Chapter 5: The Child They Tried to Erase
I couldn't hear anything.
Not the machines.
Not Detective Collins speaking into her radio.
Not the footsteps outside the room.
All I could hear was Nia's voice.
I was pregnant when they put me in the coffin.
I looked at her stomach.
Then at her face.
“Nia…”
She nodded through her tears.
“I'm sorry.””
“How long?””
“Almost four months.””
I sat down heavily.
Four months.
For four months, my wife had carried our child.
And I hadn't known.
I had spent the previous three days mourning her, believing I had lost the only family I would ever have.
Now I was learning that someone had tried to bury our unborn child with her.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
Nia looked away.
“Because I wanted to surprise you.””
My eyes burned.
“Baby…”
“I found out two weeks before Daniel attacked me. I had already made an appointment with the doctor. I was going to tell you that weekend.””
I covered my mouth.
“What happened?””
She took my hand.
“The night I was taken, Daniel said he knew about the pregnancy.””
I felt my entire body tense.
“What?””
“He told me the child complicated everything. He said if I gave him the phone, he'd make sure you never found out.””
I stood.
“I'm going to kill him.””
“Marcus, please.””
“He knew you were pregnant?””
“Yes.””
“And he still put you in that coffin?””
Nia began sobbing.
Detective Collins stepped between us.
“Mr. Carter, sit down.””
I looked at her.
“Someone tried to murder my wife and child.””
“I understand. But we need to keep you focused.””
She turned toward Nia.
“Did you receive any medical treatment before being placed in the coffin?””
Nia nodded.
“Daniel had a doctor examine me.””
“Do you know the doctor's name?””
“No. He wore a mask.””
“Did he say anything about the pregnancy?””
“He told Daniel that the baby was healthy.””
Detective Collins wrote it down.
“Did Daniel ever threaten the baby directly?””
Nia hesitated.
Then she nodded.
“He said the child could be used to control Marcus.””
I felt sick.
“What did he mean?””
Nia looked at me.
“He said you would sign anything if they threatened your family.””
I looked down at my hands.
Daniel had known exactly how to hurt us.
He had stolen our money.
He had threatened my wife.
And now I understood why the note in the coffin had included my name.
They weren't simply trying to silence Nia.
They were trying to control me.
The door opened.
A doctor entered with a nurse.
“Mr. Carter? Mrs. Carter?””
I immediately approached them.
“Is my wife pregnant?””
The doctor glanced at Detective Collins.
“Are you family?””
“I'm her husband.””
He nodded.
“We've performed an initial examination. The pregnancy is still present.””
I felt my knees weaken.
“Is the baby okay?””
“We've detected a heartbeat. However, your wife has experienced significant physical stress and possible exposure to medication. We need further testing.””
I took Nia's hand.
“Did you hear that?””
She nodded.
For the first time since I had broken open the coffin, she smiled.
It was small.
Fragile.
But it was real.
“Our baby,” she whispered.
I kissed her forehead.
“Our baby.””
Then the doctor continued.
“We'll need to monitor her closely. There are some concerns, but at this stage, we don't want to make assumptions.””
“Do whatever you need to do,” I said.
After the doctor left, Detective Collins stepped outside to speak with the officers.
I stayed beside Nia.
“Why did you say Evelyn was trying to take the baby?””
Nia looked toward the window.
“Because she told me.””
“When?””
“Before the funeral.””
My stomach tightened.
“What?””
“She came to see me in the room where they were holding me.””
I leaned closer.
“Tell me exactly what happened.””
Nia closed her eyes.
“She came in wearing her usual perfume. Jasmine. I recognized it before she spoke.””
I remembered that smell.
Evelyn had worn the same perfume for years.
“She sat beside me,” Nia continued.
“She looked at my stomach and asked whether I'd told you.””
“What did you say?””
“I told her it wasn't her business.””
Nia gave a bitter little laugh.
“She said it was very much her business.””
I felt my jaw tighten.
“She told me the baby belonged to her family. She said she had already lost enough.””
I frowned.
“What did she mean?””
Nia looked at me.
“She said your father had promised her something before he died.””
“What?””
“The child.””
I stared at her.
“That makes no sense.””
“She said your father wanted the baby to inherit something. Something he had hidden.””
I thought of my father.
His old office.
The locked drawer.
The voice message.
“Did she tell you what he had hidden?””
“No. She said she would find it once you were out of the way.””
I looked toward the door.
“Evelyn knows about the drawer.””
Nia nodded.
“She told Daniel that your father had left a key somewhere in the house.””
I remembered the old desk in my father's study.
It had been moved into our house after his death.
I hadn't opened the locked drawer in years.
“Why does she want the baby?””
Nia hesitated.
“Because your father didn't leave money to her.””
I frowned.
“What?””
“He left a trust.””
“For whom?””
Nia's voice dropped.
“For his first grandchild.””
I stared at her stomach.
The baby.
My father had known about the pregnancy before either of us did?
That was impossible.
Unless the trust wasn't created recently.
Unless he had anticipated something.
“There's more,” Nia said.
I turned toward her.
“More?””
She reached beneath her pillow and pulled out a small piece of folded paper.
“I hid this before they moved me to the funeral home.””
I unfolded it.
There were three numbers written in blue ink.
And a short sentence.
*LOCKER 317. THE OLD RAILWAY STATION.*
I looked at Nia.
“What is this?””
“Daniel said the phone was the only copy of the evidence. But I found this in Evelyn's handbag.””
“Why would she have it?””
“I think it's a locker number.””
I stared at the paper.
“Did you ever go there?””
“No.””
“Do you know what's inside?””
Nia shook her head.
“Only that Daniel was furious when he realized I had seen it.””
I slipped the paper into my pocket.
A knock sounded at the door.
Detective Collins returned.
“Mr. Carter, I need you to come with me.””
“Why?””
“We've located Evelyn.””
“Where?””
“At your house.””
I stood.
“What is she doing there?””
“She arrived approximately ten minutes ago.””
I looked at Nia.
Detective Collins continued.
“She told the officers she was there to collect some personal belongings.””
I frowned.
“What personal belongings?””
“The contents of your father's study.””
My heart began pounding.
“She knows we're investigating the desk.””
“Apparently.””
I reached for my jacket.
“I need to go home.””
Detective Collins shook her head.
“You're not going anywhere alone.””
“Then come with me.””
She studied me.
After a moment, she nodded.
“I'll arrange an escort.””
I leaned over Nia.
“I'm going to find out what your mother has been hiding.””
She caught my hand.
“Marcus, be careful.””
“I will.””
She looked at me with frightened eyes.
“Don't open that drawer until you know what you're looking for.””
“Why?””
“Because when I found the recording, there was another document beside it.””
“What document?””
Nia swallowed.
“Your birth certificate.””
I froze.
“My birth certificate?””
She nodded.
“But it wasn't the one you have at home.””
I felt my throat tighten.
“What was different?””
She whispered:
“Your father's name was listed as the adoptive father.””
At 5:46 a.m., Detective Collins and I arrived at my house.
Two patrol cars were parked outside.
The front door stood open.
I stepped inside.
The house smelled of coffee and jasmine.
Evelyn's perfume.
I found her in my father's study.
She stood beside his old mahogany desk, holding a small metal key.
Her black coat was draped over the chair.
She looked up when I entered.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then she smiled sadly.
“Marcus. I was wondering when you'd come home.””
I looked at the key.
“What are you doing?””
“Collecting something that belongs to me.””
“Put it down.””
She closed her fingers around it.
“Your father left this for me.””
“My father left you nothing.””
Her expression changed.
“You don't know what your father promised me.””
“I know he died because of you.””
She stared at me.
Then she laughed.
Not nervously.
Not in disbelief.
She laughed as if I had just told her an amusing joke.
“Your wife has been filling your head with stories.””
“She has evidence.””
Evelyn walked around the desk.
“Evidence can be manufactured.””
“Did you kill my father?””
Her face went completely still.
Detective Collins stepped forward.
“Mrs. Carter, I need you to answer that question.””
Evelyn looked at the detective.
Then back at me.
“You should ask your father why he never told you the truth about your mother.””
I felt the room spin.
“Enough with the riddles.””
She placed the key on the desk.
Then slowly removed a photograph from her handbag.
It showed a young woman holding a newborn baby.
The woman had dark hair and tired eyes.
The baby was wrapped in a blue blanket.
I looked closer.
The photograph was dated thirty-seven years earlier.
On the back were four handwritten words.
*Marcus and his real mother.*
I looked up.
Evelyn was crying.
“Your father didn't adopt you because he couldn't have children.””
She stepped closer.
“He adopted you because your real mother was my sister.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
Evelyn wiped her cheek.
“Your father took you from her.””
May you like
And then she said the words that changed everything.
“He stole you from our family.””
