Chapter 5 - THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE IN THE LOCKED DRAWER
Evelyn did not sleep.
At four in the morning, she drove to Margaret’s house.
The gates opened automatically when they recognized her vehicle.
No lights were visible in the upper windows.
Evelyn still had an emergency key.
She entered through the kitchen and moved silently through the hallway.
Thomas’s study remained almost exactly as he had left it. Margaret rarely entered because she claimed the room made her feel haunted.
Evelyn suspected the truth was simpler.
The study reminded Margaret of a man she could no longer control.
Thomas had kept important personal documents in a locked drawer beneath his desk.
After his death, the drawer had been empty.
Evelyn searched the shelves, the wall panels, and the underside of the desk.
Nothing.
Then she noticed a faint scratch on the wooden floor beneath the rug.
She pulled the rug aside.
A small metal plate was set into the floor.
The key from the desk drawer fit the lock.
Inside was a narrow compartment containing a blue folder.
Evelyn opened it.
Her original birth certificate lay on top.
Thomas Carter was listed as her father.
Margaret Carter was listed as her mother.
There was nothing unusual.
But beneath it was a second document.
A private laboratory report dated when Evelyn was six years old.
PATERNITY PROBABILITY: 0.00 PERCENT.
Evelyn lowered herself into Thomas’s chair.
The room seemed to tilt.
A handwritten note was attached to the report.
MARGARET SAYS JULIAN IS THE FATHER. JULIAN DENIES IT. I WILL RAISE EVELYN AS MY OWN. SHE WILL NEVER PAY FOR THEIR BETRAYAL.
The handwriting was Thomas’s.
Evelyn read the note three times.
The door opened behind her.
Margaret stood in the doorway wearing a white robe.
She did not appear surprised.
“I wondered how long it would take you.”
Evelyn held up the report.
“Is this real?”
Margaret entered and closed the door.
“You broke into my home.”
“I own this home.”
Margaret’s mouth tightened.
“You sound exactly like Thomas.”
“Is Julian Mercer my father?”
Margaret walked toward the window.
“He might be.”
“Might be?”
“I was young.”
“That is not an answer.”
“It is the only one I have.”
“You told Thomas that Julian was my father.”
“I believed he was.”
“Did Julian believe it?”
“He refused to accept responsibility.”
“Did you love him?”
Margaret looked out at the dark garden.
“I loved what he could have become.”
“That is not the same thing.”
“You have always judged everyone as though you were born perfect.”
Evelyn stood.
“You let Thomas raise me while you had an affair with his partner.”
“Thomas knew before you were born.”
“Then why did he stay?”
“Because he was weak.”
“No. Because he loved me.”
Margaret turned sharply.
“He loved owning things. His company. His house. His reputation. You.”
“You hated him.”
“I understood him.”
“You spent years telling me I manipulated him. You blamed me for his will. But he left me the company because I was his daughter even if we did not share blood.”
Margaret’s eyes hardened.
“He left you the company because he was punishing me.”
“For what?”
“For choosing Julian.”
The room went silent.
Evelyn placed the folder on the desk.
“What happened to him?”
“Julian betrayed the company.”
“That is what Thomas told everyone.”
“It is the truth.”
“Daniel said the evidence disappeared.”
Margaret studied her.
“So Daniel finally admitted what he was doing near you.”
“He said the investigation ended before we met.”
“Men like Daniel never stop investigating.”
“Do not change the subject.”
Margaret sat in the chair opposite Evelyn.
“Julian created the first version of Helix.”
Evelyn felt a chill.
“My father created Helix.”
“Thomas financed it. Julian designed the original molecular pathway.”
“Then why was his name removed?”
“Because he tried to sell it.”
“To whom?”
“Ashford.”
The name connected another piece of the pattern.
“Why would Ashford still care twenty years later?”
“Because Julian’s original work was incomplete. Thomas perfected it.”
“And now Helix-R is close to approval.”
Margaret nodded.
“They believe the treatment belongs to them.”
“Does it?”
“It belongs to whoever can keep it.”
Evelyn stared at her.
“You have evidence.”
Margaret’s expression became guarded.
“Ryan said you had files.”
“Ryan says many things when he is frightened.”
“Show them to me.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because you are sick.”
Evelyn froze.
Margaret continued in a calm voice.
“You need to step away from the company until your treatment is complete.”
“You stole my medical records.”
“I protected the family.”
“You threatened me.”
“I warned you.”
“You tried to frighten me into surrendering control.”
“I tried to prevent a public collapse.”
Evelyn stepped around the desk.
“You will never control my medical decisions or my company.”
Margaret rose.
“You think Thomas protected you by leaving you everything. He placed a target on your back.”
“You encouraged Ryan to steal from the company.”
“I encouraged Ryan to learn what Ashford was planning.”
“He gave them Helix data.”
“He gave them what I told him to give.”
Evelyn stopped.
“The data was false?”
Margaret smiled slightly.
“Now you are thinking.”
“Ryan believed it was real.”
“Ryan believes whatever makes him feel important.”
“You used him.”
“I used his weaknesses.”
“You arranged the shooting.”
Margaret’s smile disappeared.
“No.”
“But you knew someone would confront us.”
“I wanted Ashford to believe Ryan was cooperating.”
“Why?”
“To make them reveal who they had inside your company.”
“Who is it?”
Margaret walked toward the door.
“I do not know yet.”
Evelyn grabbed the folder.
“I’m taking this.”
“It belongs to me.”
“It concerns my life.”
Margaret opened the door.
“Then you should read the last page.”
Evelyn looked down.
There was another sheet beneath the paternity report.
It was a letter from Julian Mercer addressed to Thomas.
Thomas,
The child is not mine.
Margaret knows this.
Ask her what happened at Lakewood Clinic.
May you like
Evelyn looked up.
Margaret had already disappeared into the hallway.
