Chapter 8 - THE SECOND CHILD NOBODY MENTIONED
Twins.
Arthur Romano had been told his unborn daughter died.
But my father's journal suggested Elena had given birth to two children.
A girl named Rose.
And a boy named Nicholas.
I stared at the photograph until Agent Miller gently took it from my hands.
"We need to verify this."
I nodded.
But my heart was pounding.
How could anyone hide two children from their father?
How could a hospital falsify records so completely?
And why had my mother been involved?
Arthur answered my call before the first ring finished.
"Maeve?"
"We found something."
His voice sharpened.
"What?"
I closed my eyes.
"Arthur, I need you to sit down."
"I'm already sitting."
I swallowed.
"Your daughter might have a brother."
Silence.
Then a broken breath.
"What?"
I explained everything.
The journal.
The photograph.
The two names.
Arthur didn't interrupt.
When I finished, he whispered, "Elena told me there was one baby."
"I know."
"She was having twins?"
"That's what the records suggest."
He said nothing.
Then I heard Brutus whining in the background.
Arthur's voice cracked.
"Where's my son?"
I couldn't answer.
We didn't know.
And that uncertainty hurt more than anything.
Agent Miller immediately requested the original birth records through the appropriate legal channels.
The investigation uncovered an unusual detail.
Elena's prenatal records had been altered.
An ultrasound report describing a twin pregnancy had been replaced with a report describing a single fetus.
The replacement occurred shortly before the supposed accident.
The physician who approved the change was Evelyn Carmichael.
Meanwhile, Vincent traced payments from Walter Carmichael's adoption agency.
Several accounts led overseas.
Others connected to properties in Illinois and Wisconsin.
One payment stood out.
A recurring transfer to a private boarding school outside Madison.
The beneficiary was listed as Nicholas Whitaker.
Age nine.
My stomach dropped.
A boy.
Nine years old.
The same age as Rosie.
Arthur called me again.
"Vincent found a school."
"I heard."
"I'm going there."
"Arthur, please don't."
"Maeve, he's my son."
"He might be. But rushing in could put him in danger."
Arthur went silent.
Then he exhaled.
"You're right."
The words surprised both of us.
A moment later, he asked quietly, "What should I do?"
I looked at Agent Miller.
"We let the investigators confirm his identity and make sure he's safe."
Arthur agreed.
But before we could proceed, Miller received an urgent message.
The boarding school had closed unexpectedly that morning.
Its student records had been removed.
And security footage showed a boy being escorted into a black SUV.
The boy looked directly at the camera.
He had pale gray eyes.
Exactly like Arthur.
But it wasn't the resemblance that shocked me.
Around the boy's wrist was a red braided bracelet.
I recognized it instantly.
My mother had made one exactly like it for me.
May you like
And inside the bracelet was a tiny silver charm engraved with one word.
MAEVE.
