
She had something Claire had written shortly before her death.
Something that would explain why my father had spent years protecting both children.
And why Richard Cross had become obsessed with Sophie.
The meeting was arranged for the following morning.
As I prepared to leave Rebecca's office, my phone rang one final time.
A man's voice came through the speaker.
“Michael Mercer.””
Richard.
“Where is my daughter?”” I demanded.
He laughed softly.
“Which one?””
My blood ran cold.
Then he said, “You have twenty-four hours to surrender the red ledger. After that, I stop asking nicely.””
The call ended.
Rebecca stared at me.
“Michael, we need to move quickly.””
I looked toward the courthouse across the street.
For years, I had believed my greatest responsibility was protecting my daughter from ordinary dangers.
Now I knew someone had spent decades manipulating entire families to control a fortune.
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And Sophie was the one person whose future could bring the entire scheme crashing down.
I wasn't going to let him touch her again.
