Chapter 8: The Wrong Father
For the first time since the wedding, I wanted the truth to stop.
I didn’t want another secret.
Another name.
Another explanation.
I wanted to take Lily home, lock the door, make pancakes for dinner, and pretend my biggest problem was whether I had enough money to pay rent next Friday.
But the truth didn’t care what I wanted.
“Then why did Caroline name Richard?””
Mom was still on the phone.
“I don’t know.””
“You said she was afraid of him.””
“She was.””
“You said he paid you for her location.””
“He did.””
“You said he watched me for years.””
“Yes.””
“But he isn’t my father?””
“No.””
“How do you know?””
“Vanessa told me about the test.””
I looked at Graham.
He was staring at nothing.
“Why would your father keep watching me after he knew?””
He slowly shook his head.
“I don’t know.””
Mom answered instead.
“Because he thought the test was wrong.””
“Why?””
“Because Caroline told him the baby was his.””
“Was she lying?””
“I don’t know.””
“What did Margaret think?””
“She refused to discuss your father with me.””
“Convenient.””
“Claire, I’m telling you everything I know.””
“No, you’re telling me whatever you think will keep me talking.””
“That isn’t fair.””
I nearly laughed.
“Fair?””
She went quiet.
“Where is Vanessa?””
“I’m close.””
“To what?””
“The cabin.””
Samuel looked up sharply.
“Robert’s cabin?””
Mom didn’t answer.
“Mom?””
“I have to go.””
“No!””
The line disconnected.
The detective immediately began coordinating with officers.
Samuel gave him the cabin address.
I turned toward Lily.
She had heard enough to know something was wrong.
I walked over.
“Baby, Graham is going to stay here with you.””
Graham looked at me.
“I am?””
“Yes.””
“Where are you going?””
“With the police.””
“No.””
I stared at him.
“No?””
“You just heard Evelyn. My father and brother may be involved. I’m coming.””
“That is exactly why you’re not.””
His expression changed.
“You don’t trust me.””
“I don’t know what to trust.””
That hurt him.
I could see it.
But I wasn’t going to apologize for protecting Lily.
“I didn’t know any of this.””
“I believe you.””
“Do you?””
“I believe you believe that.””
“That’s not the same thing.””
“No.””
He looked away.
Lily slipped her hand into his.
“You can stay with me.””
Graham looked down.
She gave him a tiny smile.
“You said I was brave.””
He swallowed.
“You are.””
“Then you can be brave too.””
Something softened in his face.
“Okay.””
I kissed Lily.
“I’ll be back.””
“You promise?””
That question nearly broke me.
“I promise I’ll do everything I can.””
Police refused to let me ride directly to the cabin.
Instead, they took Samuel and me to a staging area several miles away.
Rain had started.
Heavy October rain.
The kind that flattened leaves against pavement and turned the sky nearly black in the middle of the afternoon.
We waited.
Ten minutes.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Finally, the detective returned.
“The cabin is empty.””
My stomach dropped.
“What about Mom?””
“No sign.””
“Vanessa?””
“No.””
“Margaret?””
“No.””
“Then where are they?””
“We found evidence people were there recently.””
“What evidence?””
“Rope. Food containers. Blood.””
My chest tightened.
“Whose?””
“We don’t know yet.””
Samuel asked, “Any vehicles?””
“Tire tracks. At least two.””
My phone buzzed.
Another photograph.
This time it showed Mom.
She was sitting on the cabin floor.
Alone.
No Vanessa.
No Margaret.
Her eyes were closed.
A bruise darkened one cheek.
Under the photograph was a message.
PAGE 28 WASN’T ENOUGH.
Samuel read it over my shoulder.
Then another message appeared.
WE WANT THE TAPE.
Caroline’s cassette.
The police had it.
“What do they think is on the tape?””
Samuel asked.
“More than we heard.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
“The recording stopped after Caroline’s message.””
“Yes.””
“But the cassette had more tape remaining.””
I remembered.
The reels had not reached the end.
“Could there be another recording?””
“Possibly.””
The detective immediately called the evidence team.
Twenty minutes later, we had an answer.
There was more.
Caroline had recorded over an older tape.
The first section contained her message.
Then silence.
Nearly seven minutes of it.
After that, another voice appeared.
A man.
Police sent an audio file securely to the detective.
We listened inside his vehicle.
Static crackled.
Then Caroline spoke.
“Say it again.””
A man answered.
“You shouldn’t be recording this.””
I didn’t recognize his voice.
Samuel did.
His face changed.
“Oh my God.””
“Who?””
He looked at me.
“Robert.””
Dad.
My father.
Not biologically.
But the only father I had ever known.
The recording was from before I was born.
Dad’s voice continued.
“I told Richard to stay away from you.””
Caroline whispered, “He won’t.””
“Then go to Margaret.””
“I can’t.””
“Why?””
“He knows where she lives.””
Dad exhaled.
“Then I’ll help you.””
“You’ve already done too much.””
“No.””
“Robert.””
“I mean it.””
Silence.
Then Caroline said something that changed the shape of the story again.
“If Evelyn finds out the baby isn’t Richard’s, she’ll tell him.””
I grabbed Samuel’s arm.
Dad replied.
“She won’t find out.””
“You don’t know her.””
“I know she needs money.””
“She took his money.””
“I know.””
“And she hates me.””
Dad went quiet.
Caroline continued.
“She thinks I ruined her life.””
“Why?””
“Because she loves you.””
I stopped breathing.
Dad didn’t answer.
Caroline laughed sadly.
“You really don’t know?””
“Evelyn and I are friends.””
“She doesn’t want to be your friend.””
Samuel stared straight ahead.
The recording continued.
Then Dad said:
“Who is the father?””
Silence.
“Caroline?””
“I can’t tell you.””
“If Richard isn’t the father, why does he think he is?””
“Because I needed him to.””
“Why?””
“So the real father would leave me alone.””
Dad sounded confused.
“Who are you afraid of more than Richard Ellison?””
Caroline began crying.
“I made a mistake.””
“What mistake?””
“I trusted someone.””
“Who?””
“He knows about the baby.””
“Who?””
“He said if I ever told anyone, he’d take her.””
My heart hammered.
Dad’s voice became firmer.
“I won’t let that happen.””
“You can’t stop him.””
“Tell me his name.””
Long silence.
Then Caroline whispered:
“Thomas.””
Dad inhaled sharply.
“Thomas who?””
The tape crackled.
A car door slammed in the background.
Caroline gasped.
“He’s here.””
“Who?””
The recording ended.
I stared at the detective.
“Thomas who?””
Nobody knew.
Samuel looked shaken.
“Robert never mentioned a Thomas to me.””
“Mom?””
“Could know.””
“Vanessa?””
“Possibly.””
Then I remembered something.
The red notebook.
“Search Thomas.””
The detective called the evidence team.
Five minutes later, we had three entries.
Thomas Vale.
Thomas Rainer.
Thomas W.
None meant anything to me.
Samuel recognized one.
“Thomas Whitmore.””
I stared at him.
“What?””
“Robert had a cousin named Thomas Whitmore.””
My stomach tightened.
“Had?””
“He disappeared.””
“When?””
Samuel thought.
“About thirty-one years ago.””
One year after I was born.
“What happened?””
“No one knew. He left Rhode Island. Robert rarely talked about him.””
“Why?””
“They had a falling-out.””
“Over what?””
“I don’t know.””
My phone rang.
Graham.
I answered immediately.
“Is Lily okay?””
Silence.
“Graham?””
His breathing was ragged.
My heart stopped.
“Where’s Lily?””
“Claire.””
“Where is my daughter?””
“I turned around for thirty seconds.””
Everything inside me went cold.
“What happened?””
“She was drawing at the table. I went to get her water.””
“Graham.””
“When I came back, the side door was open.””
I couldn’t breathe.
“Where is she?””
“I don’t know.””
I screamed.
Police moved instantly.
The detective grabbed the phone.
Graham was shouting that he had checked the hallway, bathroom, lobby, everywhere.
Then my phone buzzed.
A photograph arrived.
Lily.
Sitting in the back seat of a car.
Terrified.
Beside her was an elderly woman.
Margaret.
My grandmother.
Margaret wasn’t tied up.
She wasn’t injured.
She was holding Lily’s hand.
Below the photograph was one sentence.
DON’T CALL THE POLICE.
Then a second message arrived.
May you like
Margaret herself had typed it.
CLAIRE, I TOOK LILY BECAUSE THE POLICE ARE WATCHING THE WRONG FAMILY.
