Chapter 10 - The Man With the Silver Ring
Victor Dane contacted James that evening.
The call arrived from a blocked number.
James was inside Ethan’s office with Detective Ortiz, Margaret, and two federal investigators who had joined the case after reviewing the Mercer Foundation records.
“Mr. Walker,” Victor said, “you have been opening doors your sister wisely left closed.”
James activated the speaker.
“Where is Diane?”
“Safe.”
“Where?”
“Your concern should be Sarah.”
“Sarah is protected.”
“For now.”
“You will not get near her.”
Victor laughed quietly.
“Protection depends on knowing where the threat is coming from.”
“What do you want?”
“The original trust authorization and Anna’s recorder.”
“You’re too late. The police have everything.”
“They have copies. I want what Anna hid.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Anna found the third bracelet.”
James looked toward Catherine.
She shook her head.
“What does the bracelet prove?”
“That depends on who is wearing the wrong name.”
“Tell me where Diane is.”
“Diane is no longer important.”
“Then why did you help her escape?”
“I did not.”
The federal investigator wrote a question on a notepad.
Who owns the aircraft?
James asked it.
Victor’s voice became amused.
“You believe the plane belongs to the Ashcroft family?”
“The records say it does.”
“The Ashcroft family has not controlled its company in years.”
“Who does?”
“You are finally asking a useful question.”
“Answer it.”
“Bring the recorder to the old Mercer Foundation building at nine tonight.”
“No.”
“Then Doctor Lyle submits his final report tomorrow morning.”
“The guardianship case is collapsing.”
“This is not about guardianship anymore.”
“What is it about?”
“Identity.”
Victor ended the call.
The investigators attempted to trace it but found that the signal had passed through multiple encrypted services.
“He wants us at the foundation,” Ortiz said.
“He wants the recorder,” James replied.
Margaret placed Anna’s device on the table.
“We have already copied the data.”
“The final section is damaged,” Ethan said. “My technician recovered part of it, but the rest remains inaccessible.”
“What did he recover?”
Ethan connected the recorder to his laptop.
Anna’s voice played through the office speakers.
“Victor believes one of the three girls is Eleanor Ashcroft’s child. Diane believes it is Sarah. They are both wrong about something, but I cannot determine what.”
Static interrupted the recording.
Then Anna spoke again.
“Melissa knows more than she admits. Ask her about the woman in room 614.”
The audio ended.
Catherine’s expression changed.
“Room 614 was Melissa’s hospital room.”
“Who else was there?” James asked.
“Diane controlled the visitor list.”
“Was Victor there?”
“Not officially.”
“Was Eleanor there?”
Catherine shook her head.
“I never saw her after the delivery ward.”
Detective Ortiz arranged for Melissa to be brought from protective custody.
She entered the office wearing plain clothes provided by the police. When she saw Catherine, she stopped.
“You.”
Catherine looked at her.
“Do you remember me?”
“You brought the baby.”
James stood.
“Which baby?”
Melissa ignored him.
“You came into my room after my mother left.”
Catherine looked confused.
“I did not bring Sarah to you.”
“Yes, you did.”
“No. I was removed from the maternity floor before discharge.”
“Then who was the nurse?”
“What did she look like?” Ortiz asked.
Melissa searched her memory.
“Dark hair. Green eyes. She had a scar beneath her chin.”
Catherine whispered, “Eleanor.”
Everyone turned toward her.
“Eleanor Ashcroft had a scar beneath her chin,” Catherine said. “I saw it when she was admitted.”
Melissa sat down slowly.
“The woman told me the baby’s name was Sarah.”
“Did you choose that name?” James asked.
“I thought I did.”
“What do you mean?”
“I had planned to name her Lily.”
James stared at her.
“You never told me that.”
“My mother hated the name. After the delivery, the dark-haired woman said I had asked for Sarah.”
“What else did she say?”
Melissa closed her eyes.
“She told me to remember one sentence.”
“What sentence?”
Melissa’s voice became quiet.
“The child must never belong to Diane.”
A heavy silence followed.
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” James asked.
“I thought I had imagined it.”
“What happened to the woman?”
“My mother entered the room. The nurse left through the bathroom door.”
“There was another exit?”
“The bathroom connected two recovery rooms.”
“What room was on the other side?” Ortiz asked.
Catherine answered.
“Room 616.”
“Who was assigned to it?”
Catherine went pale.
“No one.”
Before they could continue, the office building alarm began ringing.
A security guard called from downstairs.
A man had entered the lobby carrying a briefcase.
He identified himself as Doctor Calvin Lyle.
“He says he has evidence about Sarah,” the guard reported.
“Keep him there,” Ortiz said.
A gunshot-like sound came through the phone, followed by shouting.
The line disconnected.
The investigators rushed downstairs.
Doctor Lyle was lying behind the reception desk, conscious but frightened. The loud sound had come from a security panel being struck, not a firearm.
A man in a maintenance uniform had taken Lyle’s briefcase and escaped through the service corridor.
Lyle grabbed Detective Ortiz’s sleeve.
“Victor knows about the nurse,” he said.
“Which nurse?”
“The one who changed the babies.”
“Eleanor?”
May you like
Lyle shook his head.
“No. Eleanor tried to change them back.”
