Chapter 9: The Truth Gregory Buried
Gregory didn't answer his phone.
I called him six times between the office and the drive home. Each call went to voicemail.
On the seventh attempt, his number was disconnected.
Maya sat beside me, staring at the message Daniel had sent.
I know which baby I took. I have known for eighteen years.
"He's running," she whispered.
"Maybe.""
"Why else would he disconnect his phone?""
I didn't have an answer.
At home, I called Patricia and sent her the archive document. She reviewed it while I waited, then called back with a warning.
"Don't confront Gregory without documenting everything you have," she said.
"If he has records proving what happened, we need to preserve them. If he's involved in the falsification, we need to be careful about what we reveal.""
"Can you get a court order for the archive?""
"I'm preparing the request now. Daniel has agreed to provide access, but we need an independent chain of custody for any records we intend to use.""
"How long?""
"Possibly tomorrow morning.""
I looked at Maya.
She had gone pale again.
"Patricia, we may have found the other daughter.""
"I understand. But we need to establish identity, not just assume it.""
After the call ended, Maya paced the living room.
"Why would Gregory take one baby and then marry Mom seven years later?""
I sat at the table.
"Maybe he believed he was helping her.""
"Then why did he leave?""
"Maybe he found out what happened and couldn't live with it.""
She stopped pacing.
"Or maybe he got what he wanted.""
The thought was ugly, but it wasn't unreasonable.
Gregory had been present at the hospital. He'd signed documents. He'd married Vanessa years later and helped raise Maya while knowing the truth about her birth.
Then he'd left.
He had returned to the story only when the secret was in danger of coming out.
I looked at Maya.
"We need to talk to Eleanor again.""
She shook her head.
"She won't tell us anything.""
"Maybe she'll tell us something if we show her Gregory's message.""
Maya considered that.
Then she reached for her phone.
"I'll call her.""
Eleanor answered on the second ring.
"Maya?""
"Grandma, we need to see you.""
There was a long pause.
"Why?""
"Because Gregory has been investigating the hospital records. He says he knows which baby he took.""
Silence.
Then Eleanor whispered, "Oh, God.""
Maya's face changed.
"You know what he's talking about.""
Eleanor began to cry.
"Please don't come here.""
"Why?""
"Because he may be watching the house.""
Maya looked at me.
I stood.
"Ask her where she is.""
Maya repeated the question.
Eleanor hesitated.
Then she said, "I'm at the church.""
"What church?""
"St. Andrew's. The one near the old hospital.""
"Stay there," Maya said.
"We're coming.""
Eleanor tried to object, but Maya ended the call.
We drove across town in silence.
St. Andrew's was a small brick church with a white steeple and a parking lot shaded by old oak trees. Eleanor sat alone in the last pew, her handbag resting beside her.
When she saw us, she stood.
Maya approached her.
"Tell me what you know.""
Eleanor looked toward the church doors.
"I was hoping Gregory would never bring this back into your life.""
"That isn't an answer.""
Eleanor sank onto the pew.
"I know which baby he took.""
Maya stopped breathing for a moment.
"Which one?""
Eleanor looked at her.
"Claire.""
The word echoed through the empty church.
Maya's knees seemed to weaken.
I reached for her arm.
"How do you know?""
"Because I saw Gregory leave the hospital with her. I saw the bracelet on her wrist. It had her original identification number.""
Maya stared at her grandmother.
"Then why did you let me believe I was an only child?""
"Because Gregory told me Claire would be safer if no one knew where she was.""
"Safer from whom?""
"Daniel's father. He was determined to control both girls. He wanted one raised by the adoptive family he'd chosen and the other raised by Vanessa. He believed he could use them to keep Daniel obedient.""
Maya's expression hardened.
"So Gregory took Claire to protect her.""
"That's what he told me.""
"Then what happened?""
Eleanor looked down at her hands.
"He placed her with a family who wanted to adopt. They weren't the people Daniel's father had chosen. They were ordinary people, kind people, who had been waiting years for a child.""
"Claire's adoptive parents.""
Eleanor nodded.
"Yes.""
Maya closed her eyes.
For eighteen years, Claire had grown up believing she was adopted. Her parents had loved her, raised her, and given her a life that seemed ordinary.
But the circumstances of her adoption had been anything but ordinary.
"Why didn't you tell me?"" Maya asked.
"Because Vanessa threatened to cut me out of your life if I ever did.""
Maya laughed bitterly.
"You were afraid of losing me.""
"Yes.""
"So you helped her make sure I lost Claire.""
Eleanor's face crumpled.
"I thought I was protecting both of you.""
"You keep saying that. Why does protecting me always mean lying to me?""
Eleanor had no answer.
I sat beside Maya.
"Did you know Vanessa had changed the hospital records?""
"Yes.""
"Did you help her?""
Eleanor nodded.
"She asked me to submit the amendment. She wanted the records to show that there had only ever been one child. She said the truth would destroy her chance to raise Maya.""
Maya stared at her.
"Which baby did she bring home?""
Eleanor looked at her for a long moment.
Then she said, "You.""
Maya's face went blank.
"You're sure?""
"Yes.""
"How?""
"Because I saw Vanessa leave the hospital with you. I checked the bracelet before she carried you through the doors.""
Maya looked down at her wrist, as though the old identification number might somehow be written there.
"So Claire was the baby Gregory took.""
"Yes.""
"And I was the baby Mom raised.""
Eleanor nodded.
For a moment, Maya seemed to relax.
Then she asked, "Why did Gregory say he knew which baby he took, as though it was a secret?""
Eleanor looked toward the doors again.
"Because he did more than take Claire.""
I felt the air change.
"What else did he do?""
Eleanor gripped the edge of the pew.
"He kept the original bracelet. He kept the transfer papers. And he kept a photograph of the two of you together.""
"Why?""
"Because he believed Vanessa would eventually come looking for Claire. He wanted proof of which child had gone where.""
Maya stared at her.
"Then why did he never contact us?""
"Because he was afraid.""
"Of Mom?""
"Of what would happen if she found out he had kept the records.""
I leaned forward.
"Why would Vanessa care? If she wanted Claire adopted, why would she object to Gregory keeping the paperwork?""
Eleanor's face tightened.
"Because Vanessa didn't want Claire to grow up with a different family.""
Maya stared at her.
"What?""
"She wanted Claire placed with the family Daniel's father had chosen. She believed that family would eventually give her financial support. When Gregory took Claire elsewhere, Vanessa lost the arrangement she'd expected.""
I felt my stomach twist.
"So the money was connected to the adoption.""
"Yes.""
"How much?""
Eleanor closed her eyes.
"More than forty thousand dollars.""
Maya stood.
"How much?""
"Two hundred thousand.""
The figure landed like a stone.
Two hundred thousand dollars.
That was why Vanessa had fought so hard to keep the adoption hidden.
Not simply to protect the children.
Not simply to protect herself.
She'd expected money.
And when Gregory took Claire to a different family, the plan collapsed.
"Did she get any of it?"" I asked.
Eleanor nodded.
"She received the first payment. The rest was supposed to be transferred after the adoption was finalized.""
"And the forty thousand dollars you received?""
"That was my share for arranging the transfer.""
Maya stared at her grandmother as though she no longer recognized her.
"You took money to help give away my sister.""
Eleanor covered her face.
"I thought it was the only way to protect you both.""
Maya stepped away.
"No. You thought it was the easiest way to protect yourself.""
Eleanor began to sob.
Maya turned toward me.
"Let's go.""
As we walked down the aisle, Eleanor called after us.
"There's something else you need to know!""
Maya stopped but didn't turn around.
Eleanor wiped her face.
"Gregory didn't take Claire because he wanted to protect her.""
Maya turned slowly.
"What do you mean?""
Eleanor's voice trembled.
"He took her because Daniel's father offered him money to do it.""
I felt my heart pound.
"Then why did he place her with another family?""
"Because he changed his mind.""
"Why?""
Eleanor shook her head.
"I don't know. He never told me.""
Maya stared at her grandmother.
"How much did they offer him?""
"Enough to make him believe he could start over.""
I looked at Eleanor.
"Did Gregory ever tell you where he went after leaving Vanessa?""
"He moved to North Carolina for a while. He said he needed distance from everything that had happened.""
"And when he came back?""
"He married Vanessa. I believe he thought he could keep the secret under control if he stayed close to her.""
Maya's expression hardened.
"He married my mother because of the secret.""
Eleanor didn't answer.
But her silence was enough.
We left the church and drove straight to Gregory's last known address.
The house was empty.
The lawn was overgrown, the windows covered with blinds. A neighbor told us Gregory had moved out two days earlier, leaving most of his furniture behind.
"He took a suitcase and a box," the neighbor said.
"Didn't say where he was going.""
"Did he have visitors?"" I asked.
The man nodded.
"A woman came by yesterday. Blonde hair. Expensive car.""
Vanessa.
I felt my jaw tighten.
"Did they leave together?""
"No. She stayed about twenty minutes, then drove away. He left later that evening.""
Maya stared at the empty house.
"He's running because he knows we're close.""
I called Patricia.
She agreed to request an emergency order to preserve Gregory's records and asked us to return to her office immediately.
But before we could leave, Maya's phone rang.
Claire.
Maya answered.
"Hello?""
"Hi," Claire said.
"I got your message. I spoke to my adoptive parents.""
Maya's eyes filled.
"What did they say?""
"They told me the truth about my adoption. They said a man brought me to them when I was three days old. He told them my biological mother had chosen adoption and wanted no contact.""
Maya covered her mouth.
"Do they know who he was?""
"They said his name was Gregory Shaw.""
I closed my eyes.
Claire continued.
"They have something else. A photograph. They kept it because the man who brought me said it was the only picture of my birth family.""
Maya's voice shook.
"Can you send it?""
"Yes.""
A moment later, a photograph appeared on Maya's screen.
It showed two newborn babies lying side by side in a hospital bassinet.
One had a tiny ribbon around her wrist.
The other had a hospital bracelet.
On the back, someone had written:
Claire and Maya. March 17, 2008.
Maya stared at the photograph.
Then she began to cry.
For eighteen years, she'd wondered whether there was someone else who looked like her, someone who shared the same birthday, the same mother, the same beginnings.
Now she had proof.
A sister.
A sister who had grown up somewhere else, loved by another family, carrying a history she hadn't fully understood.
Maya wiped her cheeks.
"Claire," she whispered into the phone, "I think we're sisters.""
Claire began to cry, too.
"I think so.""
They stayed on the phone for several minutes, asking each other small, awkward questions.
What was your favorite subject?
Did you like music?
Did you have pets growing up?
The ordinary questions of two young women trying to find a beginning after eighteen years of separation.
Then Claire said, "There's one more thing my parents told me.""
Maya grew still.
"What?""
"They said Gregory came back to see me when I was twelve.""
"Why?""
"He told them he was my biological father.""
Maya looked at me.
I felt the blood drain from my face.
Claire continued.
"He said my biological mother had died, and he wanted to make sure I was being cared for. My parents refused to let him take me anywhere, but he left a letter.""
"Do you still have it?""
"Yes.""
"Can you read it?""
Claire hesitated.
Then she said, "I can send you a picture.""
A few seconds later, the image arrived.
The letter was short.
Claire,
If you ever learn the truth about your birth, remember that the man who took you from the hospital was not the man who should have raised you. I made a promise to someone I loved, and I broke it. I have spent twelve years trying to decide whether telling you would make things right or only hurt you.
If you ever meet your sister, ask her father what happened before the wedding.
He knows more than he thinks.
Gregory.
Maya read the final line aloud.
Then she looked at me.
"Before the wedding?""
I stared at the letter.
My wedding to Vanessa.
I'd believed I'd married a woman who loved me, a woman who was frightened about becoming a mother and needed someone to stand beside her.
But Gregory's letter suggested there was something else.
Something that had happened before Vanessa and I ever exchanged vows.
Something connected to my role in the twins' lives.
My phone buzzed.
Patricia.
"Marcus, we have a problem," she said.
"What now?""
"Gregory's attorney just contacted me. Gregory is willing to testify, but only if we agree to meet him tonight.""
"Where?""
"An address in Buckhead. He says he'll bring the original hospital bracelet and the complete adoption file.""
"Why tonight?""
Patricia hesitated.
"Because he says Vanessa has already found Claire's adoptive parents.""
I looked at Maya.
Her face had gone white.
"What does Vanessa want?"" I asked.
Patricia's voice lowered.
"Custody isn't an issue anymore, but she appears to be threatening legal action to prevent Claire from accessing her original records.""
Maya gripped the phone.
"She can't do that!""
"She may not succeed," Patricia said.
"But she's trying.""
I ended the call.
Maya stared at Claire's photograph.
Then she whispered, "Mom spent eighteen years hiding my sister.""
I took her hand.
"Yes.""
"And now she's trying to hide her again.""
I looked at the image of the two newborn girls.
"Then we won't let her.""
But as we drove toward Buckhead that evening, I couldn't stop thinking about Gregory's final sentence.
Ask her father what happened before the wedding.
I had spent thirteen years believing Vanessa had lied about my relationship to Maya.
Now I knew she had hidden a twin, falsified records, accepted money, and helped separate two newborn girls.
But what had happened before our wedding?
And why had Gregory waited eighteen years to tell me?
The answer was waiting at the address Patricia had given us.
May you like
So was the man who had taken Claire from the hospital.
And this time, he claimed he was ready to tell the whole truth.
