Chapter 9
Richard forgot the pain in his arm.
“What?”
Thomas spoke rapidly.
“She disappeared during the police activity. The house security team thought one of the officers had moved Lily.”
“Where’s Noah?”
“With Michael. He’s safe.”
Richard’s voice turned deadly.
“How long ago?”
“Maybe twenty minutes.”
“Track Margaret’s car.”
“Already trying. Her normal vehicles are still here.”
Richard looked at Ruiz.
“Margaret took Lily.”
Ruiz was already moving.
“Get me the estate cameras.”
Richard followed.
His phone rang again.
Noah.
Richard answered.
“Grandpa!”
“I’m here.”
“She took Lily!”
“I know.”
“You promised!”
The words cut through him.
“You promised nobody would take her!”
“I’m bringing her back.”
“You promised!”
Noah was sobbing.
Richard pressed the phone against his ear.
“Noah, listen to me.”
“You always say that!”
“I need you to tell me something.”
Noah struggled to breathe.
“Did your mom ever take you somewhere Margaret might know about?”
“What?”
“Somewhere connected to Emily. Somewhere private.”
Noah went quiet.
Richard waited.
“Mom used to go to a cemetery.”
Richard’s heart stopped.
“Which one?”
“I don’t know.”
“Think.”
“There was a statue.”
“What statue?”
“An angel.”
Ruiz motioned to an officer to begin searching.
Chicago had dozens of cemeteries with angel statues.
Richard asked, “Who did she visit?”
Noah sniffed.
“Her mom.”
Richard froze.
His first wife.
Laura Bennett.
Emily’s biological mother.
She had died when Emily was six.
She was buried at Rosehill Cemetery.
Richard looked at Ruiz.
“Rosehill.”
Police moved immediately.
Richard got into Ruiz’s car.
Noah remained on the phone.
“Why would Margaret take Lily there?”
Richard had no answer.
Then Noah whispered, “She wants the rabbit.”
Richard looked down.
The rabbit.
Lily had it again after police photographed and removed the papers.
But Margaret might not know it was empty.
Richard’s stomach turned.
“She thinks there’s still evidence inside.”
Ruiz accelerated.
Snow began falling heavily.
At Rosehill, officers split across the grounds.
Richard ignored instructions and ran toward Laura’s grave.
His arm burned.
His lungs hurt.
Then he saw them.
Margaret stood near the stone angel beside Laura’s grave.
Lily was next to her.
The girl was crying.
Margaret held the stuffed rabbit.
Richard stopped twenty feet away.
“Margaret.”
She turned.
Her face was streaked with tears.
“Stay there.”
Lily screamed, “Grandpa!”
Richard’s heart nearly burst.
“I’m here, sweetheart.”
Margaret held Lily’s shoulder.
Not violently.
But firmly.
Richard raised his hands.
“Let her go.”
“You ruined everything.”
“No.”
“You did.”
“Margaret.”
“I gave you twenty-seven years.”
“And you destroyed my daughter.”
“I protected Daniel!”
“You helped destroy Emily.”
Margaret shook her head.
“She was going to send him to prison.”
“Because he committed crimes.”
“He was your heir.”
“He was my child.”
“So was she!”
The words escaped Margaret before she could stop them.
Richard stared.
Margaret began crying harder.
“So was she.”
Her voice broke.
“I know.”
For the first time, Richard saw something other than anger.
Guilt.
Margaret looked at Lily.
“She looked at me just like Emily did.”
Lily tried to pull away.
Margaret loosened her grip immediately.
“I never wanted Emily dead.”
Richard spoke carefully.
“Then help Lily.”
Margaret stared at him.
“Gavin said the chemicals would make Emily confused.”
“So you knew.”
Margaret covered her mouth.
“You knew about the cookies.”
“I knew he planned to frighten her.”
“And when she died?”
“I panicked.”
“You covered it up.”
“I thought if Daniel went to prison, I’d lose him too.”
Richard shook his head.
“So you chose him again.”
Margaret cried.
“I didn’t know what else to do.”
“You tell the truth.”
“It was too late.”
“It is never too late to stop lying.”
Margaret looked at the rabbit.
“Where are the papers?”
“Police have them.”
Her face collapsed.
“All of them?”
“Yes.”
She laughed once.
A broken sound.
“Then it’s over.”
“Yes.”
She let go of Lily.
The girl ran.
Richard dropped to his knees and caught her.
Lily wrapped herself around him.
“I want Noah.”
“I know.”
“Take me home.”
“I will.”
Margaret looked at them.
Richard stood with Lily in his arms.
“You’re coming with us.”
Margaret shook her head.
“No.”
Police approached from behind the stone monuments.
Ruiz called out.
“Margaret Bennett, keep your hands where we can see them.”
Margaret looked at Richard.
“Did Emily ever forgive me?”
Richard stared at her.
“You don’t get to ask me that.”
Margaret closed her eyes.
“I loved her.”
“No.”
Richard’s voice was quiet.
“You loved controlling what she was allowed to be.”
Margaret began crying.
Richard continued.
“Love would have protected her when she told the truth.”
Ruiz reached Margaret.
She placed her in handcuffs.
Margaret didn’t resist.
Lily buried her face against Richard’s neck.
As police led Margaret away, she looked back once.
“Richard.”
He didn’t answer.
“Tell Noah I’m sorry.”
Noah’s words came back to him.
Adults always say later when they don’t want kids to know the truth.
Richard looked at Margaret.
“You can tell him yourself someday.”
She lowered her head.
Back at the mansion, Noah ran outside before the car fully stopped.
“Lily!”
Richard set her down.
The children crashed into each other.
Noah hugged his sister so tightly she squealed.
“Don’t ever leave me!”
“I didn’t!”
“I know.”
He cried into her hair.
Michael stood several feet away.
Richard walked toward him.
For a moment, the two men simply stared at each other.
Both had failed Emily in different ways.
Michael looked at Richard’s bandaged arm.
“You okay?”
“Yes.”
“Noah told me everything.”
Richard nodded.
Michael glanced toward the children.
“Police said they arrested Margaret.”
“Yes.”
“And Daniel.”
“Yes.”
“And the lawyer.”
“Yes.”
Michael exhaled.
“Then what happens now?”
Richard looked toward Noah and Lily.
“That depends on them.”
Michael nodded.
The next morning, DNA testing was arranged.
Noah was Michael’s son.
The probability was effectively certain.
Lily was not.
Michael sat stunned when he received the result.
Noah stared at the paper.
“So she isn’t your kid?”
Michael looked at Lily.
The little girl was coloring at the kitchen table.
“No.”
Noah immediately grabbed the report.
“Then you can’t take me.”
Michael’s face changed.
“What?”
“You can’t take me away from Lily.”
“Noah—”
“No.”
He backed away.
“You’re my dad. She’s not yours. So they’ll separate us.”
Richard stepped in.
“No one has said that.”
“That’s how it works.”
“Noah.”
“I saw TV.”
Michael stood.
“I’m not separating you.”
“You don’t know her.”
Michael looked at Lily.
Then back at Noah.
“I know she’s your sister.”
“That’s not enough.”
“It is to me.”
Noah stared at him.
Michael continued.
“If you’re my son, then the people you love matter to me.”
Noah’s expression wavered.
“And if Lily needs a father…”
Michael looked down.
“I’d be honored to become someone she can count on.”
Noah started crying again.
He seemed angry at himself for it.
Richard understood.
The boy had learned tears were dangerous.
They made adults uncomfortable.
They made people promise things they might not keep.
Richard said, “Nobody is deciding anything today.”
Noah nodded.
Then Thomas entered.
His expression was serious.
“Richard.”
“What now?”
“We know who Lily’s father is.”
Everyone turned.
Thomas placed another document on the counter.
“Emily filed an emergency contact form at Lily’s preschool two years ago.”
“And?”
“The father listed is Aaron Mitchell.”
Michael frowned.
“Who is that?”
Thomas looked at Richard.
“A former Bennett Construction accountant.”
Richard’s chest tightened.
“Where is he?”
Thomas hesitated.
“He died three years ago.”
Noah went pale.
Lily kept coloring.
She had not heard.
Richard asked, “How?”
“Car accident.”
Richard knew from Thomas’s face there was more.
“Say it.”
“The accident happened two days after Aaron contacted federal investigators about financial irregularities at Bennett Construction.”
The room went silent.
Richard whispered, “Daniel?”
Thomas shook his head.
“We don’t know.”
Then his phone buzzed.
He read the message.
His face drained.
“What?”
Richard demanded.
Thomas looked up.
“Police just searched Gavin Cross’s home.”
“And?”
“They found photographs.”
“Of what?”
“Emily.”
Richard’s blood went cold.
“Taken before she died?”
“Yes.”
“And Aaron Mitchell.”
Michael stared.
Thomas continued.
“Some were taken before his car accident.”
Richard gripped the counter.
The conspiracy was larger than Emily.
Larger than theft.
Larger than one murder.
Noah looked at him.
“Are we safe?”
Richard wanted to say yes.
He desperately wanted to.
May you like
Instead, he told the truth.
“Not yet.”
