Chapter 6: The Man Who Stole the Truth
Nobody spoke.
The photograph lay on the kitchen table between Detective Shaw and Daniel, its glossy surface reflecting the overhead light.
I stared at the man in the picture.
My biological father.
The man who had arrived at our house when I was terrified. The man who had brought us somewhere safe. The man who had cried when I asked why he hadn't been there for me.
He was the same man caught entering the hospital records department two days earlier.
“Tell me that's not you,” I whispered.
Daniel looked at the photograph.
Then he looked at me.
“It's me.””
Mom made a small, broken sound.
I felt as though the floor had vanished beneath my feet.
“You said you were trying to find the truth.””
“I was.””
“You said you didn't know what was in the file.””
“I didn't.””
“Then why were you at the hospital?””
Daniel rubbed a hand over his face.
“I went there because someone contacted me three weeks ago. They told me the original birth statement still existed. They said they could help me obtain it legally.””
Detective Shaw folded her arms.
“Who contacted you?””
“A woman who claimed to work in hospital administration. She said the records had been improperly amended and that the original documents could prove it.””
“Did you give her your credentials?””
“No.””
“Did you enter a restricted area?””
Daniel hesitated.
“Yes.””
The detective's expression hardened.
“Mr. Carter, did you remove any documents?””
“No.””
“Did you handle any documents?””
Daniel looked down.
“Yes.””
I pushed my chair back.
“Why didn't you tell us?””
He turned toward me.
“Because I didn't want you to think I'd done something illegal before I understood what was happening.””
“You did something illegal because you didn't want us to think you'd done something illegal?””
He flinched.
I hated that I noticed.
I hated that some small part of me still wanted to defend him.
“Emily,” he said quietly, “I made a mistake.””
“You've missed seventeen years of my life. You don't get to make mistakes with the truth now.””
His eyes glistened.
“I know.””
Detective Shaw placed the photograph inside a clear evidence sleeve.
“Until we verify your account, I need you to remain available for questioning. I also need you to give me the name of the person who contacted you.””
Daniel gave her the number.
She wrote it down, then stepped into the hallway to make a call.
The moment she was gone, Mom turned toward Daniel.
“You promised me.””
He looked at her.
“I know.””
“You promised you wouldn't do anything that could put Emily in danger.””
“I thought I was helping.””
“You always think that!””
Her voice broke.
“You thought you could protect us by keeping secrets. Ethan thought he could protect us by controlling us. And now Emily is sitting here trying to figure out which man in her life is telling the truth.””
Daniel lowered his head.
“I never wanted this.””
Mom laughed bitterly.
“Neither did I.””
I walked out of the kitchen.
Nobody stopped me.
I found the back porch and stepped outside. The air smelled of wet leaves and cold stone. Somewhere beyond the trees, a dog barked.
I sat on the wooden steps and pressed my palms against my eyes.
A few minutes later, the porch door opened.
Daniel stood in the doorway.
“Can I sit with you?””
“No.””
He remained standing.
“Okay.””
I expected him to argue.
Instead, he stepped back inside and closed the door.
That made me angrier than if he'd ignored me.
I wanted him to fight for me.
I wanted him to prove that I mattered enough to fight for.
But I didn't know how to explain that without sounding like a child begging a stranger to love her.
My phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
I almost ignored it.
Then another message appeared.
*Ask Daniel what he did on March 16, 2009.*
My stomach tightened.
I stared at the screen.
March 16.
Two days after I was born.
I went back inside.
Daniel was standing near the kitchen counter, speaking to Detective Shaw. When he saw my face, he stopped.
“What happened?””
I held out my phone.
He read the message.
The color drained from his face.
Mom noticed.
“Daniel?””
He handed the phone back to me.
“Someone is trying to manipulate you.””
“What happened on March 16, 2009?””
He didn't answer.
I felt my heartbeat quicken.
“What did you do?””
Daniel looked at Mom.
She stared at him as if she already knew the answer and was praying she was wrong.
Finally, he said, “I went to the hospital.””
Mom gripped the counter.
“You told me you were out of the country.””
“I was supposed to be.””
“Daniel.””
“I came back early.””
I stared at him.
“Why?””
“Because I received a message saying Sarah and the baby were in danger.””
Mom covered her mouth.
“Who sent it?””
“I never found out.””
“What happened when you arrived?”” Detective Shaw asked.
Daniel looked at her.
“Ethan was outside the maternity ward. He told me Sarah had changed her mind. He said she'd chosen him and didn't want me near her or the baby.””
“And you believed him?”” I asked.
“No.””
“Then what did you do?””
Daniel's hands trembled.
“I tried to get into the ward. Security stopped me. Ethan showed them a document claiming I had been threatening Sarah. He told them I was unstable.””
Mom closed her eyes.
“I didn't know.””
“I know.””
Daniel swallowed.
“I argued with security. I shouted. I said things I shouldn't have said. Eventually, the hospital called the police.””
I stared at him.
“You were arrested?””
“For trespassing and causing a disturbance. The charges were dropped later, but by then, Sarah had been moved to another room.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because I was ashamed.””
He took a breath.
“And because I thought if I told you, you'd see a man who had lost control instead of a man who had tried to find his daughter.””
I stared at him.
“That's exactly what I see right now.””
He nodded.
“I understand.””
“No, you don't. You keep deciding which parts of the truth I can handle. You keep telling me things only when someone else forces you to.””
He had no answer.
Detective Shaw stepped closer.
“Mr. Carter, do you have any documentation of your visit on March 16?””
“Yes. My attorney retained the police report.””
“Then I need a copy.””
Daniel nodded.
She turned toward me.
“Emily, whoever is sending these messages may have access to private information. Don't respond. Save every message and let us investigate.””
I nodded.
But I couldn't stop thinking about the date.
March 16, 2009.
Two days after my birth.
What had happened during those two days that everyone seemed so desperate to hide?
The answer arrived before lunchtime.
Detective Shaw's phone rang.
She listened for nearly a minute, then looked at Daniel.
“We traced the hospital access card used to remove the archived record.””
Daniel straightened.
“To whom?””
“The card belonged to a records supervisor who reported it missing three weeks ago.””
“Can you identify who used it?””
“We have footage from the corridor. The person's face is obscured, but the system logged the employee number.””
She paused.
“It's registered to Margaret Bennett.””
Aunt Margaret, who had been sitting silently near the window, rose to her feet.
“No.””
Detective Shaw turned toward her.
“Did you ever work at that hospital?””
Margaret shook her head.
“Never.””
“Have you ever possessed an access card belonging to someone who worked there?””
“No.””
The detective studied her.
“Then someone may have used your identity.””
Margaret's eyes filled with tears.
“Why would anyone do that?””
Nobody answered.
Then my phone vibrated again.
A new message.
This time, there was a photograph attached.
It showed the inside of a storage unit.
At the center sat a cardboard box with the word HOSPITAL written across the lid.
Beneath the photograph were five words.
*YOUR AUNT HAS THE ORIGINAL.*
Margaret stared at the screen.
Then she whispered, “That's impossible.””
I looked at her.
“Why?””
She backed away from the table.
“Because I gave that box to Ethan seventeen years ago.””
The room fell silent.
Detective Shaw slowly reached for her radio.
And somewhere in the house, the landline began to ring.
Daniel answered it.
He listened for three seconds.
Then his face went white.
May you like
He lowered the receiver and looked at us.
“Ethan knows where we are.””
