Chapter 9 - My Mother’s House
We drove to Connecticut with three vehicles and no sirens.
I called my mother twelve times.
No answer.
Adrian sat beside me in the back seat, trying to keep me from seeing how frightened he was.
That made me more frightened.
Cassandra stayed in another SUV.
Victor called every four minutes.
I stopped answering after the third call.
My mother’s house looked normal when we arrived.
Porch light on.
Curtains open.
Her little ceramic bird still hanging beside the front door.
Security entered first.
Thirty seconds later, one officer stepped out.
“Clear.”
I ran inside.
“Mom?”
No answer.
The kitchen was empty.
A mug of coffee sat on the counter.
Still warm.
Adrian found her phone beside the sink.
Then we heard a knock from upstairs.
Three slow knocks.
I froze.
“Mom?”
Another knock.
Security rushed up.
They found her locked inside the linen closet.
Alive.
Terrified.
Her wrists were tied with a silk scarf.
She had tape across her mouth.
I pulled it away.
“Emily.”
She grabbed my face with both hands.
“Are you hurt?”
“I’m okay. Are you?”
“They wanted the box.”
“What box?”
Her eyes widened.
“You know.”
My stomach dropped.
“The music box.”
She nodded.
“I told them I threw it away years ago.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
Of course she hadn’t.
My mother threw away nothing that belonged to Michael.
She led us to the attic.
Inside an old cedar chest was a shoebox filled with photographs, birthday cards, and Michael’s silver music box.
I held it in both hands.
It was lighter than I remembered.
Adrian examined the bottom.
“There’s a seam.”
Security brought a tool.
The false base came loose.
Inside was a tiny data card wrapped in plastic.
My mother started crying.
“He told me not to open it.”
“You knew?”
“He said if anyone ever came asking for it, I should call Victor Cole.”
I stared at her.
She looked at Adrian.
I felt the room shift under me.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
Files appeared.
Payment records.
And one folder marked COLE.
But attached to it was a genetic test.
“No.”
His face had gone completely blank.
Victor Cole was not Adrian’s biological father.
Then another file opened automatically.
A photograph filled the screen.
May you like
A much younger Victor stood beside Adrian’s mother.
And between them was Charles Vale.
