Chapter 4: The Sister Who Wasn't Dead
I read the message seventeen times.
*Nia, if you're seeing this, I'm alive.*
The woman in the photograph looked directly into the camera.
Her dark hair fell past her shoulders. There were faint lines around her mouth, and her face was thinner than mine. But her eyes were unmistakable.
The same deep brown eyes.
The same small crease between her eyebrows.
The same tiny scar above her left eyebrow.
I had that scar too.
My mother once told me I got it when I fell against a coffee table as a toddler.
Apparently, she had been wrong.
Or perhaps she had been lying.
I enlarged the photograph.
The woman wore a hospital gown. A plastic identification bracelet circled her wrist. Behind her, a digital clock showed 11:43.
I couldn't make out the hospital's name.
I downloaded the photograph and opened its properties.
There was a date.
October 14.
Three weeks before my mother died.
My stomach tightened.
“Marcus?””
He was still on the phone.
“I'm here.””
“Who is Claire Reed?””
Another silence.
“Marcus?””
“Your mother's first daughter.””
“Why didn't anyone tell me?””
“Because your mother believed she was protecting you.””
I stood and walked to the window.
“Protecting me from what?””
“From the people who took Claire.””
I gripped the windowsill.
“Who took her?””
“I don't know everything. But your mother told me that Claire disappeared from a shopping center when she was five. She had taken her there with a family friend. When your mother returned from paying for something, Claire was gone.””
“Did they call the police?””
“Of course. There was an investigation. Nothing came of it.””
“And Daniel?””
“He wasn't involved at that point. He was just a teenager.””
I looked again at the photograph of my mother standing beside him.
“Then why is he in this picture?””
Marcus exhaled.
“Because Daniel's father owned the medical facility where Claire was eventually found.””
My heart skipped.
“What?””
“Your mother spent years searching. About three months before I disappeared, she discovered that a patient had been admitted under a different identity. The medical records suggested the woman was Claire.””
“Why didn't she tell me?””
“She wanted proof before she said anything.””
“And she found it?””
“Yes.””
I stared at the photograph.
“Marcus, why did you never tell me?””
“I didn't know until after I disappeared. I found a letter your mother had written to you. Daniel had taken it from my apartment.””
My fingers tightened around the phone.
“Where is Claire now?””
“I don't know.””
“Then how did this photograph get here?””
“I believe your mother left it with someone she trusted.””
“Evelyn Shaw?””
“Possibly.””
I opened another folder on the USB.
Inside was a scanned document titled:
*PATIENT TRANSFER AUTHORIZATION — OCTOBER 14*
The patient's name was listed as Claire Bennett.
The attending physician's signature appeared at the bottom.
And beneath it was another signature.
Daniel Whitmore.
I felt sick.
“Marcus, Daniel signed the transfer papers.””
“I was afraid of that.””
“Why would he do that?””
“Because he wanted to control where she went.””
I zoomed in on the document.
The destination was a private facility called Bellhaven Recovery Center.
There was a handwritten note beside the address.
*Confidential admission. No family contact.*
My phone suddenly vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
*Stop looking at the photograph.*
I stared at it.
Another message appeared.
*Your mother made the same mistake.*
Then a photograph arrived.
It showed the front entrance of my apartment building.
Taken from across the street.
I rushed to the window.
A black SUV was parked beneath the streetlamp.
Its headlights were off.
The driver's window was open.
A man sat behind the wheel, watching my building.
“Marcus,” I whispered.
“What happened?””
“Someone is outside.””
“Get away from the windows.””
I switched off the laptop and pulled the USB drive out.
“Where do I go?””
“There's a hotel on Westbridge Avenue. Use cash. I'll arrange for someone to meet you.””
“Who?””
“Someone I trust.””
I almost laughed.
“Forgive me if I'm struggling with trust right now.””
“I understand.””
“No, Marcus. You don't. You left me with Daniel.””
His voice broke slightly.
“I know.””
“You let me believe you were dead.””
“I was trying to keep you alive.””
“And now my mother is dead, my sister is missing, and the man I trusted wants me to disappear too.””
“I know, Nia.””
I closed my eyes.
“Why didn't you come back sooner?””
There was a long pause.
Then Marcus said quietly, “Because the last time I tried, Daniel put a gun against my head.””
I couldn't answer.
“Get out of the building,” he continued.
“Please.””
I grabbed my handbag, the USB drive, and my mother's photograph.
Before leaving, I looked around the apartment.
The photographs on the walls.
The books Daniel had bought me.
The little ceramic house my mother gave me.
Everything suddenly felt contaminated.
I stepped into the hallway and locked the door.
As I reached the elevator, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs.
I froze.
A man's voice echoed from below.
“Apartment 604?””
Another voice answered.
“That's the one.””
I pressed the elevator button repeatedly.
Nothing.
The footsteps grew louder.
Then my phone vibrated.
A message from Marcus.
*Don't use the elevator. Take the fire stairs.*
I turned.
At the far end of the corridor, a door opened.
A woman stepped out.
She was wearing a grey coat and holding a small black handbag.
She looked directly at me.
Then she whispered:
“Nia?””
I didn't recognize her.
She lifted her hands.
“Don't scream. I'm Evelyn Shaw.””
My heart hammered.
“How do you know my name?””
“Because your mother asked me to find you.””
She glanced toward the stairwell.
“We have about thirty seconds before Daniel's men reach this floor.””
Then she reached into her handbag and pulled out an old photograph.
It showed my mother holding two little girls.
On the back, in my mother's handwriting, were four words.
*Find both my daughters.*
Evelyn grabbed my hand.
“But before we leave, there's something you need to know.””
“What?””
May you like
She looked at the photograph.
“Your sister wasn't the only child your mother tried to save.””
