Chapter 5: The Dead Woman at the Police Station
I sat in the police station parking lot with the engine running, unable to process what Daniel had just told me.
"That's impossible," I said.
"I saw her with my own eyes.""
"I know what you saw.""
"Then how can she be dead?""
Daniel didn't answer immediately.
Behind me, Emma had curled into a ball, her knees pressed against her chest. She kept looking toward the station entrance, as if she expected someone to come through the doors and drag her away.
I lowered my voice.
"Daniel, tell me who Mrs. Carter was.""
"Her name was Eleanor Carter. She worked in hospital administration at St. Catherine's when Lily was born. She was responsible for maintaining the newborn records.""
I looked at the empty road where the sedan had disappeared.
"You're telling me the woman who just showed me a photograph of myself is someone who died five years ago?""
"According to the records, yes.""
"How did she die?""
"She was found in her apartment. The official report said she suffered a fatal stroke.""
I closed my eyes.
A woman who had supposedly died five years ago had just followed me through the streets, held up a photograph of me, and smiled as if she knew exactly what I was going to do next.
"Daniel, what did Eleanor have to do with the babies?""
"She signed the correction to the birth records.""
My stomach twisted.
"Was she involved in the switch?""
"I don't know. But when I found Rebecca's letter, I contacted her. She agreed to meet me.""
"When?""
"Three weeks ago.""
I stared at the dashboard.
"What did she tell you?""
"She said the records had been changed deliberately. She said the hospital had received instructions from someone outside the medical staff. When I asked who had given the instructions, she refused to answer.""
"Why?""
"Because she said the person was still alive.""
A car pulled into the parking space beside mine.
I turned sharply, expecting the dark sedan.
Instead, it was a patrol car.
A uniformed officer stepped out and approached my window.
I rolled it down.
"Ma'am, is everything all right?""
I glanced at Emma.
"No," I admitted.
"I need to report a possible child abduction, and I believe someone is following us.""
The officer's expression became serious.
"Is the child in your vehicle your daughter?""
"My niece. Or at least, that's what I believed until this morning.""
I explained what had happened at Brenda's house, showed him the note and photograph, and described the woman in the sedan.
He asked us to come inside.
I carried Emma through the station doors, holding her close while the officer guided us to a quiet interview room.
A female detective named Harris joined us twenty minutes later.
She listened without interrupting as I explained everything from the torn pink jacket to Brenda's statement about the child being supposed to be dead.
When I finished, she examined the note.
"Where did this come from?""
"Emma found it in a drawer at Brenda's house.""
Detective Harris looked at the girl.
"Emma, can you tell me whether anyone has hurt you?""
Emma hesitated.
Then she nodded.
"Brenda grabbed my arm. She pulled me downstairs and pushed me outside.""
The detective wrote something down.
"Has anyone else hurt you?""
Emma shook her head.
"Not today.""
The words made me wince.
Not today.
Detective Harris asked whether Emma remembered her biological parents. Emma described a woman with dark hair, a scar near her chin, and a lullaby she used to sing.
The detective's pen stopped moving.
"What was the song?""
Emma hummed a few notes.
Detective Harris looked at me.
"Could you excuse us for a moment?""
I stood reluctantly.
"Why?""
"We need to verify something.""
I didn't like the way she said it.
Still, I stepped into the corridor, where Daniel was waiting.
He had arrived while I was speaking to the detective. His face looked pale and drawn, and he kept rubbing his hands together.
The moment he saw me, he pulled me into a tight embrace.
"Is she safe?""
"For now.""
He closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry.""
I pulled away.
"Don't apologize yet. Tell me the truth.""
He nodded slowly.
"I will.""
"Everything?""
"Everything.""
Before I could ask another question, Detective Harris came out of the interview room.
"Mr. Bennett, I'd like to speak with you privately.""
Daniel followed her into a second room.
I waited in the corridor, watching the clock.
Ten minutes passed.
Then fifteen.
When Daniel finally emerged, he looked as though he had aged ten years.
"What did she ask you?""
He sat beside me.
"She asked whether I knew that the hospital had recorded two separate births under the same identification number.""
I stared at him.
"What?""
"Apparently, the records show that both Lily and Emma were assigned the same temporary identification number during the first six hours after delivery.""
"How is that possible?""
"Someone entered the information incorrectly, then used the mistake to justify changing the records.""
I thought of Eleanor Carter.
"Could she have done it?""
"Yes.""
"Could Brenda?""
"Possibly.""
"Could Dr. Hale?""
Daniel nodded.
"That's why I wanted to find him.""
Detective Harris returned carrying a thin folder.
"We've contacted St. Catherine's Medical Center. Their legal department says the original neonatal records were transferred to an off-site archive after a computer system migration. They claim they can't access them until Monday.""
"Convenient," I muttered.
The detective didn't disagree.
"We're also checking the death records for Eleanor Carter. At this point, I can't tell you whether the person you saw was actually her.""
"But I know what I saw.""
"I understand. We'll investigate.""
She looked at Daniel.
"There's one more issue. Your sister-in-law has called the station twice. She claims the child you brought here is not your niece and that you've been involved in a custody dispute.""
Daniel's jaw tightened.
"That's a lie.""
"She also says the girl may have been taken from a private medical facility.""
I stared at the detective.
"What private medical facility?""
"She didn't specify.""
Daniel stood up abruptly.
"She's trying to confuse everything. Brenda knows exactly who that child is.""
Detective Harris raised a hand.
"Mr. Bennett, I need you to remain calm. If there's been a switch at birth, we need evidence. We can't make assumptions based on a handwritten note.""
I understood that.
I didn't like it, but I understood.
Then she added, "The best next step is to establish the child's identity through a documented DNA test and obtain the original birth records.""
Daniel nodded.
"Do whatever you need to do.""
As the detective left, Emma appeared in the doorway.
She had been given a small blanket and a cup of hot chocolate. She looked calmer, but her eyes were fixed on Daniel.
He slowly approached her.
"Hello, sweetheart.""
Emma backed away.
He stopped immediately.
"That's okay," he said softly.
"You don't have to come near me if you don't want to.""
She studied his face.
"Are you Lily's daddy?""
Daniel's expression crumpled.
"I thought I was.""
"Are you going to make me go back?""
"No.""
His answer came without hesitation.
"No matter what we discover, nobody is going to force you to go anywhere unsafe.""
Emma looked at me.
I nodded.
After a moment, she approached Daniel and took his hand.
He began to cry silently.
I turned away to give them privacy.
That was when I noticed the envelope on the chair beside the interview room.
It hadn't been there before.
A plain white envelope, addressed in blue ink.
*For Claire Bennett.*
I looked around.
Nobody seemed to have noticed it.
I picked it up and opened it.
Inside was a single sheet of paper and a small brass key.
The message read:
You have been asking the wrong question.
The question is not which baby was taken.
The question is why Sarah agreed to the switch.
I read the note three times.
Sarah.
My brother's late wife.
The woman who had supposedly taken Lily home from the hospital and raised her as her own daughter.
The woman who had died three years earlier, leaving behind a grieving husband and a little girl who missed her mother every day.
I turned the paper over.
There was one final line.
*Ask Daniel what his wife was paid to forget.*
I looked toward my brother.
He was kneeling beside Emma, helping her hold the cup of hot chocolate.
For a moment, I wanted to believe the note was a cruel lie.
Then I noticed the brass key.
A tiny number had been engraved into its handle.
*317.*
I showed it to Daniel.
His face turned white.
"Where did you get that?""
"It was left for me.""
He took the key from my hand and stared at it.
"Daniel?""
He swallowed hard.
"That's the key to Sarah's old storage unit.""
I felt a chill creep across my skin.
"What's in the storage unit?""
May you like
He looked at Emma, then at me.
"Everything Sarah asked me never to open.""
