Chapter 9: The Dead Man's Secret
Nathan pulled the car to the side of the road.
Rain began tapping against the windshield.
Nobody spoke.
I stared at the photograph.
The man walking away from Peter Lang's burning office looked exactly like Richard Cole.
The same dark hair.
The same scar.
The same navy coat.
But the message said the real Richard had died seven years earlier.
I turned toward Nathan.
"Who have we been talking to?""
Nathan's face had gone pale.
"I don't know.""
Daniel zoomed in on the photograph.
"Look at his left hand.""
I leaned closer.
There was a ring.
A silver ring with a black stone.
I recognized it.
Richard had worn it at the estate.
Nathan stared at the screen.
"That's his ring.""
Daniel shook his head.
"Or someone wants us to think it is.""
My phone rang.
Victoria.
I answered immediately.
"What's happening?""
"Where are you?""
"On the way to Northbridge.""
"Turn around.""
"Why?""
"Because the police have identified the man in the photograph.""
I felt my heart pounding.
"Who is he?""
Victoria paused.
Then she said:
"His name is Jonathan Cole.""
I looked at Nathan.
"Richard's brother?""
Victoria went quiet.
"Yes.""
Nathan gripped the steering wheel.
"Richard told us he had no living siblings.""
"That's what the records say," Victoria replied.
"But I've found a second identity.""
I closed my eyes.
"Where is Richard?""
"At the hotel.""
"Are you sure?""
"He's with the police. They are questioning him about Peter Lang's death.""
I looked at Daniel.
"Then the man in the photograph is his brother.""
"Apparently," Victoria said.
"But there's something worse.""
"What?""
"Jonathan Cole was officially declared dead seven years ago.""
The same year my sister died.
I felt a chill move through me.
"Seven years ago?""
"Yes.""
I looked at the photograph again.
Two men.
One identity.
One death certificate.
And a secret that had lasted seven years.
I remembered Richard telling me he had survived a boating accident.
What if it hadn't been Richard?
What if Jonathan had been the one who disappeared?
Nathan turned the car around.
"We're going back to the hotel.""
Richard was sitting in a conference room when we arrived.
Two police officers stood outside.
His suit was wrinkled, and his face looked exhausted.
The moment he saw us, he stood.
"Claire.""
I didn't move.
"Who are you?""
He looked at Nathan.
Then at me.
"Richard Cole.""
"That's not an answer.""
He exhaled.
"I know what you've heard.""
"Then explain it.""
He sat down.
"I had a brother named Jonathan.""
Daniel placed the photograph on the table.
"This is him.""
Richard stared at it.
For a moment, he looked as though he might cry.
"Yes.""
Nathan stepped forward.
"You told us he was dead.""
"He was.""
"Then how is he standing outside a burning building?""
Richard rubbed his forehead.
"Because he has been using my identity for years.""
I stared at him.
"Why?""
"Because Jonathan was involved in the trust from the beginning. He helped Margaret establish the false adoption arrangements.""
I felt sick.
"Your own brother?""
Richard nodded.
"He was the one who introduced Margaret to Peter Lang.""
Daniel sat down.
"Why didn't you tell us?""
"Because I believed he was dead.""
Nathan shook his head.
"How?""
Richard looked at me.
"Seven years ago, Jonathan was involved in a boating accident. His body was never recovered. I identified his belongings, and the authorities declared him dead.""
I thought about the scar.
The ring.
The photograph.
"Did you ever see his body?""
Richard shook his head.
"No.""
I stared at him.
"Then how do you know?""
His expression changed.
"I don't.""
The room became silent.
I sat down slowly.
"Richard, I need you to tell me something.""
"Ask me.""
"Did you know about my sister?""
He looked confused.
"Sophie?""
"No. My younger sister. The woman whose name appeared on the hospital record.""
Richard nodded.
"Yes.""
My heart began pounding.
"What did she have to do with this?""
He looked toward the officers.
One of them closed the door.
Then Richard spoke.
"Your sister discovered the adoption arrangement seven years ago.""
I froze.
"That's impossible. She died in a car accident.""
Richard lowered his eyes.
"She was investigating Margaret.""
I stared at him.
"What?""
"She worked briefly as a medical assistant at Westbridge General. She discovered irregularities in the newborn records. She contacted me.""
I felt tears gathering.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?""
"Because she asked me not to.""
I shook my head.
"Why?""
"She believed Margaret was watching her.""
I remembered Sophie.
Her late-night phone calls.
The strange questions she had asked me.
The way she had suddenly become distant during the last months of her life.
I had thought she was struggling with her job.
I had thought she was seeing someone.
I had no idea she had been investigating a child-trafficking operation.
"Did you meet her?""
Richard nodded.
"Twice.""
"Did she know about Ellie?""
"She suspected the hospital had separated two newborns.""
I covered my mouth.
"She knew?""
"She was trying to find the second baby.""
I stood.
"Then why didn't she tell me?""
Richard's voice softened.
"She was afraid.""
"Of what?""
"Of putting you in danger.""
I shook my head.
"She was my sister. I would have helped her.""
"I know.""
He looked down.
"She left me a message the night she died.""
I froze.
"What message?""
Richard opened his briefcase.
He removed a small envelope.
The handwriting was familiar.
My sister's handwriting.
I reached for it with trembling fingers.
On the front were three words.
For Claire. Someday.
I opened it.
Inside was a folded letter.
I read the first line.
Claire, if you're reading this, it means I couldn't tell you the truth in person.
My eyes filled.
I continued.
I know you think I spend too much time worrying about other people's problems. But there's something happening at Westbridge General. Babies are being moved between records, and some families are being told their children died.
I covered my mouth.
I found two girls in the nursery records. One belongs to you. The other belongs to someone else in our family.
My hands began shaking.
I read the next paragraph.
I think Margaret knows. I think she's working with Jonathan Cole. If anything happens to me, don't believe the accident report.
The letter slipped from my fingers.
I looked at Richard.
"She knew she was going to die.""
Richard nodded.
"She believed someone was following her.""
I began crying.
"Why didn't you tell the police?""
"I tried. But the accident investigation was closed within forty-eight hours. The evidence disappeared.""
Daniel looked at the letter.
"Did she mention where she hid anything?""
Richard nodded.
"She told me there was a backup copy of the hospital transfer list.""
"Where?""
Richard pointed toward the envelope.
"Read the last page.""
I unfolded it.
At the bottom was a short handwritten sentence.
The truth is inside the clock.
I looked up.
"What clock?""
Richard stared at me.
"Your sister's clock.""
I remembered it immediately.
A small wooden grandfather clock that had stood in Sophie's apartment.
After her death, I had kept it.
It was still in my garage.
I looked at Nathan.
"We need to go home.""
It was nearly two in the morning when we reached our house.
Police officers remained outside because of the earlier threats.
I hurried into the garage.
The grandfather clock stood beneath an old sheet.
I pulled it away.
The wood was dusty.
The clock hadn't worked in years.
Sophie had given it to me when she moved into her first apartment.
She used to joke that it was haunted because it always stopped at 1:37.
I remembered laughing.
Now the time seemed to follow me everywhere.
I opened the back panel.
Inside was a small compartment.
There was a USB drive.
And a photograph.
The photograph showed Sophie standing outside Westbridge General.
Beside her was a woman holding a newborn baby.
I recognized the woman immediately.
Margaret.
But the baby wasn't Ellie.
The photograph was dated seven years earlier.
I looked at the back.
There was a handwritten note.
This is the first child. The others came later.
My stomach tightened.
"First child?""
Nathan took the photograph.
He studied it.
Then he looked at Richard.
"Do you recognize the baby?""
Richard nodded slowly.
"Yes.""
"Who is it?""
Richard's face turned pale.
"My daughter.""
I stared at him.
"What?""
He looked at me.
"Not Ellie. Not Sophie.""
He pointed at the photograph.
"That baby was born seven years before your daughters.""
Daniel stepped closer.
"Richard, what are you saying?""
Richard closed his eyes.
"I had a daughter with a woman named Emily Cole. Margaret told me the baby had died.""
I felt my blood run cold.
"Another child?""
He nodded.
"Her name was Grace.""
I looked at the photograph.
The baby had a small crescent-shaped birthmark beneath her left ear.
The same mark Sophie had in the recent photograph.
The same mark Ellie had.
I looked at Nathan.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?""
He nodded slowly.
"The girls might not be unrelated to Richard.""
Richard stared at the photograph.
Then he whispered:
"Grace was supposed to be my first child.""
I inserted the USB drive into Nathan's laptop.
A folder appeared.
Inside were medical records, photographs, and audio files.
One file was named:
*SOPHIE — FINAL RECORDING.*
My hands trembled.
I pressed PLAY.
At first, there was only static.
Then my sister's voice filled the garage.
"Claire, if you've found this, I'm sorry.""
I covered my mouth.
It was Sophie.
My little sister.
Her voice sounded tired.
But unmistakably hers.
"I tried to tell you. I tried so many times. But Margaret was watching everything.""
A pause.
Then she continued.
"The babies weren't being separated because they were unwanted. They were being separated because someone was building a list of children connected to wealthy families.""
Nathan leaned closer.
The recording continued.
"Some were placed with people who could be controlled. Others were sent away. Margaret kept the records because she wanted leverage over the families.""
I felt sick.
Then Sophie said something that made me grip the desk.
"Claire, I found the second baby.""
I stopped breathing.
"Her name was Grace. She was born seven years before Ellie and Sophie. Margaret told everyone she died, but she didn't.""
Richard covered his mouth.
The recording continued.
"She was raised under a different name. I found her. I spoke to her. She knows the truth.""
A pause.
Then came the final sentence.
"Claire, the woman who raised Grace is the same woman who has been raising Sophie.""
I looked at Nathan.
He looked at me.
"Amelia," he whispered.
The recording ended.
But another file opened automatically.
A video.
Sophie appeared on the screen.
She was sitting in a parked car, wearing the blue coat she had been buried in seven years earlier.
Her face was pale.
Her eyes were frightened.
"Claire, if you're watching this, I need you to understand something.""
She leaned closer to the camera.
"Margaret didn't kill me.""
I felt my heart stop.
"What?""
The video continued.
"She made everyone believe I died. But I escaped. I've been hiding for seven years.""
I stumbled backward.
Nathan caught me.
Sophie looked directly into the camera.
"And I know where the third child is.""
Richard whispered:
"There's a third?""
Sophie nodded in the video.
"Her name is Grace.""
Then she looked toward someone outside the car.
Her expression changed.
"Oh, God.""
A car door opened.
A man's voice spoke.
"Sophie, you shouldn't have come back.""
She turned toward the camera one last time.
"Claire, don't trust Richard.""
The screen went black.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then Nathan slowly turned toward the man standing beside us.
Richard Cole.
"Why would she say that?""
Richard's face was white.
"I don't know.""
Daniel stepped backward.
"Maybe because you aren't Richard.""
The man looked at him.
Then smiled.
It was a small, cold smile.
He reached into his jacket and removed a photograph.
It showed two men standing beside a boat.
One was the man we knew as Richard.
The other looked exactly like him.
But beneath the photograph was a date.
Seven years earlier.
And one name.
*JONATHAN COLE.*
The man raised his eyes.
"Well," he said quietly, "I suppose the truth has finally caught up with us.""
Then he reached for the garage door.
Outside, headlights illuminated the driveway.
Three black vehicles had arrived.
And a woman's voice came through the loudspeaker.
"Claire Harper, step away from Jonathan Cole.""
I stared at the man beside me.
Jonathan smiled.
"Now," he whispered, "we can finally talk about your sister.""
The garage door began to rise.
And standing outside was a woman I had buried seven years ago.
Sophie.
Alive.
My sister was standing in my driveway.
And she was holding a little girl's hand.
A little girl with Ellie's face.
A little girl who looked exactly like the child in the hospital photograph.
Sophie looked at me.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Hello, Claire.""
Then she said:
"I'm sorry I let you believe I was dead.""
And behind her, the little girl stepped forward.
"Mommy?""
I couldn't breathe.
Because the child wasn't calling Sophie.
She was looking directly at me.
And I had never seen her before.
Sophie wiped her eyes.
"Claire, this is Grace.""
May you like
Then she looked toward Jonathan.
"And he's the man who stole all three of our daughters.""
