Chapter 4: The Other Ashcroft Child
Julian gripped the phone.
"What did you just say?""
Across the office, Corinne stood perfectly still.
Dr. Elena Ward lowered her voice.
"I said Wren isn't the first Ashcroft child connected to a placement request at Blackwood.""
Julian stared at his wife.
"What child?""
"I can't discuss confidential records over an unsecured call.""
"You called me.""
"Because your daughter's intake is scheduled for Friday, and something about it is wrong.""
"What?""
"The psychiatric evaluation.""
Julian's stomach tightened.
"Wren has never had a psychiatric evaluation.""
"Exactly.""
Corinne suddenly moved toward the door.
Julian pointed at Marcus.
"Don't let her leave.""
The security chief stepped into the doorway.
Corinne stopped.
"You cannot hold me prisoner in my own house.""
Julian ignored her.
"Dr. Ward, what does the evaluation say?""
"Severe aggression. Persistent lying. Self-harm risk. Threats toward her stepmother.""
Julian almost couldn't speak.
"Wren has never done any of those things.""
"I suspected that.""
"Why?""
"Because the report claims I examined her.""
Julian frowned.
"And you didn't?""
"I have never met your daughter.""
The room went silent.
Corinne's eyes dropped.
Julian saw it.
"Who submitted the report?""
"That's complicated.""
"Make it simple.""
Dr. Ward hesitated.
"The digital file came through an external placement coordinator named Lydia Crane.""
Corinne inhaled sharply.
Julian turned toward her.
"You know that name.""
"No.""
"You reacted.""
"I'm reacting because you're standing there accusing me of crimes based on a stranger's phone call.""
Julian raised the phone.
"Dr. Ward, do you know Corinne Ashcroft?""
Silence.
Then:
"Yes.""
Corinne's face hardened.
"Elena, be very careful.""
Julian froze.
So did Dr. Ward.
"You know her personally," Julian said.
Corinne closed her eyes for half a second.
Dr. Ward answered first.
"Six years ago, Corinne brought another child to Blackwood.""
"Who?""
"Mr. Ashcroft—"
"Who?""
A breath crackled through the speaker.
"A boy named Caleb Ashcroft.""
Julian felt the room tilt.
"I don't have a son named Caleb.""
"I know.""
"Then why did he have my last name?""
"I don't know.""
Julian turned toward Corinne.
She looked frightened now.
Not irritated.
Not defensive.
Frightened.
"Who is Caleb?""
Corinne said nothing.
"WHO IS CALEB?""
"Stop shouting.""
"Answer me.""
Her lips trembled.
"He was nobody.""
Dr. Ward's voice came sharply through the phone.
"He was not nobody.""
Corinne glared at the device.
"You have no idea what you're talking about.""
"I remember that boy," Dr. Ward said.
"He was nine years old. Terrified. He kept saying Corinne wasn't his mother.""
Julian's skin prickled.
"What happened to him?""
"I wasn't senior staff then. I couldn't override the intake decision.""
"What happened?""
"He disappeared from our system eleven days later.""
"Disappeared?""
"The record says family transfer.""
"To where?""
"That's what I tried to find out this morning. The destination field has been deleted.""
Julian looked at the black notebook.
Caleb.
He flipped through the pages.
Dates.
Payments.
Initials.
Then he found it.
C.A.
Beside the initials:
$175,000.
His hand went cold.
"Corinne.""
She stared at the notebook.
"Was Caleb another child someone paid you to remove?""
"No.""
"Then explain the money.""
"You don't understand.""
"Help me understand.""
Corinne's voice broke.
"It wasn't supposed to happen like that.""
Julian stopped.
"What wasn't?""
She realized her mistake.
"Nothing.""
Marcus shifted in the doorway.
"Sir?""
Julian looked at him.
"Take Corinne to the guest sitting room. Stay outside the door.""
"You can't detain me!""
"I'm not detaining you. You're free to call your attorney.""
Corinne looked toward the notebook.
"But you are not touching these documents.""
Marcus escorted her away.
Julian returned to the call.
"Dr. Ward, I need everything you can legally provide.""
"I've already contacted our compliance officer.""
"Can you stop Friday's intake?""
"I already flagged it.""
Julian closed his eyes.
"Thank you.""
"Don't thank me yet.""
"What does that mean?""
"The request to admit Wren wasn't submitted three weeks ago.""
Julian frowned.
"The papers are dated three weeks ago.""
"The legal packet is.""
"And the intake?""
Dr. Ward paused.
"Her Blackwood profile was created seven months ago.""
Julian went still.
Seven months.
Corinne had been planning this for seven months.
Before Wren started cleaning floors.
Before the exhaustion.
Before the punishments.
Maybe those weren't punishments at all.
Maybe they were preparation.
"There's something else," Dr. Ward said.
Julian barely breathed.
"The person who created Wren's profile uploaded photographs.""
"What photographs?""
"Pictures of bruises.""
Julian's heart stopped.
"Wren doesn't have bruises.""
"According to the captions, she does.""
Julian's voice dropped.
"Where?""
"Arms. Back. Shoulder.""
Julian remembered Wren wearing long sleeves despite warm weather.
His stomach twisted.
"Send me whatever you're legally permitted to send.""
"I will.""
The call ended.
Julian immediately opened the mansion security archive.
Seven months.
He searched backward.
Kitchen.
Hallway.
Basement.
Wren's bedroom corridor.
Then he noticed something strange.
Every Tuesday between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m., the camera outside Wren's room went offline.
Not once.
Every week.
Julian called Marcus.
"Who can disable individual cameras?""
"Only you, me, and Mrs. Ashcroft.""
Julian's eyes narrowed.
"Restore any deleted local backups from the camera outside Wren's room.""
"That could take time.""
"Do it.""
Twenty minutes later, Marcus returned with a laptop.
"We recovered part of last Tuesday.""
Julian pressed play.
The footage flickered.
4:17 p.m.
Corinne entered Wren's bedroom carrying something.
A makeup case.
Twelve minutes later, she came out.
Wren followed.
Julian leaned closer.
There was a dark purple mark on Wren's forearm.
Corinne stopped her beneath the hallway light.
She raised her phone.
Took a photograph.
Then she wiped Wren's arm with a cloth.
The purple mark disappeared.
Makeup.
Julian stared in disbelief.
"She fabricated the bruises.""
Marcus looked sick.
On-screen, Wren rubbed her clean arm.
Then she said something.
The camera microphone crackled.
Julian increased the volume.
"Why are you taking pictures?""
Corinne crouched beside her.
"Because your daddy needs to understand how difficult you've become.""
"But I didn't do anything.""
Corinne smiled.
"By the time I'm finished, sweetheart, nobody will believe that.""
Julian's hands curled into fists.
Then another person stepped into the camera frame.
A woman Julian had never seen before.
She handed Corinne a folder.
Marcus leaned toward the screen.
"Who is that?""
Julian looked at the timestamp.
Then at the woman's face.
He remembered the name Dr. Ward had given him.
"Lydia Crane.""
On the recording, Lydia looked directly toward the disabled camera as though checking it.
May you like
Then she said:
"Once Wren is placed, we can finally move on to Julian.""
