Chapter 5: The Woman Who Was Supposed to Take My Son
Detective Harris took the document from Laura.
He read the first page, then the second.
His expression changed.
“Where did you get this?””
Laura looked at Mason.
“From him.””
Mason twisted against the officer's grip.
“She has no idea what she's talking about.””
“Then explain the document,” Harris replied.
“It's a draft. A hypothetical scenario.””
“A hypothetical death certificate?””
Mason's face flushed.
“It's a legal planning document. You can't arrest someone over paperwork.””
Detective Harris turned the page.
“I'm not arresting anyone over paperwork. I'm asking why a woman was instructed to collect a three-year-old child from a residence where his father was expected to be declared dead.””
Laura folded her arms.
“Because I was told that was the arrangement.””
Sienna made a small, broken sound.
I looked at her.
“What arrangement?””
She shook her head.
“I didn't know about a death certificate.””
Mason glared at her.
“Stop talking.””
That was the first time I had seen him lose control in front of another person.
Laura noticed it too.
She stepped closer to Detective Harris.
“He told me Mr. Mercer had been involved in a serious accident. He said the child would need temporary care while the family handled the funeral arrangements.””
I felt a chill crawl up my spine.
“What accident?”” I asked.
Laura turned toward me.
“He said you were driving home from the gala.””
I glanced at the clock on the dashboard of the nearest police vehicle.
7:47 p.m.
The gala hadn't even begun.
Mason had already written the ending.
Detective Harris pulled out his notebook.
“Mrs. Mercer, did you know about this?””
Sienna looked at the document.
“No.””
Mason laughed bitterly.
“She knew everything.””
“Then why did you tell me not to speak to the police?”” Laura demanded.
Mason's eyes snapped toward her.
“I never told you that.””
“You told me to keep the arrangement confidential. You said the family was dealing with a sensitive medical issue. You sent me the child's travel documents and a photograph of his passport.””
She reached into her purse again.
“I have the messages.””
Detective Harris extended his hand.
“May I see them?””
Laura handed him her phone.
While he examined the screen, I stepped toward Sienna.
“Look at me.””
She couldn't.
“Sienna.””
Her shoulders shook.
“Please don't.””
“Did you know they were planning to make me disappear?””
“No.””
“Did you know about the money transfer?””
She closed her eyes.
“Yes.””
The word came out so quietly that it was almost lost beneath the evening traffic.
I felt something inside me break.
“How much?””
“Two million four hundred thousand dollars.””
“Why?””
She looked at me then.
“Because Mason said he could protect Noah.””
“From what?””
Her lips trembled.
“He said you were going to lose control of the company. He said the board would remove you. He said if I didn't help him secure the money, Noah and I would be left with nothing.””
“So you decided to help him frame me?””
“I thought it was temporary.””
“You signed a statement saying I was dangerous.””
“I was told it was necessary for the guardianship petition.””
“You gave him access to our home.””
“He said it was for security.””
“You took our son's documents.””
Her face crumpled.
“I didn't know about the death certificate.””
I stepped back.
“You keep telling me what you didn't know. When are you going to tell me what you did know?””
She covered her face.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then she whispered, “I knew about the accident.””
My breath caught.
“What accident?””
Mason suddenly stopped struggling.
Laura went pale.
Detective Harris lowered his notebook.
Sienna looked at me with tears streaming down her face.
“Three years ago,” she said.
“The night Noah was born.””
I remembered that night with painful clarity.
The hospital had smelled of antiseptic and wet wool. Rain had battered the windows while I sat beside Sienna's bed, holding our newborn son in my arms.
I remembered the nurse bringing him to me.
I remembered Sienna crying when she heard his first cry.
And I remembered leaving the hospital at dawn to collect a bag from home.
On the way back, another vehicle had struck the driver's side of my car.
I had woken in the hospital with three broken ribs and a concussion.
The police told me the other driver had fled.
I had never learned who was behind the wheel.
I stared at Sienna.
“What does Noah's birth have to do with tonight?””
She wiped her cheeks.
“Mason was the other driver.””
The world seemed to narrow around me.
Mason had been in the hospital the next day. He had introduced himself as a consultant working for one of the hospital's security contractors. I had barely noticed him.
Later, when my company received threatening letters, he had been recommended to me as an experienced professional.
He had entered my home.
He had met my son.
He had become my trusted security adviser.
And all along, he had been the man who nearly killed me.
“You knew?”” I asked Sienna.
She nodded miserably.
“When?””
“Two years ago.””
“Two years?””
“He came to me and told me what happened. He said he had panicked that night. He'd been drinking, and he was afraid he'd go to prison.””
I looked at Mason.
“You hit my car while I was driving back from the hospital?””
He said nothing.
“You left me bleeding in the road?””
His jaw tightened.
“I made a mistake.””
“A mistake?””
“You weren't seriously injured.””
“I had three broken ribs!””
“And you recovered.””
The casual cruelty of his answer stunned me.
Detective Harris tightened his grip on Mason's arm.
“Keep talking,” he said.
“You're helping us understand the situation.””
Mason glared at me.
“You think you're innocent, Daniel? You think your money and your clean reputation make you some kind of saint?””
“I think you tried to kill me.””
“I didn't try to kill you.””
“Then why did you leave?””
Mason's eyes flickered.
“I was afraid.””
“And now?””
He looked toward the black SUV.
“Now I'm trying to make sure my family survives.””
I stared at him.
“Your family?””
He looked at Sienna.
She immediately stepped away from him.
That movement was small, but it changed his expression more than anything else had.
“You told me she understood,” Laura said.
Mason ignored her.
“You told me she was ready to start over,” Laura continued.
“You said Daniel was already gone.””
“Be quiet.””
“You said the boy would be safe with me.””
Mason turned toward her.
“Shut your mouth!””
Detective Harris forced him against the side of the police vehicle.
“That's enough.””
Sienna began crying harder.
I looked at her.
“Why didn't you tell me about the accident?””
She shook her head.
“Because he said he had proof that you would never forgive me.””
“Proof of what?””
She pressed a hand to her chest.
“The hospital records. The messages. The things I told him about our marriage.””
“What things?””
Her eyes met mine.
“The things I said when you were in the hospital.””
I remembered lying beneath the harsh white lights, struggling to breathe whenever I moved. Sienna had visited me every day, holding my hand and telling me she couldn't imagine life without me.
What had she said when she thought I couldn't hear?
Before I could ask, Detective Harris approached.
“Mr. Mercer, I need you to stay here while we verify these statements. I'm going to have officers secure the residence and preserve the electronic evidence.””
“Can I get my son?””
“We'll make arrangements. For now, he remains in the house with an officer present.””
I nodded.
“Thank you.””
Laura handed me the blue backpack.
“I am sorry,” she said.
“I genuinely thought I was helping a family through a tragedy.””
I accepted it.
Inside were Noah's pajamas, two stuffed animals, a toothbrush, and a small envelope addressed to him.
I opened it.
There was a photograph of Mason holding Noah at what looked like a private garden party. On the back, someone had written:
*For Noah, from your real family. Soon.*
I turned the photograph over again.
“Who took this?””
Laura frowned.
“I don't know.””
“Where did you get it?””
“It was inside the backpack when Mason gave it to me.””
I looked at the picture more closely.
Mason was smiling.
Noah was crying.
And behind them, half-hidden by a garden gate, stood a woman I recognized.
Sienna's older sister, Claire.
Claire had died eighteen months earlier in what the family had described as a boating accident.
I stared at the photograph.
The date printed in the corner was two weeks ago.
Impossible.
I looked up at Sienna.
“Your sister is dead.””
She stared at the photograph.
All the color drained from her face.
Then she whispered, “No.””
Her hands began to shake.
“That's impossible.””
Detective Harris took the photograph from me.
“Who is this woman?””
Sienna backed away.
“My sister.””
“Your sister is deceased?””
“Yes.””
“Are you certain?””
Sienna stared at the date.
Then she looked at Mason.
He had gone completely still.
May you like
And in that moment, I understood that the man who had planned my disappearance was afraid of something far more dangerous than the police.
He was afraid of a woman everyone believed was dead.
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