Chapter 18: The Daughter Who Came Back
I stared at the photograph.
The woman looked to be in her late forties. Dark hair. Familiar eyes. A small scar near her chin.
I had never seen her before.
And yet something about her face felt like a memory I had misplaced.
"Where is she?"" I asked.
Dr. Ward closed her handbag.
"She contacted me three weeks ago. She wanted proof of her identity before approaching you.""
"Why didn't she come herself?""
"Because she believed Franklin had someone watching her.""
Officer Brooks leaned forward.
"Is she in danger now?""
Dr. Ward nodded.
"Very much so.""
Caleb looked at the photograph.
"How did Patricia Collins get involved?""
Dr. Ward took a slow breath.
"Patricia was the nurse who delivered Eleanor's daughter. She realized the baby's identification bracelet had been changed. When she confronted Dr. Reed, he threatened to have her dismissed.""
"And Robert?"" I asked.
"He discovered the truth months later. He found Patricia and asked her to help him protect the child. They arranged for the baby to be placed with a couple in Oklahoma who had no connection to Franklin.""
I covered my mouth.
"Did Robert visit her?""
"Yes. Several times.""
My heart hurt.
"How could he do that and never tell me?""
Dr. Ward's eyes softened.
"He was trying to keep her alive. He believed that if Franklin knew you had a daughter, he would use her to control you.""
I shook my head.
"Robert should have trusted me.""
"Perhaps," she said gently.
"But he was terrified of losing both of you.""
Greg stood near the window.
"Did Franklin know the baby survived?""
Dr. Ward nodded.
"He knew a child had been moved, but he didn't know where she was. Evelyn spent years trying to locate her.""
Victoria looked up.
"That's why my grandfather arranged the other transfers. He was trying to find the missing child.""
Dr. Ward nodded.
"Exactly. The babies were moved through private agencies, and their records were altered. Franklin believed one of them might be Eleanor's daughter.""
I looked at Victoria.
"Then why did he raise you?""
"Because he thought my mother had died and because he needed a child whose identity he could control. He never told me the truth.""
Abigail reached for Victoria's hand.
The two women looked at each other with an ache neither could put into words.
One had lost a daughter.
The other had lost a mother.
And now they were beginning to find each other.
Officer Brooks asked Dr. Ward for Katherine's last known location.
She gave him an address in Fort Worth.
But before he could arrange a visit, his phone rang.
He listened.
Then his expression hardened.
"Say that again.""
He ended the call.
"There's been a break-in at Patricia Collins's storage unit.""
Caleb stood.
"What was taken?""
"Medical records. A laptop. And a box of photographs.""
"Was anyone seen?""
Officer Brooks nodded.
"Security footage shows a woman entering the building.""
He turned his phone toward us.
The image showed a woman wearing a dark coat and baseball cap.
Even with her face partly hidden, I recognized her posture.
Evelyn Mercer.
"She's looking for something," Greg said.
Officer Brooks nodded.
"Something Patricia kept.""
Dr. Ward gripped her cane.
"Then Katherine is in danger.""
I looked at the photograph again.
"Call her.""
Officer Brooks tried the number Dr. Ward had provided.
It went straight to voicemail.
He tried again.
Nothing.
Then my phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
A message appeared.
**Mrs. Whitmore, my name is Katherine. I think I'm your daughter.
Do not trust the people coming to your house. Evelyn knows where you are.**
A second message arrived.
*I have the original birth records. I also have proof Robert knew the truth.*
Then a third.
*But there's something you need to understand before we meet. I wasn't the only baby Robert rescued.*
I looked up.
"What does that mean?""
Caleb read the messages.
"Maybe there were other children.""
Victoria nodded slowly.
"The seven transfers.""
Greg stared at the phone.
"How many children did Franklin take?""
Before anyone could answer, another message arrived.
*One of those children is still missing. And Franklin believes that child is the only person who can testify against him without being accused of participating in the crimes.*
Officer Brooks immediately began tracing the number.
Then the phone rang.
This time, it was Katherine.
I answered.
"Hello?""
A woman's voice came through, shaky but clear.
"Mrs. Whitmore?""
"Yes.""
"My name is Katherine.""
I closed my eyes.
"Are you my daughter?""
There was a long silence.
Then she whispered, "I believe I am.""
I pressed a hand against my chest.
"Where are you?""
"Near Fort Worth. I can't stay long.""
"Please. I want to see you.""
"I want that too.""
Her voice broke.
"But there's something I need to tell you first. Robert didn't just save me. He helped save another child.""
"Who?""
Katherine hesitated.
"Franklin's biological daughter.""
Victoria looked up sharply.
"That's impossible. Franklin raised me.""
Katherine continued.
"Not you. Another girl. A child born before you. Her mother died shortly after childbirth, and Franklin arranged for her to disappear.""
Greg stepped closer to the phone.
"Where is she now?""
"I don't know. But I found a photograph of her with Robert. On the back, he wrote that she was the only person who could expose the original agreement between Franklin and Evelyn.""
Caleb frowned.
"What agreement?""
Katherine took a shaky breath.
"The agreement to exchange the babies wasn't just about money. It was about a child Franklin believed would inherit something far more valuable than the Whitmore trust.""
I looked at the old photograph on the table.
Robert had been holding a newborn.
Behind him stood Evelyn and Franklin.
And beside them was a little girl, perhaps three years old.
Katherine whispered:
"Mrs. Whitmore, the missing girl is the rightful heir to the Mercer estate.""
Then I heard a crash on her end of the call.
A man's voice shouted something.
Katherine gasped.
"Someone's here.""
"Katherine?""
"Don't come to Fort Worth. Don't trust the police officer who—"
The call went dead.
Officer Brooks immediately grabbed his radio.
"What officer?"" Greg demanded.
But before he could answer, a message appeared on my phone.
It was a photograph.
Katherine was sitting in the driver's seat of a car, her hands bound.
A man stood beside the open door.
His face was turned toward the camera.
I recognized him.
Officer Daniel Brooks.
May you like
And beneath the photograph were seven words:
*Your daughter is coming home with me.*
