Chapter 6 - A Grave Without a Name
Damon sank into the nearest seat. For months he'd visited a granite headstone and blamed himself for a trip he hadn't made, a call he hadn't answered, a fight he'd never taken back.
Damon remembered the burial as a blur of umbrellas and expensive dark suits. Warren had placed a hand on his shoulder and told him there was no reason to open the coffin. Damon had accepted that because he could barely stand. Now he wondered how many times kindness had been used to hurry him past a question.
"What do you mean might?" he asked.
Celeste's voice cracked. "Aster paid to rush the burial. Your family lawyer approved it. I saw the invoices."
"My lawyer is my uncle."
"I know."
Damon felt sick. Uncle Warren had held him at the funeral, told him to be strong, and arranged every signature when Damon couldn't see straight.
Maya crouched beside him. "There may be a reason the video was delayed. We don't have proof she's alive. But we can find out."
"Why tell me now?" Damon asked Celeste.
"Because the plan changed. I was told Noah would be taken to a specialist, not frightened or poisoned. I believed them. Then I saw him struggling, and I couldn't—"
"You could have told me before takeoff."
She lowered her head.
Lin returned with better news: the crew had reestablished communication with Denver and would land there under emergency priority. Grant protested from his seat, but no one listened.
Damon called the number in Hannah's old video metadata. A recorded voice answered: "The subscriber is unavailable."
He tried again. This time an elderly woman picked up.
"Hannah?" Damon whispered.
"No," she said. "But she asked me to watch for your call."
"Who are you?"
"Evelyn Price. I worked with your wife. Listen carefully. Aster keeps two records for every newborn in its program. One is for parents. One is for buyers."
Damon gripped the phone. "Buyers of what?"
"Access. Genetic information. Experimental therapies. Some families never consented."
"Where is Hannah?"
A pause. "I can tell you where she was last held."
May you like
The cabin speaker crackled as the captain announced final descent.
Evelyn lowered her voice. "And Damon? Warren Vale signed the order that moved her there."
