Chapter 15 - The Baby Comes Early
The contractions did not stop.
At 2:14 a.m., a doctor told me I was in preterm labor.
At 2:31, Daniel stood beside my hospital bed with blood from a cut on his eyebrow and fear all over his face.
"Tell me what to do," he said.
I almost told him to leave.
Instead I said, "Don't lie to me again. Not tonight."
He nodded.
Doctors managed to slow the labor.
Our daughter stayed inside me.
For the first time in twenty-four hours, I slept.
When I woke, Evelyn was sitting near the window. Noah was curled against her under a hospital blanket.
Daniel stood in the hall watching them through the glass.
I motioned him in.
"Does he know?" I asked.
"That I'm his father? No."
"Are you going to tell him?"
"When Evelyn says he's ready."
It was the first decent answer Daniel had given me in days.
Detective Alvarez arrived before noon.
Richard had been charged with kidnapping conspiracy, coercion, and multiple financial crimes tied to the flash drive. Patricia's attorney was negotiating cooperation.
"There's a problem," Alvarez said.
He showed us a copy of the missing waiver.
Richard had already filed a version electronically before the meeting.
It carried my digital signature.
A perfect fake.
If accepted, it could complicate the Mercer claim for years.
"He forged me," I said.
"Yes."
Daniel frowned. "He'd need Claire's certificate key."
I looked at him. "My what?"
"The secure token from the estate attorney."
I remembered receiving a small black USB device months ago when we updated our wills.
I had kept it in a drawer at home.
The same home a stranger had entered with a key.
Alvarez's phone buzzed.
He read the message and looked up.
"We found who accessed the token."
Daniel asked, "Who?"
May you like
Alvarez turned the screen toward us.
The login was registered to Daniel Bennett.
