Chapter 17 - The Woman With Celeste’s FaceMarcus’s voice came through Victor’s phone.
“Three vehicles entered through the east service road. The cameras never recorded them.”
“Lock down the mansion.”
“I already tried. Someone has control of the system.”
Victor looked at Mara.
“How did you enter?”
“The tunnels.”
“Who is upstairs?”
“August’s retrieval team.”
“What are they retrieving?”
Mara’s gaze moved toward Ethan.
Victor stepped between them.
“You will answer me.”
Mara removed the silver band from her wrist and placed it on the table.
“Project Orchard selected children without reliable family records. They changed their names, appearances and histories. Some became employees. Some became witnesses. Some became heirs.”
Adrian picked up the band.
“You were made to look like Celeste?”
“No. Celeste was made to look like me.”
The words silenced the chamber.
Victor shook his head.
“I knew my wife before the hospital.”
“You knew the woman who used Celeste Ward’s name.”
Mara opened one of the cabinets.
Inside were rows of medical files.
She removed two folders.
The first contained photographs of Celeste from childhood to adulthood.
The second contained photographs of Mara.
Their faces became more alike with every page.
“August maintained replacement identities,” Mara said. “When one person became disobedient, another could assume the role.”
Lily looked at the scar behind Mara’s ear.
“What did they do to you?”
“Enough.”
Ethan stared at the photograph in Victor’s hand.
One showed two identical young women standing beside Elias Wren.
He pointed to the woman on the left.
“That’s Mommy.”
Victor looked at him.
“How do you know?”
“She smiles with one side.”
Mara turned away.
The sound above them stopped.
Silence filled the chamber.
Then the black telephone rang again.
Victor answered.
August spoke without greeting.
“Send me Orchard Seven and the child.”
“No.”
“You have five minutes.”
A dull explosion shook dust from the ceiling.
May you like
August continued calmly.
“After that, the mansion becomes their grave.”
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