Chapter 4 - Luke Came Home Without Her)
Luke Miller left county detention at 7:42 the next morning.
At 8:03, a black SUV drove past Caroline’s hospital entrance.
At 8:11, it returned.
Police stopped it.
Luke was not inside.
The driver was Luke’s attorney.
Luke had disappeared.
Detective Alvarez delivered the news personally.
“He surrendered his phone to his attorney and left through a service exit.”
“How is that allowed?”
“It shouldn’t have happened the way it did.”
Caroline stared at her.
“Meaning someone helped him.”
“We’re investigating.”
“You keep saying that.”
“I know.”
Caroline looked away.
The doctor wanted her to remain hospitalized overnight.
Her blood pressure had become unstable, and monitoring showed intermittent contractions.
Stress, Dr. Carter explained.
Caroline almost laughed.
Stress felt like an absurdly small word.
At noon, two officers entered the Miller home with a warrant.
Detective Alvarez wore a body camera.
The luxurious kitchen still showed evidence of the previous night.
The metal pot lay inside an evidence bag.
Water stains marked the marble.
Caroline’s broken bowl had been photographed.
But the search quickly became larger than an assault investigation.
Inside Luke’s study, investigators found a locked cabinet.
Inside were financial documents, medical invoices, burner phones, and photographs.
Many photographs.
Caroline sleeping.
Caroline leaving hospitals.
Caroline speaking with doctors.
Caroline walking into pharmacies.
Caroline sitting alone in their backyard.
One photograph showed her visibly pregnant.
It was not the current pregnancy.
Detective Alvarez sent the image to Caroline.
Caroline stared at herself.
She looked perhaps twenty-six.
Grace.
Except the date was wrong.
The photograph had been taken almost two years before Grace.
The first pregnancy.
Caroline enlarged the image.
On the back of the printed photograph, police had found handwriting.
FAILURE 1.
Grace’s photograph had similar handwriting.
FAILURE 2.
Detective Alvarez did not tell Caroline what police found beneath the current pregnancy photograph until later.
SUCCESS PENDING.
When Caroline heard those words, she vomited.
Dr. Carter immediately moved fetal monitoring equipment closer.
“What did he mean by failure?”
Caroline asked.
“We don’t know.”
“You have theories.”
Alvarez hesitated.
Caroline glared at her.
“I am done being protected from my own life.”
The detective sighed.
“We found fertility clinic invoices.”
“For me?”
“Yes.”
“I never went to a fertility clinic.”
“The payments were made to a company associated with Brightwell Women’s Center.”
Caroline froze.
“The clinic from my first pregnancy.”
“Yes.”
“What were they paying for?”
“We don’t know yet.”
There was a knock at the door.
Sarah entered.
“A man downstairs is asking for Caroline.”
Everyone tensed.
“Name?” Alvarez asked.
“Dr. Marcus Vale.”
Dr. Carter stood immediately.
“The physician who prescribed the drugs?”
Sarah nodded.
“He says he came voluntarily.”
Alvarez called for additional officers.
Ten minutes later Marcus Vale entered under police escort.
He was sixty-one, thin, with gray hair and tired eyes.
Caroline hated him instantly.
“You drugged me.”
Marcus stopped.
“I prescribed medication.”
“You lied about what was in it.”
His eyes shifted toward Alvarez.
“I was told the medication had been adjusted by another physician.”
“Luke?”
Marcus said nothing.
Caroline’s anger rose.
“My daughter died.”
Marcus lowered his eyes.
“I know.”
“You knew me?”
“Yes.”
“Then tell me what happened.”
He pulled a chair across the room.
Alvarez stopped him.
“Stay standing.”
Marcus nodded.
He looked at Caroline.
“Your husband wanted a son.”
Caroline’s stomach tightened.
“He became convinced your pregnancies were failing because of you.”
“What does that mean?”
Marcus swallowed.
“Luke’s father spent decades involved with private reproductive clinics.”
“Luke’s father is dead.”
“No.”
Caroline stared at him.
“What?”
“Your husband told you he died twelve years ago.”
“Yes.”
Marcus shook his head.
“Arthur Miller is alive.”
Caroline’s mouth opened.
“Where?”
“I don’t know now.”
“Why would Luke lie?”
Marcus looked afraid.
“Because Arthur was the one who started this.”
Caroline glanced at Dr. Carter.
“Started what?”
May you like
Marcus answered.
“The pregnancies.”
