Chapter 11 - The Family Ledger
Dominic found Vincent on one knee behind a stone wall.
Blood ran from a graze along his ribs.
The fleeing gunman was gone.
"I'm fine," Vincent snapped before Dominic could ask.
"You look terrible."
"Thank you."
They returned to Manhattan before sunset with one useful thing from the van: a leather document pouch hidden beneath the gurney.
Inside were medical transfer forms under the name Sarah Miller.
Age thirty-one.
Female.
Severe memory impairment after traumatic injury.
No photograph.
But the emergency contact was Sebastian Vale's foundation.
Hannah stared at the date of birth.
It matched hers.
Exactly.
"Sofia," she said.
Dominic nodded.
Vincent laid another paper on the table.
"There was also this."
It was a medication invoice signed by Dr. Andrew Marlow.
Dominic knew the name.
"He worked at the hospital where Sofia gave birth."
Hannah looked at him. "And at my mother's hospital?"
Vincent had already checked.
"Resident physician. Twenty-six years ago."
The room went quiet.
One doctor connected both births.
One Vale signature connected the missing infant.
One foundation connected Sofia's hidden care.
Dominic opened a wall safe and removed a black ledger.
Hannah raised an eyebrow. "That looks encouraging."
"My father's private accounts. I found it after he died. Most of it is coded."
"You just kept it?"
"I was using it to identify people he owned."
She gave him a hard look.
"And what did you do with that information?"
Dominic did not answer quickly enough.
"Sometimes I used it."
"To help people?"
"Sometimes."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only honest one."
Hannah hated that she believed him.
They searched the ledger for Marlow.
His name appeared beside monthly payments going back twenty-six years.
The notes changed over time.
Birth transfer.
Silence fee.
S.M. observation.
Then, two years ago:
S.V. recovery containment.
Hannah's stomach turned.
"Containment."
Dominic read the line twice.
Below it was a location code.
C-HOUSE 9.
Vincent searched property databases.
"Cedar House Nine isn't a medical building. It's a private estate owned by a shell company."
"Where?" Dominic asked.
"North Salem."
Before anyone moved, the front door intercom buzzed.
Security spoke through the speaker.
"Mr. Vale, your uncle is here."
Dominic looked at Hannah.
"Alone?"
"No, sir. He brought two attorneys and a child welfare investigator."
Hannah's blood ran cold.
May you like
The guard continued.
"They have an emergency custody order for the triplets."
