Chapter 5 - The Name Audrey Had Never Seen
Audrey stared at the handwriting until the letters stopped looking real.
Audrey Bennett.
She had been Audrey Hayes for thirty-two years.
Her mother had been Lisa Hayes.
Her father, according to every document Audrey had ever seen, was Michael Hayes, who died in a construction accident when Audrey was six.
There was no Bennett.
Except Marianne Bennett.
Robert Bennett.
Vivian Bennett.
Ethan's mother's family.
"No," Audrey said.
Celeste watched her.
"You've never used that name?"
"Never."
"Your mother?"
"Hayes."
"Grandmother?"
"Martin."
"Could Eleanor have known another Audrey?" Ethan asked.
Celeste nodded slowly.
"Possibly."
Audrey looked at the sentence again.
Find her before Marianne does.
"Why would your grandmother care about another Audrey?"
"I don't know."
Celeste took the page back.
"What I do know is that Eleanor paid a private investigator for eighteen months."
Ethan frowned.
"To find this woman?"
"Apparently."
"Did she?"
"I don't know."
Audrey stood.
"This is insane."
Ethan reached for her hand.
She pulled away without meaning to.
"I need air."
She walked out of the library.
The house had transformed while they were inside.
Guests now filled the living room.
Waiters carried drinks.
White flowers covered the dining table.
Someone had opened the terrace doors.
Audrey suddenly felt as if she had entered someone else's life.
She went upstairs.
Her bedroom door was open.
Inside, Marianne stood beside the dresser.
Audrey stopped.
"What are you doing?"
Marianne turned.
In her hand was Audrey's jewelry box.
"Looking for earrings."
"In my jewelry box?"
"For you."
"Put it down."
Marianne did.
Too quickly.
Audrey entered.
"What were you actually looking for?"
"Nothing."
Audrey closed the door.
"Who is Audrey Bennett?"
The blood left Marianne's face.
It happened so fast Audrey almost doubted what she saw.
Almost.
Marianne recovered.
"I don't know."
"You're lying."
"Celeste has filled your head with nonsense."
"I didn't say Celeste told me."
Marianne stared at her.
Audrey stepped closer.
"Who is Audrey Bennett?"
"No one."
"Why was Eleanor looking for her?"
"I have no idea."
"Why are you frightened?"
"I'm not."
Audrey noticed something on the dresser.
Her old birth certificate.
She had stored it beneath passports and insurance documents inside a locked drawer.
Now it was lying in plain sight.
Audrey picked it up.
"Why did you take this?"
Marianne's eyes flicked toward the door.
"I didn't."
"You were standing beside it."
"Perhaps Ethan left it."
"Ethan doesn't know where I keep it."
Marianne's mouth tightened.
Audrey examined the certificate.
Her own name.
Audrey Lisa Hayes.
Mother, Lisa Marie Hayes.
Father, Michael Thomas Hayes.
County of birth, Hawthorne County.
Everything familiar.
Then Audrey noticed the lower corner.
The embossed seal was slightly raised.
Beneath it, barely visible, was another impression.
As though a second seal had once been pressed into the paper.
Audrey ran a thumb over it.
"What is that?"
Marianne said nothing.
Audrey looked up.
"Did you know my mother?"
"No."
"Did Eleanor?"
"No."
"Did Robert?"
"No."
"You answered quickly."
"Because this is absurd."
Audrey moved toward the door.
Marianne stepped in front of her.
"Whatever Celeste is telling you, understand something."
Audrey waited.
Marianne lowered her voice.
"That woman destroyed this family once already."
"How?"
"You should ask why Ethan's grandfather died without speaking to his own sister."
"I thought Celeste was Eleanor's sister."
Marianne realized her mistake.
Audrey's eyes narrowed.
"You weren't talking about Celeste."
Marianne said nothing.
"Who were you talking about?"
The bedroom door opened.
Vivian stood there.
She had heard enough.
"Mom."
Marianne turned.
Vivian looked sick.
"You knew."
"Stay out of this."
"You knew who Audrey was."
Audrey looked between them.
"What is she talking about?"
Marianne's face hardened.
"Vivian, downstairs."
"No."
"Now."
Vivian closed the door behind her.
For the first time, she faced her mother without sarcasm.
"I found the box."
Marianne froze.
"What box?" Audrey asked.
Vivian's eyes filled with tears.
"The one in Dad's storage unit."
Marianne took a step toward her.
"You had no right."
"He died six years ago. Why were you still paying for a unit nobody knew existed?"
Audrey's heartbeat quickened.
"What was inside?"
Vivian looked at her.
"Photographs."
"Of what?"
"Of your mother."
Audrey stopped breathing.
Vivian continued.
"With my father."
Marianne slapped her.
The sound was sharp.
Vivian staggered.
Audrey grabbed Marianne's wrist before she could strike again.
"Enough."
Marianne pulled free.
"You have no idea what you've done."
Vivian touched her cheek.
"I know exactly what I did."
She looked at Audrey.
"Your mother knew our father."
Audrey could barely speak.
"How well?"
May you like
Vivian's next words destroyed every assumption Audrey had carried into that morning.
"Well enough that there were photographs of him holding you when you were a baby."
