Chapter 9: Three Babies, Two Mothers, One Lie
Daniel refused to let Rebecca touch Sophie until he understood what she meant.
“Three babies?”” he repeated.
“You told me there were two.””
Rebecca sat in the back of the police vehicle opposite him. Sophie slept against Daniel's chest, exhausted from crying.
“I know what I told you.””
“Then explain why you suddenly remember a third baby.””
Rebecca looked toward the window.
“Because I was told there were only two.””
“By whom?””
“Dr. Whitmore.””
Daniel's jaw tightened.
“The doctor who signed the altered records?””
“Yes.””
“And you trusted her?””
“I had no reason not to. She was the doctor who delivered my daughter.””
Daniel looked down at Sophie's wristband.
“Then why does Rachel believe Sophie belongs to her?””
Rebecca's eyes filled.
“Because Rachel was told that too.””
Daniel leaned forward.
“Stop talking in circles. I need facts.””
Rebecca took a shaky breath.
“When I woke after the fire, Dr. Whitmore told me my baby had died. She said there had been a complication during the evacuation. She showed me a death report, but I never saw the body.””
“And Rachel?””
“She told everyone she'd delivered a healthy baby girl. She took the child home with her.””
“Which child?””
Rebecca shook her head.
“I don't know.””
Daniel stared at her.
“You're telling me that after all these years, you still don't know whether Sophie is your biological daughter?””
Rebecca began crying.
“I know she looks like me. I know the original records list my name. I know Rachel stole a baby from that hospital. But I don't know whether the baby she took was mine.””
Daniel felt anger rise, but beneath it was something more painful.
He looked at Sophie.
She had one hand curled around his shirt, her little fingers resting over his heart.
“I don't care whose blood she has,” he said.
“She's my daughter.””
Rebecca nodded.
“I know.””
“Then stop treating her like a missing object you have to reclaim.””
Rebecca flinched.
“I never wanted to hurt her.””
“Neither did Vanessa, according to Vanessa. Neither did Rachel. Everyone has a reason.
Everyone has an excuse. And Sophie is the one who pays for it.””
Rebecca bowed her head.
“You're right.””
Daniel wasn't expecting that answer.
Rebecca wiped her cheeks.
“I spent years believing that if I could just find my daughter, everything would be made right. I convinced myself that knowing the truth would heal what happened to me.””
She looked at Sophie.
“But I see how frightened she is. I see how she clings to you. I won't take her from you, Daniel.””
“Good.””
“I only want the truth.””
Daniel stared out at the lake house.
The police were still searching the property. Rachel had been taken into custody, and officers were collecting documents from the house.
One of them approached the vehicle and tapped on the window.
“Mr. Carter? We found a box in the upstairs bedroom. Your name is on it.””
Daniel stepped outside while another officer remained with Sophie.
The box was small, made of dark wood, and secured with a brass latch.
Inside lay several photographs, a stack of letters, and a cassette tape labeled with a date.
The date was three days after the fire at St. Agnes.
Daniel held up the tape.
“Do we have anything to play this on?””
The officer shook his head.
“Not here. But there's a small electronics shop in town that may have equipment.””
Daniel looked at the letters.
The first was addressed to Rachel.
The second was addressed to Rebecca.
The third had no name, only a sentence written in red ink.
For the person who discovers what happened to the third baby.
Daniel opened it.
Inside was a handwritten note.
The third child was not born to either Morgan sister. She was brought to St. Agnes by a woman who refused to give her name. The infant was transferred to another facility during the fire, and her identity was never entered into the official register.
Daniel read the note again.
“Who wrote this?””
The officer examined the paper.
“We'll have it analyzed.””
Rebecca had followed them outside.
When she saw the note, she stopped dead.
“Where did you find that?””
“In the box. Do you recognize the handwriting?””
She nodded slowly.
“Dr. Whitmore.””
Daniel felt a chill.
“Why would she write about a third baby?””
Rebecca stared at the note.
“Because she told me the same thing years ago. She said there had been another child in the ward, but she couldn't explain where the baby came from.””
“Did she say who the mother was?””
“No.””
“Did she say what happened to the child?””
“She said the baby had been transferred to another hospital.””
Daniel folded the note.
“Then why did she remove the birth register?””
Rebecca shook her head.
“I don't know.””
Daniel looked at the cassette tape.
“Maybe this explains it.””
An officer arranged for the tape to be examined at a nearby station. Daniel rode with Sophie while Rebecca followed in another vehicle.
At the station, a technician found an old cassette player in a storage cabinet.
The tape crackled as it began.
A woman's voice filled the room.
“If you're hearing this, then I failed to protect the children.””
Daniel's heart stopped.
Laura.
He recognized her voice immediately.
She sounded tired, but composed.
“Daniel, if this recording reaches you, please understand that I never intended to deceive you. I wanted to tell you everything, but I was afraid that doing so would put Sophie in danger.””
Daniel gripped the edge of the desk.
Laura continued.
“On the night Sophie was born, Dr. Whitmore informed me that another baby had been delivered shortly before her. The child's mother was unconscious, and there was no reliable identification attached to the infant.””
A pause followed.
Then Laura spoke again.
“Rebecca believed the baby was hers. Rachel believed the baby was hers. Neither had proof.
Dr. Whitmore told me the hospital would investigate, but the fire destroyed part of the records.””
Daniel looked at Rebecca.
She was crying silently.
“Three days later,” Laura continued, “I discovered that the paperwork had been altered. The baby listed as Rebecca's was registered under Rachel's name. The baby listed as Laura's was recorded under a different identification number. And the third infant had disappeared from the records entirely.””
Daniel felt dizzy.
Laura's voice became quieter.
“I asked Dr. Whitmore to explain. She told me that one child had been taken home by the wrong family. She said she was trying to correct the error before anyone discovered what had happened.””
The tape hissed.
Then Laura said something that made Daniel's blood run cold.
“She asked me to take the baby home temporarily. She said the child's mother was not in a condition to care for her, and that the family who had been given the child was dangerous.””
Daniel stopped breathing.
Laura continued.
“I agreed because I believed I was protecting an innocent baby. But I never knew whether the child I took home was Rebecca's, Rachel's, or the infant whose mother had never been identified.””
The recording went silent for several seconds.
Then Laura whispered, “Daniel, Sophie may not be the child I gave birth to.””
Daniel gripped the desk so tightly his fingers hurt.
The tape continued.
“But she is my daughter in every way that matters. And she is yours because you loved her from the moment you held her. Please don't let anyone use her identity to decide who deserves to raise her.””
Daniel closed his eyes.
He could almost see Laura sitting at the kitchen table, recording the message while the children slept upstairs.
He could almost hear her telling him that everything would be all right.
The tape crackled again.
“One more thing. The third baby's mother came back to the hospital after the fire. She was looking for her daughter.
Dr. Whitmore told her the child had died, but I saw the woman leave with an envelope containing a hospital bracelet.””
Daniel opened his eyes.
“Who was she?””
Laura's voice trembled.
“I never learned her name. But she wore a silver bracelet with a tiny heart engraved on it.””
Daniel turned toward Rebecca.
She stared at her own wrist.
Her bracelet had a tiny heart engraved on it.
But Rachel wore one too.
Identical.
The recording continued.
“If either Morgan sister is still alive when you hear this, be careful. One of them knows where the third baby went.””
The tape ended with a click.
Nobody spoke.
Daniel looked at Rebecca.
“Did you ever meet the third baby's mother?””
“No.””
“Did Rachel?””
Rebecca shook her head.
“I don't know.””
Daniel picked up the box and examined the remaining letters.
One envelope contained a photograph of Dr. Whitmore standing outside St. Agnes. Beside her was a woman holding a newborn baby.
The woman's face had been scratched out.
But her wrist was visible.
A silver bracelet.
Daniel turned the photograph over.
Written on the back were five words.
The child went home with Evelyn.
His mother's name.
Daniel felt as if someone had struck him.
“No,” he whispered.
Rebecca looked at the photograph.
“Who is Evelyn?””
“My mother.””
He immediately called her.
No answer.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
Then a message arrived.
Daniel, please come alone. I need to tell you what happened to Laura.
It was from Evelyn.
Daniel stared at the screen.
He called the police and gave them the message, insisting they trace the number and check his mother's house.
Then he looked at Sophie, who was beginning to stir in his arms.
He brushed a strand of hair from her forehead.
“I'm going to find out the truth, sweetheart.””
Sophie blinked sleepily.
“Daddy?””
“I'm here.””
She rested her head against him again.
Rebecca stood nearby, watching them.
“Daniel,” she said quietly, “there's something I need to tell you about your mother.””
He looked up.
“What?””
Rebecca's face had gone pale.
“After the fire, Dr. Whitmore told me the third baby's mother had died. But I saw her alive three months later.””
Daniel's pulse quickened.
“Where?””
“At Evelyn's house.””
The room seemed to tilt.
Rebecca continued.
“She was holding a baby. She told me she'd been searching for her daughter. Then she said something I never forgot.””
Daniel could barely speak.
“What?””
Rebecca looked at Sophie.
“She said the child she was searching for had been raised by the wrong mother.””
Daniel's phone rang.
An unfamiliar number.
He answered.
A woman's voice whispered, “Daniel, don't trust Rebecca.””
He froze.
“Who is this?””
“My name is Eleanor Whitmore.””
Daniel gripped the phone.
“You're dead.””
“No,” the woman replied.
“But someone has spent years making sure everyone believes I am.””
Daniel looked at Rebecca.
She was staring at him in terror.
Dr. Whitmore continued.
“Your mother has the original birth register. She has kept it hidden for fifteen months because she knows what it proves.””
“What does it prove?””
The doctor's voice dropped.
“That the baby Laura brought home was not the only child whose identity was changed.””
Daniel felt his blood turn cold.
“Which child is Sophie?””
Dr. Whitmore paused.
Then she whispered, “Sophie is the third baby.””
A door slammed somewhere behind the doctor.
She gasped.
“Daniel, listen to me. The woman who gave birth to Sophie was not Laura, Rebecca, or Rachel.””
“Then who was she?””
The doctor began to cry.
“Your mother knows.””
The call ended.
Daniel stared at his phone.
Across the room, Rebecca covered her mouth.
May you like
And in Daniel's arms, Sophie suddenly opened her eyes and whispered a word he had never heard her say before.
“Grandma.””
