Chapter 13 - Three Babies, One Name
The rain fell harder against the marble mausoleum.
No one spoke.
The elderly woman carefully lifted the faded photograph from the suitcase.
Time had yellowed its edges, but the image remained clear.
Three newborn boys slept side by side in identical bassinets.
Tiny hospital bracelets circled their wrists.
Nathan stared at the picture.
"They look exactly the same."
"They were supposed to."
The elderly woman gently placed the photograph into the Director's hands.
"My name is Margaret Ellis."
"I worked at St. Gabriel Hospital thirty-eight years ago."
Nathan frowned.
"You were a nurse?"
"I was the head maternity supervisor."
The Director quietly asked,
"How many people knew about the switch?"
Margaret lowered her eyes.
"Only five."
"And now?"
"I'm the last one still alive."
A cold silence settled over the cemetery.
Nathan felt his heartbeat quicken.
"What switch?"
Margaret looked directly at him.
"The night you were born, someone paid a fortune to exchange three babies."
Nathan laughed bitterly.
"That's impossible."
"So did I."
"Until I watched it happen."
She removed three yellowed birth bracelets from a velvet pouch.
Each carried a different surname.
Ashford.
Wolfe.
Hart.
Celeste suddenly stepped forward.
"My family?"
Margaret nodded.
"Yes."
Celeste's face turned pale.
"You mean..."
Margaret interrupted.
"I mean nothing."
"Not yet."
She handed the bracelets to the forensic team.
"The DNA will tell you who belonged where."
Nathan's wife studied the old photograph.
Something caught her attention.
"Wait..."
She pointed toward the corner of the image.
A wall clock.
The time read 2:17 a.m.
Nathan frowned.
"So?"
Margaret's voice became quiet.
"According to the official hospital records..."
"You were born at 4:42 a.m."
Nathan looked back at the photograph.
His cradle was already occupied more than two hours earlier.
Someone had prepared the switch before he was officially born.
The Director slowly closed the suitcase.
"This wasn't an accident."
Margaret shook her head.
"It was an inheritance."
Thunder exploded overhead.
Then another vehicle entered the cemetery.
Unlike the federal convoy...
This one carried no government markings.
A young officer hurried toward the Director.
"Sir."
"We've identified the fingerprints from the hidden control room."
The Director looked up.
"Who are they?"
The officer swallowed.
"They belong to someone declared dead twenty-two years ago."
Nathan whispered,
"Who?"
May you like
The officer answered with visible disbelief.
"Your father."
