Chapter 8: The Price of Being a Mother
Eleanor stood motionless as Richard was dragged upstairs.
The little black recorder remained in her hand.
I held Ava against my chest.
“Daddy, who is that lady?””
I kissed her hair.
“Someone from our family, sweetheart.””
“Is she my grandma?””
I looked at Eleanor.
She began crying.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“If she'll let me be.””
Ava studied her for a moment.
Then she hid her face against my shoulder.
I couldn't blame her.
In less than an hour, she'd learned that the woman who raised her might not be her biological mother, that her missing grandmother was alive, and that the man who had been threatening us was related to nearly everyone in the room.
I carried her upstairs.
Hayes had called for additional officers and medical assistance.
Outside, flashing lights illuminated the farmhouse.
Vanessa sat handcuffed beside a police cruiser.
When she saw us, she began shouting.
“Marcus! Please!””
I stopped.
She stood up.
“Tell them I didn't hurt Ava.””
“You drugged my daughter.””
“I gave her something to help her sleep!””
“You lied about your identity. You helped imprison my wife. You knew about the stolen medical records.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I was following orders.””
I looked at her.
“You had choices.””
She shook her head.
“Richard threatened Lily. He told me he'd take her away if I refused.””
“Where is Lily?””
“I don't know. He said she'd been moved.””
Danielle appeared behind me.
“Evelyn.””
Vanessa looked at her.
For a moment, neither woman spoke.
Then Danielle asked, “Did you ever feel sorry for what you did?””
Vanessa's lips trembled.
“I did.””
“Then why did you keep doing it?””
Vanessa looked down.
“I thought if I stayed close to Marcus, I could protect Ava.””
Danielle shook her head.
“You weren't protecting her. You were making sure she stayed quiet.””
Vanessa began sobbing.
An officer led her toward another vehicle.
I watched until the door closed.
Then I turned to Hayes.
“Can you find Lily?””
“We're working on it.””
“She's eight years old. She's been living in that underground facility.””
“I understand.””
“Then find her.””
He nodded.
A paramedic examined Danielle and insisted she be taken to the hospital.
I rode with her and Ava.
Thomas remained at the farmhouse to give a statement.
For the first time in four years, Danielle and I were sitting beside each other in a hospital room.
Ava slept between us.
Danielle reached across the bed and touched my hand.
“I thought I'd lost you.””
I looked at her.
“You were alive. That's all that matters.””
She shook her head.
“No, Marcus. You deserve to know everything.””
I sat quietly.
She took a deep breath.
“When I discovered Eleanor was my biological mother, I started investigating. I found the original adoption records and learned that Richard had arranged the entire thing.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“I wanted to. But Richard showed me photographs of you meeting with a woman outside your office.””
I frowned.
“What woman?””
“Eleanor.””
I looked toward Ava.
Danielle continued.
“He told me you were secretly working with her to take Ava away from me. He said you'd discovered the truth and wanted to reclaim your biological family.””
“That was a lie.””
“I know.””
She wiped her eyes.
“But then he showed me a document with your signature. It authorized a transfer of parental rights.””
I stared at her.
“I never signed anything like that.””
“He forged it. But I didn't know that then.””
I leaned back.
“That's why you disappeared?””
Danielle nodded.
“I confronted him. He told me if I went to the police, he'd make sure you were arrested for kidnapping your own daughter. Then he took me to the underground facility.””
“Why did he leave you alive?””
“He needed me to keep quiet. He also needed me to convince you that Ava was his rightful heir.””
I looked at her.
“Did you ever plan to escape?””
“Every day.””
She glanced at Ava.
“I used to whisper to her through the ventilation system. I knew she couldn't understand me, but I needed to hear her voice.””
My throat tightened.
“That's what she heard?””
Danielle nodded.
“Evelyn would sometimes bring Ava to the pool area. She thought the machinery would cover the sound. I could hear my baby laughing above me.””
She began crying.
“I heard her grow up, Marcus. I heard her first birthday party. I heard her singing. I heard you reading bedtime stories.””
I took her hand.
“I looked for you every day.””
“I know.””
A nurse entered to check Danielle's blood pressure.
After she left, I asked the question I'd been avoiding.
“Do you still want to be married to me?””
Danielle looked at me.
“Do you still want to be married to me?””
I didn't answer immediately.
Four years of grief, fear, and confusion sat between us.
“I don't know what happens next,” I said honestly.
She nodded.
“Neither do I.””
Then she squeezed my hand.
“But I want to find out.””
A knock sounded at the door.
Detective Hayes entered.
His expression was serious.
“We found something.””
I stood.
“Lily?””
He shook his head.
“Not yet. But we found the vehicle used to move her from the farmhouse.””
“Where?””
“An abandoned medical center outside Savannah.””
He handed me a photograph.
The building was familiar.
It was the same medical center where Ava had been born.
I looked at the photograph.
“Why would they take her there?””
Hayes lowered his voice.
“Because Richard had another property registered under a different company.””
He opened a folder.
Inside was a list of names.
Several were crossed out.
One wasn't.
Eleanor Reed.
Beside her name was a handwritten note.
Final procedure: November 2.
I looked at the detective.
“What procedure?””
He hesitated.
“That's what we're trying to establish.””
Then my phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph of Lily sitting in a hospital bed.
Her face was pale.
Her wrists were restrained.
Beneath the photograph were seven words.
Your grandmother has already agreed to it.
I looked through the hospital window.
May you like
Eleanor was standing outside.
And she was talking to a man wearing a doctor's coat.
