Chapter 4: The Rabbit in the Hospital Room
Marcus didn't move.
For several seconds, he simply stared at Claire.
“My mother?””
Claire's eyes were already closing from exhaustion.
“Please…”
“Claire, what are you saying?””
“Don't tell her about the recording.””
The nurse approached.
“Mr. Reed, she needs to rest now.””
Marcus stepped back.
But his mind was no longer in the hospital room.
His mother, Eleanor Reed, was seventy years old.
She lived in a beautiful house on Sullivan's Island and had never approved of Claire.
When Marcus and Claire married, Eleanor had called their relationship a mistake.
She had never hidden her preference for Vanessa.
In fact, Eleanor had encouraged the engagement.
She had even helped choose the wedding venue.
Marcus remembered her words during the rehearsal dinner.
“Vanessa understands what it means to be part of this family.””
He had assumed she meant well.
Now he wondered what else she understood.
Ava was sitting in the waiting room when Marcus returned.
She was coloring a picture with a nurse.
The drawing showed three stick figures.
One large figure.
One small figure.
And a woman lying beneath a blue rectangle.
Marcus's heart tightened.
“Sweetheart.””
Ava looked up.
“Daddy!””
She ran toward him.
He lifted her into his arms.
“How's Mommy?””
“She woke up.””
Ava's face lit up.
“Can I see her?””
“Soon. She needs to rest.””
Ava nodded.
Then she looked at the stuffed rabbit sitting on the chair.
Its brown fur was worn, and one of its ears had been repaired with white thread.
Marcus recognized it immediately.
“Where did you get that?””
Ava hugged it.
“Mommy brought it.””
“Was it with you at the wedding?””
Ava nodded.
“I kept it in the little flower basket.””
Marcus sat beside her.
“Did Mommy tell you anything about this rabbit?””
Ava looked at him.
“She said it was special.””
“Did she tell you why?””
Ava shook her head.
Then she remembered something.
“She said if anything bad happened, I should give it to you.””
Marcus felt his throat tighten.
He gently took the rabbit.
“Would you mind if Daddy looked at it?””
Ava hesitated.
“Will you give it back?””
“Of course.””
He examined the old stitching around its right ear.
One section looked newer than the rest.
Carefully, he pulled the loose thread.
A tiny memory card slipped into his palm.
He stared at it.
Claire had hidden the recording inside Ava's rabbit.
He closed his fingers around the card.
“Sweetheart, this is important.””
Ava looked worried.
“Did Mommy put something inside?””
“Yes.””
“Is it bad?””
“I don't know yet.””
She leaned closer.
“Will it help Mommy?””
Marcus kissed her forehead.
“I hope so.””
He found an empty consultation room and called Detective Brooks.
She arrived fifteen minutes later.
Marcus handed her the memory card.
“My former wife hid this inside our daughter's stuffed rabbit.””
The detective raised an eyebrow.
“Did she tell you what was on it?””
“She said it proves Vanessa planned to kill her.””
Detective Brooks immediately called a technician.
They reviewed the first available recording on a secured laptop.
The video was shaky.
The camera appeared to be hidden inside a bag.
Two women were speaking.
One was Claire.
The other was Vanessa.
The recording began with Vanessa's voice.
“You're making this unnecessarily difficult.””
Claire replied, “I won't sign anything that gives you access to Ava.””
Vanessa laughed.
“It's not about access. It's about stability.””
“She's my daughter.””
“And Marcus is her father.””
“I'm not giving you control over her.””
A pause followed.
Then Vanessa's voice became colder.
“Do you really think Marcus will believe you over me?””
Claire said nothing.
Vanessa continued.
“He's already convinced himself that you're jealous. That you're bitter. That you can't stand seeing him happy.””
“You're lying to him.””
“I'm giving him what he wants. A peaceful home. A woman who doesn't drag him into endless arguments.””
Claire's voice trembled.
“You're trying to take my child.””
Vanessa laughed.
“Your child? Claire, you're standing in the way of a family that is about to become much more powerful.””
Then another voice entered the recording.
A man's voice.
“Vanessa, we need to go.””
Marcus leaned closer.
He recognized it.
Daniel Foster.
Vanessa replied, “Not yet. She hasn't signed.””
Daniel sighed.
“Then we use the other plan.””
Claire asked, “What other plan?””
Silence.
Then Vanessa spoke.
“You should have stayed out of our business.””
The recording ended.
Marcus stared at the screen.
Detective Brooks rewound the final section.
“Listen to the background.””
They played it again.
Beneath the conversation, another sound was audible.
A door closing.
Then a woman's voice.
Very faint.
“Eleanor?””
Marcus stopped breathing.
The detective looked at him.
“Do you recognize that name?””
He nodded slowly.
“My mother.””
Marcus immediately called Eleanor.
She answered on the fourth ring.
“Marcus? Darling, where are you?””
“At the hospital.””
“Oh, I've been trying to reach you. What a terrible afternoon.””
Marcus said nothing.
“Is Claire all right?””
“She survived.””
A pause.
“Thank goodness.””
“Mom, I need to ask you something.””
“Of course.””
“Were you at Riverside last Thursday?””
Another pause.
“Why would you ask that?””
“Were you?””
“I have no idea what you're talking about.””
Marcus closed his eyes.
“Did you meet Vanessa and Daniel there?””
Eleanor's voice sharpened.
“Marcus, this is not the time for accusations.””
“Then give me a reason not to accuse you.””
She sighed.
“Your former wife has always been skilled at manipulating you.””
“Did you meet them?””
“Daniel and I have known each other for years.””
“That's not what I asked.””
“Your business is complicated. You wouldn't understand everything that happens behind the scenes.””
Marcus felt his anger rise.
“I'm the owner of the company.””
“And I'm your mother.””
“Then tell me the truth.””
Eleanor went quiet.
Finally, she said:
“Vanessa was trying to protect this family.””
Marcus stared at the wall.
“Protect us from what?””
“From Claire.””
The words landed like a slap.
“What did you do?””
“Don't speak to me like that.””
“What did you do, Mom?””
Eleanor's voice dropped.
“I didn't put anyone in that pool.””
Marcus went completely still.
He hadn't mentioned the pool.
He hadn't told her about the chain.
He hadn't even told her that Claire had nearly drowned.
“How do you know she was in the pool?””
Silence.
Then Eleanor said something that made his blood turn cold.
“Because Vanessa called me before the wedding and told me the problem had been taken care of.””
The call ended.
Marcus stared at his phone.
Detective Brooks was watching him.
“What happened?””
He slowly lowered the device.
“My mother knows what happened.””
The detective stood.
“Then we're going to need to speak with her.””
Before they could move, Marcus received another message.
This time, it came from Daniel Foster.
We need to talk privately. Your mother is in danger.
Marcus read it twice.
Another message arrived.
Don't trust Vanessa. But don't trust Claire either.
He looked at Detective Brooks.
“Daniel wants to meet.””
“Where?””
Marcus typed a response.
Where?
The reply came almost immediately.
The Riverside property. Midnight. Come alone.
Detective Brooks shook her head.
“No.””
Marcus frowned.
“He may know what happened.””
“He may also be the person who arranged it.””
“What if he's telling the truth about my mother?””
“Then we approach him properly.””
Marcus looked toward the waiting room.
Ava was asleep with her rabbit tucked beneath her chin.
His entire life had become a series of lies.
His fiancée.
His best friend.
His mother.
And perhaps even the woman he had once loved.
He looked at the detective.
“I'm not going to let anyone near my daughter again.””
Detective Brooks nodded.
“Then don't do anything reckless.””
Marcus's phone vibrated again.
A new photograph appeared.
It showed Eleanor standing outside Ava's school.
Beside her was Vanessa.
And behind them was a man holding Ava's pink backpack.
The message underneath read:
YOUR MOTHER HAS ALREADY TAKEN THE CHILD.
Marcus looked toward the waiting room.
The chair was empty.
May you like
Ava's rabbit was gone.
And the nurse who had been watching her had disappeared.
