Chapter 10: The Couple Who Had Taken My Son
“Say that name again,” I told Detective Mitchell.
She paused on the other end of the phone.
“Robert and Elaine Mercer.””
I felt the room tilt.
Robert Mercer had been my supervisor at the construction company where I'd worked for nearly six years. Elaine was his wife. They had hosted Christmas parties, attended company picnics, and once helped Vanessa and me pay for Lily's emergency dental surgery when our insurance wouldn't cover the full cost.
They knew my daughter.
They knew my marriage had fallen apart.
And apparently, they had adopted the baby Vanessa had concealed from me.
“That's impossible,” I said.
Detective Mitchell's voice remained measured.
“I'm confirming their identities through the records. I don't want you contacting them before we've established the legal circumstances of the adoption.””
“Robert used to invite me to his house for dinner.””
“I understand.””
“Elaine held Lily when she was a baby.””
“I understand, Mr. Carter.””
“No, you don't.”” My voice cracked.
“These people knew me. They knew Vanessa. They knew our family. If Noah was being placed for adoption, why didn't anyone tell me?””
“That's one of the questions we're investigating.””
After the call ended, I sat motionless in Daniel's office.
He had heard the conversation and was already opening a new folder.
“Do you have any reason to believe Robert or Elaine knew about the pregnancy before the adoption?””
“No.””
“Did you ever discuss having another child with them?””
“Not seriously.””
Daniel looked at me.
“Did Robert know about your separation?””
“Everyone at work knew. He even told me I should fight for more parenting time with Lily.””
Daniel stopped writing.
“What exactly did he say?””
I remembered the conversation.
It had happened in his office, three months after Vanessa and I separated. Robert had poured coffee into two paper cups and told me that divorce was difficult, but children needed stability.
He'd placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Whatever happens, Michael, don't let anyone make you believe you're disposable. A father who shows up matters.””
At the time, I'd been grateful.
Now those words sounded different.
“Daniel,” I said, “what if Robert knew everything?””
“Then we'll find evidence of it. But don't confuse suspicion with proof.””
He arranged to notify the court of the new information and requested that the investigators preserve the adoption records.
That evening, I told Lily that we had identified the people who might know where Noah was.
She sat at the kitchen table, coloring the picture she'd drawn earlier in the week.
“Can we see him now?”” she asked.
“Not yet, sweetheart.””
“Why not?””
“Because the adults have to make sure everything is safe and legal.””
She put down her crayon.
“Is Noah in trouble?””
“No. Nobody has told us that he's in danger right now.””
She considered this.
“Then why did Mommy give him away?””
I had no answer I could honestly give an eight-year-old.
“I don't know yet.””
Lily nodded slowly, then returned to her drawing.
That night, she asked if she could sleep with Button beside her pillow.
I tucked her in and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Daddy?””
“Yeah?””
“If Noah has a new family, does that mean he doesn't need us anymore?””
My throat tightened.
“Being loved by another family doesn't mean your first family stops caring about you.””
She looked toward the window.
“I don't want him to think we forgot him.””
I kissed her forehead.
“We won't forget him.””
The next morning, Detective Mitchell called with an update.
Robert and Elaine had agreed to meet with investigators. They had been told that questions had arisen about the adoption's validity and the documents used to establish paternity.
“They're claiming they acted in good faith,” she explained.
“They say an adoption agency assured them the child had been legally relinquished by his mother and that the biological father had been identified.””
“Did they know Derek?””
“Yes. Robert says he met him through a private adoption consultant.””
I gripped the phone.
“Who was the consultant?””
“We're checking that.””
“And Vanessa?””
“Elaine says she met Vanessa once, briefly, before the adoption was finalized.””
“Where?””
“At a private office in Columbus.””
I closed my eyes.
“They knew each other.””
“Possibly. But the meeting alone doesn't establish that the Mercers knew the documents were fraudulent.””
Detective Mitchell said she would keep me informed.
By noon, Daniel had received a copy of a document listing the circumstances under which the adoption had been approved. Much of it was redacted, but one section stood out.
The biological father had supposedly been notified and had voluntarily waived his rights.
The signature was mine.
Again.
I stared at it.
The same crooked M. The same sharp C. The same line beneath my surname.
Someone had forged my name to authorize Noah's transfer, then forged it again to make it appear that I had surrendered my parental rights.
I had never signed either document.
Daniel photographed the page and added it to the evidence file.
“We'll challenge the validity of this authorization,” he said.
“The court will need the original documents and expert examination.””
“Can the adoption be reversed?””
“That depends on the applicable law, the facts, and the court's findings. We cannot promise an outcome. But if your identity was fraudulently used, that is a serious issue.””
I stood and paced across his office.
“Robert knew my handwriting. He saw it on reports every week.””
“Do you have evidence that he created or approved these documents?””
“No.””
“Then we wait for the investigation.””
I hated waiting.
At 3:40 p.m., my phone rang again.
Robert.
I stared at his name on the screen.
Daniel shook his head.
“Don't have a substantive conversation without coordinating with the investigators.””
I let the call go to voicemail.
A minute later, a message appeared.
Michael, we need to talk. Please don't let this destroy two families.
I read it twice.
Then another message arrived.
Elaine and I love Noah. We believed everything was legal.
I typed a response, deleted it, and finally put the phone down.
A third message appeared.
There is something Vanessa never told you about why we adopted him.
Before I could show Daniel, Robert called again.
This time, I answered with Daniel listening beside me.
“What do you want, Robert?””
His voice was unsteady.
“I want to explain.””
“Then explain why your name is connected to my son's adoption.””
“Michael, I didn't know you were his biological father.””
“You didn't know? You knew my marriage was ending. You knew Vanessa. You knew Lily.””
“I thought you and Vanessa had agreed to the arrangement.””
“What arrangement?””
He took a shaky breath.
“Vanessa told us the baby was Derek's. She said you wanted nothing to do with him.””
“That is a lie.””
“I understand that now.””
“Where is Noah?””
“At home with Elaine.””
My knees nearly gave way.
“Is he safe?””
“Yes. He's healthy. He's sleeping in his crib.””
I closed my eyes, relief and anger colliding inside me.
“Then why are you telling me this instead of bringing him to the authorities?””
“Because Elaine is terrified you'll take him away.””
I felt my jaw tighten.
“Robert, I never agreed to surrender him. My signature was forged.””
“I know.””
The words stopped me.
“You know?””
Robert was silent.
Then he whispered, “I saw the original paperwork. The signature was added after the initial adoption documents were prepared.””
Daniel immediately wrote something down.
“Who added it?”” I demanded.
“I don't know.””
“You expect me to believe you adopted a child without checking whether his father had actually consented?””
“We trusted the agency.””
“You're a construction executive, Robert. You review contracts for a living.””
He didn't answer.
Then he said something that made the blood drain from my face.
“Michael, there's another reason we agreed to adopt Noah. Elaine can't have children, and Derek told us the baby was the only chance she'd ever have to become a mother.””
I gripped the desk.
“Derek used my son to give your wife a family?””
“He said Vanessa wanted the baby placed with people who could provide stability. He said everyone involved had agreed.””
“And you believed him.””
“Yes.””
Robert's voice cracked.
“But there's something else. When Elaine and I received the final adoption file, there was a letter attached. It was supposedly written by you.””
“What letter?””
“A letter explaining why you wanted to surrender the child.””
My stomach turned.
“What did it say?””
Robert hesitated.
Then he whispered, “It said you were afraid the child would expose a secret about your marriage.””
I couldn't speak.
Because I had never written such a letter.
May you like
And if Robert was telling the truth, someone hadn't merely forged my signature.
Someone had invented a reason to make the people adopting my son believe I wanted him gone.
