Chapter 6: The Girl in the Photograph
Rain hammered the roof of the Prairie Star Motel as Rachel stood perfectly still, staring at the dead phone in her hand.
For several seconds, she couldn't breathe.
The room seemed to tilt around her.
Clint watched her carefully.
“What did Martha mean?””
Rachel didn't answer.
“She said the woman in the photograph isn't supposed to exist.””
Rachel looked up.
“I don't understand.””
“Then let's go find out.””
She shook her head.
“My grandmother sounded terrified.””
“That's why we shouldn't stay here.””
Rachel looked toward the broken window.
“Samuel said the same thing.””
“Then we have two problems.””
“What problems?””
“Someone is watching us.””
“And?””
“And we don't know why.””
Clint stepped toward the hallway.
“Come on.””
Rachel followed.
They hurried down the stairs.
Outside, June and Martha were waiting beside the SUV.
Martha had gone pale.
Rachel ran toward her.
“Grandma, what happened?””
Martha stared at her.
Then she reached into her coat.
She pulled out an old photograph.
Her hand was trembling so badly that the corners shook.
“I found this in the back of your father's Bible.””
Rachel took it.
At first, all she saw was a faded picture.
A little girl stood beside David.
She appeared to be about eleven years old.
Her hair was long.
Her face was turned slightly away from the camera.
David's hand rested protectively on her shoulder.
Rachel stared.
“That's me.””
Martha shook her head.
“No.””
Rachel looked up.
“Yes, it is.””
“It can't be.””
“Why?””
“Because that photograph was taken nine months before you were born.””
Rachel froze.
Clint stepped closer.
“Are you certain?””
Martha nodded.
“I remember.””
Rachel looked at the image again.
There was something familiar about the girl's face.
Too familiar.
Not simply the eyes.
Something about the shape of her mouth.
The small scar near her left eyebrow.
Rachel touched the photograph.
“I have that scar.””
Martha nodded.
“I know.””
Rachel looked at June.
June had tears in her eyes.
“What is going on?””
June looked away.
“I was hoping nobody would ever have to ask.””
Rachel's voice sharpened.
“Ask what?””
Martha took a shaky breath.
“Your father told me you weren't my granddaughter.””
The words seemed to hit the air like a gunshot.
Rachel stared.
“What?””
“I was told you were.””
Martha's voice broke.
“But David knew something I didn't.””
Rachel stepped backward.
“No.””
“Rachel—”
“No.””
She shook her head violently.
“That doesn't make sense.””
Clint remained silent.
Martha continued.
“Your mother came home from the hospital one afternoon and said she'd had a baby.””
Rachel's eyes filled.
“She was pregnant.””
“No.””
“She was.””
Martha looked at Clint.
Then back at Rachel.
“She showed me photographs from the hospital.””
Rachel whispered:
“Then what's in this picture?””
“I don't know.””
“That girl looks exactly like me.””
“I know.””
Rachel's breathing became rapid.
Clint stepped closer.
“Slow down.””
“Don't tell me to slow down.””
She wiped her face.
“My entire life is apparently a lie.””
“No.””
Clint's voice was steady.
“Your life is real. We just don't know the story yet.””
Rachel looked at him.
“That's easy for you to say.””
“No.””
He glanced at the photograph.
“My father spent years believing one of his best friends died in a motorcycle crash.””
Rachel swallowed.
“And he didn't?””
“We know now that's not the whole story.””
She looked back at Martha.
“What did Dad tell you?””
Martha closed her eyes.
“Not enough.””
“Tell me everything.””
“He came to my house ten days before he died.””
“Was he alone?””
“No.””
Rachel waited.
“Who was with him?””
Martha shook her head.
“I never saw the person's face.””
“Why?””
“Because it was dark. Your father stood at the door and told me not to turn on the porch light.””
Clint frowned.
“Why?””
“He said people were watching the house.””
Rachel's face tightened.
“What did he say about me?””
Martha looked at the picture.
“He said, ‘If anything happens to me, protect the girl.’”
Rachel stared.
“The girl?””
“Yes.””
“You mean me.””
Martha's eyes filled.
“I thought he did.””
Rachel's voice became faint.
“But if I wasn't born yet…”
Martha whispered:
“That's what frightened me.””
June stepped forward.
“I know what happened next.””
Martha turned.
June nodded.
“David came to the diner the following morning.””
Rachel looked at her.
“He told me there was a little girl whose identity had been changed.””
“Why?””
“He said she had witnessed something.””
“Witnessed what?””
June shook her head.
“I never knew.””
Clint looked at the photograph.
“Who had custody of her?””
June's eyes moved toward Martha.
“Ellen.””
Rachel stiffened.
“My mother?””
“Yes.””
Rachel shook her head.
“No.””
June nodded.
“She wasn't supposed to be called Ellen Lane.””
“What?””
“She changed her name.””
Rachel stared.
“For protection.””
“From whom?””
June lowered her voice.
“Thomas.””
Martha closed her eyes.
“I knew that name meant something.””
Clint turned toward her.
“What exactly do you remember about Thomas?””
Martha's expression became distant.
“He was my husband's older brother.””
“And?””
“He disappeared when David was seventeen.””
“Why?””
Martha swallowed.
“He was involved with people my husband didn't trust.””
“Criminals?””
“I don't know.””
“What did David say?””
“He said Thomas had money coming from somewhere.””
Clint considered the ledger.
“What kind of money?””
“Cash.””
“For what?””
“I never asked.””
Martha looked ashamed.
“I was raising children. Working. Trying to keep the family together. I thought it was none of my business.””
Rachel whispered:
“It was.””
“Yes.””
Martha looked at her.
“I know.””
Rachel looked down at the photograph.
“Who is the girl?””
June finally answered.
“A witness.””
Rachel stared.
“To what?””
June shook her head.
“That part David never told me.””
Clint's phone buzzed.
He looked at the screen.
A message from the retired highway patrol officer he had planned to contact.
*CALL ME IMMEDIATELY.*
Clint stepped away.
He called.
The old officer answered on the first ring.
“Clint.””
“What happened?””
“I pulled the old case file.””
“And?””
“There was something wrong with it.””
“How wrong?””
“The accident scene had been disturbed before we arrived.””
Clint's eyes narrowed.
“Moved?””
“Yes.””
“You said that before.””
“There’s more.””
Clint waited.
“The motorcycle belonged to David Lane.””
“I know.””
“But the registration wasn't in his name.””
Clint frowned.
“Whose?””
The officer hesitated.
“Thomas Lane.””
Clint looked at Rachel.
“Thomas?””
“Yes.””
“Was Thomas listed as the owner?””
“According to the original paperwork.””
Clint's expression hardened.
“Then why was David riding it?””
“I don't know.””
“Anything else?””
“Yes.””
“What?””
“There was blood on the passenger seat.””
Clint went silent.
“Passenger seat?””
“Yes.””
“David was alone.””
“That was the assumption.””
Clint looked toward Rachel.
“Assumption?””
“That's what the report says.””
“What happened to the blood evidence?””
“Never tested.””
Clint's jaw tightened.
“Why?””
“Someone removed the samples.””
“Who?””
The old officer sighed.
“That part of the file is missing.””
Clint stared at the rain.
“Who had access?””
“Four people.””
“Names?””
“One was me.””
“The others?””
“A sergeant from the county office. A hospital clerk. And the owner of the towing company.””
Clint felt a chill.
“Name?””
The officer gave it.
Clint immediately recognized it.
The owner of the towing company was no longer alive.
But the company was still operating.
Under a different name.
Clint ended the call.
Rachel approached.
“What did he say?””
“Your father's motorcycle belonged to Thomas.””
She stared.
“Why?””
“I don't know.””
“What else?””
“There was blood on the passenger seat.””
Rachel looked stunned.
“My father had a passenger?””
“Maybe.””
“Who?””
“We don't know.””
June suddenly spoke.
“I do.””
Everyone turned.
June's face was white.
“You do?””
June looked at Martha.
“Your son told me.””
“Who was with him?””
June took a breath.
“The girl.””
Rachel's heart stopped.
“The girl in the photograph?””
June nodded.
Rachel stared.
“That's impossible.””
“No,” June said.
“It means your father wasn't taking her somewhere.””
He was bringing her here.””
“Why?””
“To your grandmother.””
Martha's eyes widened.
“My son brought her to me?””
“He tried.””
“Then why didn't I see her?””
June hesitated.
“Because someone intercepted them.””
Rachel stepped forward.
“Who?””
June looked at her.
“Ellen.””
Rachel shook her head.
“My mother was home.””
“She wasn't.””
Martha looked shocked.
“She told me she was.””
June nodded.
“She lied.””
Rachel's eyes filled.
“Why?””
“Because she took the girl.””
“The girl…”
Rachel looked at the photograph again.
“…was me?””
June nodded.
Rachel's knees weakened.
“No.””
She grabbed the SUV.
Clint caught her.
“Easy.””
“Don't touch me.””
She pulled away.
“My mother couldn't have taken me before I was born.””
June looked at her.
“Not you.””
Rachel froze.
“What?””
“The girl in that photograph wasn't born to Ellen.””
Clint's mind raced.
“Then who was?””
June stared at the photograph.
“I don't know.””
Martha whispered:
“Then where did Rachel come from?””
No one answered.
The rain intensified.
Then headlights appeared at the end of the motel road.
One vehicle.
Slow.
Approaching.
Clint immediately stepped toward his motorcycle.
“Everyone inside.””
Rachel looked at the approaching vehicle.
“What is it?””
“Don't know.””
The vehicle stopped.
A black sedan.
The driver's door opened.
A man stepped out.
Clint reached beneath his jacket.
The man raised both hands.
“I'm not armed.””
Clint studied him.
“Who are you?””
The man remained in the rain.
“My name is Daniel Price.””
Clint's eyes narrowed.
“Samuel's brother?””
The man nodded.
“Where is Samuel?””
“Gone.””
“Gone where?””
“He knew they were coming.””
Rachel stepped forward.
“You know who they are?””
Daniel looked at her.
“Yes.””
“Then tell me.””
Daniel's expression changed when he saw the photograph in her hand.
“Oh God.””
“What?””
He walked closer.
“That picture.””
Rachel raised it.
“You've seen it?””
Daniel nodded.
“I was there when it was taken.””
Clint looked at him.
“Where?””
“Outside Wichita.””
“When?””
“Twelve years ago.””
Rachel stared.
“Who is the girl?””
Daniel looked at her.
Then he whispered:
“You.””
Rachel's heart pounded.
“No.””
Daniel shook his head.
“Not biologically.””
Silence.
“What does that mean?””
Daniel took a breath.
“It means the woman who raised you isn't your birth mother.””
Rachel's face went numb.
Martha covered her mouth.
Clint asked the question no one wanted to ask.
“Who is?””
Daniel looked toward the highway.
“You don't have much time.””
“Why?””
“Because the people who have been searching for that girl for twelve years now know you've found the photograph.””
Rachel stepped toward him.
“Who is my mother?””
Daniel looked directly into her eyes.
“Her name was Sarah.””
Martha's face changed instantly.
She whispered:
“Sarah…”
Clint noticed.
“You know her.””
Martha shook her head.
“No.””
But Daniel looked at her.
“You do.””
Martha's hand tightened around the photograph.
“She died.””
Daniel nodded.
“Yes.””
“When?””
“Eleven years before David.””
Martha stared.
“That's impossible.””
Daniel shook his head.
“Sarah's death was never investigated.””
Rachel's voice cracked.
“Why?””
“Because everyone believed she died in a house fire.””
“And she didn't?””
Daniel looked at her.
“She was murdered.””
Martha staggered.
Clint caught her before she fell.
Rachel stood frozen.
“My real mother was murdered?””
Daniel nodded.
“And your father discovered who did it.””
Rachel stared.
“Who?””
Daniel hesitated.
Then said:
“Ellen knew.””
Rachel's face crumpled.
“My mother?””
“She wasn't your mother.””
“She raised me.””
“Yes.””
“She loved me.””
Daniel's silence was answer enough.
Rachel shook her head.
“No.””
“She may have loved you,” Daniel said gently.
“But she was also protecting someone.””
“Who?””
Daniel looked toward the black sedan.
“Thomas Lane.””
Clint stiffened.
“He died.””
Daniel nodded.
“That's what they wanted everyone to believe.””
Martha whispered:
“Thomas is alive.””
Daniel looked at her.
“He has been alive this entire time.””
Thunder exploded overhead.
The black sedan behind Daniel suddenly started its engine.
Daniel turned.
“Get out of here.””
Clint moved toward him.
“Who is in that car?””
Daniel looked at him.
“Thomas.””
The sedan's headlights flared.
Rachel stepped backward.
“That's impossible.””
Daniel grabbed her arm.
“No.””
His voice became urgent.
“What is impossible is thinking he's been dead for twelve years.””
The sedan lurched forward.
Clint shouted:
“MOVE!””
Everyone scattered.
The car raced across the lot, missing Martha by inches.
Daniel dragged her out of the way.
Rachel screamed.
The sedan slammed through the motel's front gate and vanished into the storm.
Clint ran to the road.
Too late.
He returned to the others.
Daniel was still holding the photograph.
He studied it carefully.
“Your father wasn't trying to hide a secret.””
Rachel stared at him.
“What was he doing?””
Daniel looked at her with a sadness that made her stomach twist.
“He was trying to return you to the only person who could prove who you really were.””
“Who?””
Daniel lifted his eyes.
“Your grandmother.””
Martha looked at him.
“Why me?””
“Because David believed one thing.””
“What?””
“That if anyone could stop Thomas, it would be the woman who knew his family before the lies began.””
Martha's eyes filled.
She looked at the photograph one more time.
At the mysterious girl who looked exactly like Rachel.
At David standing beside her.
At the birthday they had spent twelve years trying to remember.
And then she noticed something on the back of the picture.
A line of handwriting she hadn't seen before.
She turned it over.
There were six words.
*She knows what you don't, Mom.*
Martha whispered:
“David…”
Clint looked at the message.
Then at Rachel.
Rachel's voice shook.
“Who knows what I don't?””
Nobody answered.
Until Daniel did.
“Your mother.””
Rachel stared at him.
“Ellen?””
Daniel shook his head.
“No.””
He pointed to the photograph.
“Sarah.””
Martha's face went pale.
“Sarah is dead.””
Daniel looked at her.
“Yes.””
Then he quietly added:
“But before she died, she left something for Rachel.””
“What?””
Daniel reached inside his coat.
Pulled out a small brass key.
Rachel stared at it.
The number stamped into the metal was unmistakable.
*404.*
Clint's eyes narrowed.
The motel room.
The notebook.
The green box.
Everything suddenly connected.
Daniel looked at Rachel.
“The letter wasn't David's only message.””
Rachel swallowed.
“What was the other one?””
Daniel answered:
“A key.””
May you like
He closed Rachel's fingers around it.
“And your father spent his last two days trying to make sure you got it.””
