Chapter 9 - The Truth Daniel Never Wanted Me to Know
I wanted to believe Daniel was innocent.
But every new piece of evidence seemed to point toward him.
His credentials.
His secret meetings.
His disappearance.
The photographs of him holding Sam while I was working.
I sat in the safe-house kitchen staring at a cold cup of tea.
Ethan stood beside the refrigerator.
Neither of us had spoken for several minutes.
Finally, I asked, "What if Daniel was involved?"
Ethan looked at me.
"Then we find out."
"Even if the truth destroys your family?"
He nodded.
"Even then."
I studied him.
The man I'd met at L'Osteria had frightened me.
He was cold.
Commanding.
Accustomed to being obeyed.
But over the past few days, I'd seen something else.
A man who regretted the way he'd treated his brother.
A man who held my son as though Sam were the most precious thing in the world.
And a man who was finally learning that power couldn't solve every problem.
"Why are you helping me?" I whispered.
Ethan looked toward Sam, sleeping in his portable crib.
"Because you were hungry, exhausted, and frightened when you walked into my restaurant."
I looked down.
"And because you reminded me of someone."
"Who?"
"My mother."
I raised my eyes.
Ethan smiled sadly.
"She raised Daniel and me after our father died. There were nights when she skipped dinner so we could eat."
My throat tightened.
"She sounds wonderful."
"She was."
He paused.
"Then I grew older, became successful, and started believing money mattered more than anything."
I looked at him.
"And now?"
He glanced toward Sam.
"Now I know how wrong I was."
My eyes filled.
For several seconds, we simply looked at each other.
Then his phone rang.
Detective Mitchell.
Ethan answered immediately.
"Yes?"
His expression changed.
"When?"
He listened.
Then looked toward me.
"Norah, they found evidence explaining Daniel's hospital credentials."
My heart raced.
"What?"
"The account was accessed remotely from a computer assigned to Gregory."
I closed my eyes.
Relief washed through me so suddenly I nearly cried.
"Then Daniel didn't create the second identity?"
"There's no evidence he did."
Ethan continued listening.
Then his expression hardened.
"What else?"
A long pause.
"I understand."
He ended the call.
I stood.
"Tell me."
"Investigators found a recording on the storage-unit computer."
My stomach tightened.
"Of what?"
"Daniel confronting Gregory."
Ethan opened a secure copy the detective had authorized us to review.
The video showed Gregory sitting behind a desk.
Daniel stood across from him.
"You used my son's identity," Daniel said.
Gregory laughed.
"You should be more worried about your brother."
Daniel slammed a folder onto the desk.
"I have everything. The fraudulent claims. The accounts. The payments."
Gregory leaned back.
"You think Ethan will believe you?"
Daniel's face tightened.
"He will when he sees the evidence."
Gregory smiled.
"That's adorable."
Then he said something that made both of us freeze.
"Ethan has already signed the authorization."
The recording ended.
I turned slowly toward Ethan.
"What authorization?"
His face had gone pale.
"I don't know."
"Gregory said you signed it."
Ethan opened another file.
A legal agreement appeared.
His signature was at the bottom.
He stared.
Then whispered, "I remember signing this."
My stomach dropped.
"What was it?"
"A routine financial authorization Gregory brought me months ago."
I felt sick.
Ethan scrolled through the document.
Then stopped.
His eyes widened.
"What?" I whispered.
He looked at me.
"Norah, Gregory used my signature to gain access to a trust account."
"What trust?"
Ethan swallowed.
"The Hayes family inheritance."
I stared.
"And why does that matter?"
His voice dropped.
"Because according to this document, Daniel's child becomes the sole beneficiary if both Hayes brothers die."
I felt the room spin.
Then Ethan whispered the terrifying truth.
"Norah, Gregory wasn't just trying to steal money."
May you like
"He was setting us up."
And suddenly, I understood why my son had been watched since before he was born.
