Chapter 8: Two Babies, One Mother
Detective Carter placed a photograph on the table beside Nathan's bed.
It showed a black SUV parked outside a warehouse.
The driver's door was open.
The passenger window was broken.
"Is this your sister's vehicle?"" he asked.
I nodded.
"Yes.""
"Has she contacted you recently?""
"No.""
"Have you spoken to her since the funeral?""
I shook my head.
"Not since last Sunday.""
Carter exchanged a glance with his colleague.
"What did she say?""
I tried to remember.
"She asked how Ellie was doing. She said she was sorry she couldn't attend the funeral.""
"Did she mention Nathan?""
"No.""
"Did she ask about the hospital?""
I frowned.
"She asked whether Nathan had been taken to St. Mary's.""
The detective leaned forward.
"Did you tell her he was alive?""
I hesitated.
"No. I hadn't discovered that yet.""
He wrote something in his notebook.
"Mrs. Harper, we have reason to believe your sister has been in contact with Margaret Harper.""
Nathan closed his eyes.
"I told you.""
I turned toward him.
"How long have you known?""
"About three years.""
"Three years, Nathan?""
His eyes filled with tears.
"I wanted to tell you.""
"But you didn't.""
"I couldn't prove what happened.""
I felt anger rising through the grief.
"You could have trusted me enough to tell me.""
He nodded.
"You're right.""
For a moment, the only sound in the room was the steady rhythm of the monitor.
Then Detective Carter asked, "Mr. Harper, can you explain the connection between your sister-in-law and the medical records?""
Nathan took a breath.
"Three years ago, I was reviewing an insurance claim connected to Northbridge. I found an unusual payment made to a former maternity nurse.""
"Name?""
"Patricia Wells.""
The detective wrote it down.
Nathan continued.
"She had worked at the hospital where Ellie was born. I contacted her because I recognized the date on one of the altered records.""
"What did she tell you?""
"She said two newborn girls had been delivered within minutes of each other. One belonged to Claire. The other belonged to Victoria.""
I felt my stomach twist.
"Victoria never told me she was pregnant.""
"She was afraid you'd judge her.""
I looked away.
Nathan continued.
"Patricia said there had been a power failure in the maternity ward. Several babies were moved temporarily. When the emergency ended, the identification bracelets didn't match the original delivery records.""
"How could that happen?""
"Because someone switched them.""
I stared at him.
"On purpose?""
"Patricia wasn't certain at first. But she later found evidence that the original records had been altered.""
Detective Carter interrupted.
"Do you know which baby went home with which mother?""
Nathan shook his head.
"Not with certainty.""
I pressed my hand against my mouth.
Four years.
Four birthdays.
Four Christmas mornings.
Four years of singing Ellie to sleep, kissing her scraped knees, and teaching her how to ride a bicycle.
I couldn't imagine loving another child more than I loved her.
But I also couldn't stop thinking about the possibility that another little girl had grown up believing someone else was her mother.
"Where is Victoria's child?"" I whispered.
Nathan looked at me.
"That's the question Margaret has been trying to answer.""
Detective Carter raised his head.
"Why would Margaret care?""
"Because Victoria told her she believed Ellie was her biological daughter. Margaret saw an opportunity.""
"An opportunity for what?""
Nathan's voice became bitter.
"Control.""
He explained that Harper Financial had established a family trust after Ellie's birth. The trust contained a substantial inheritance, originally intended to be divided between Nathan's children.
Margaret had recently discovered that a significant portion would become inaccessible if Nathan died before certain legal documents were finalized.
But there was another condition.
The trust required a confirmed legal heir.
If Ellie's identity was challenged, the inheritance could be frozen.
"Margaret didn't want to protect the family," Nathan said.
"She wanted to control the money.""
I looked at Detective Carter.
"Then why did she help Victoria?""
"Because Victoria had information Margaret could use.""
Nathan nodded.
"Victoria could challenge Ellie's birth records. Margaret could use that dispute to delay the trust transfer.""
I felt sick.
"They were using my daughter.""
"Yes.""
My phone vibrated.
A message appeared from an unknown number.
*Claire, it's Victoria. Please don't trust Nathan. He knows what happened to the other baby.*
I showed Nathan.
His face went pale.
"Where is she?""
"I don't know.""
Another message arrived.
*I need to see you. Alone. There are things he never told you.*
Detective Carter took the phone.
"Don't respond.""
But I couldn't stop staring at the screen.
My sister was alive.
And she was trying to contact me.
"Detective, I need to speak to her.""
"Absolutely not.""
"She's my sister.""
"She's also connected to an attempted murder investigation.""
Nathan reached for my hand.
"Claire, please. Don't go.""
I looked at him.
"Then tell me the whole truth.""
He swallowed.
"There's one more thing.""
I waited.
"The night Ellie was born, Victoria's baby was placed in intensive care.""
I nodded slowly.
"Yes.""
"But the records say the baby died.""
I stared at him.
"Didn't you just say nobody knew which baby went home with which mother?""
Nathan nodded.
"Because the death certificate was issued under the wrong identification number.""
I felt the blood drain from my face.
"Then what happened?""
Nathan looked at Detective Carter.
"Three months ago, I found the original hospital discharge record.""
"And?""
He looked at me.
"Victoria's baby survived.""
I couldn't speak.
"Where is she?""
Nathan shook his head.
"I don't know.""
The detective leaned forward.
"Mr. Harper, do you have that record?""
Nathan nodded toward his personal belongings.
"In the envelope I gave the police.""
Carter retrieved a sealed evidence bag from the cabinet.
Inside was a photocopy of a medical document.
He opened it.
The record showed two newborn girls.
One was listed under my name.
The other under Victoria's.
But beneath the second entry, someone had written a different surname.
*MORGAN.*
I looked up.
"Who is Morgan?""
Nathan closed his eyes.
"That's the name of the family who adopted the baby.""
"Where?""
"That's what I was trying to find out.""
Detective Carter examined the document.
Then he stopped.
"Wait.""
He turned the page.
There was a handwritten note in the margin.
A contact number.
And beneath it, a name.
*Daniel Price.*
I felt my stomach drop.
"Daniel?""
Nathan nodded weakly.
"He arranged the adoption.""
The detective looked at me.
"Mrs. Harper, do you know anyone named Morgan?""
I shook my head.
Then I remembered something.
Victoria had once sent me a photograph of a little girl standing beside a birthday cake.
She had written:
Some children deserve a better beginning than the one they were given.
At the time, I thought it was a random photograph from her work.
I had never asked who the child was.
I pulled out my phone and searched our old messages.
There it was.
The photograph.
A little girl with dark brown hair and a tiny scar above her left eyebrow.
She looked about four.
I enlarged the image.
And my heart stopped.
Ellie had the same scar.
The same shape of nose.
The same distinctive dimple on her left cheek.
But the little girl in the photograph wasn't Ellie.
It was another child.
I turned the phone toward Nathan.
He stared at the screen.
Then he whispered:
"That's her.""
"Who?""
"Victoria's daughter.""
Detective Carter immediately contacted his team.
"Find out who this child is. Now.""
I looked at the photograph again.
The little girl was smiling.
Behind her stood a woman whose face was partially visible.
A woman I recognized.
Patricia Wells.
The former maternity nurse.
Before anyone could speak, the hospital security alarm sounded.
A nurse rushed past the room.
Then another.
Detective Carter stepped into the corridor.
"What happened?""
A security officer shouted back.
"Someone entered the maternity ward using a staff identification card!""
My stomach tightened.
"Why the maternity ward?""
The officer looked at us.
May you like
Then he said something that made my blood turn cold.
"They were looking for a four-year-old girl named Ellie Harper.""
