Chapter 5 - THE MOTHER WHO WAS NEVER DEAD
Rafferty Cain had never known his mother.
His father told him Evelyn died shortly after his birth.
For years, that explanation had been enough.
Then he grew older and noticed something strange.
There were no photographs of Evelyn holding him.
No letters.
No family stories.
Only a grave behind St. Augustine's chapel.
Now Fay Delacroix was showing him a letter suggesting Evelyn had survived.
He stared at the name.
“Where did you find this?”
“In my mother's things.”
His expression changed.
“May I read it?”
Fay nodded.
He studied every line.
Then sat slowly.
For the first time since she'd met him, the feared mafia boss looked like someone who needed a chair simply to remain standing.
“My father told me she died.”
Fay sat opposite him.
“Maybe he lied.”
Rafferty laughed bitterly.
“He lied about plenty of things.”
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Fay asked, “Why were you raised at St. Augustine's if your father was alive?”
He looked away.
“He didn't want anyone knowing I was his son until I was old enough to be useful.”
Fay's heart tightened.
She couldn't imagine leaving Josie anywhere simply because having a child was inconvenient.
Rafferty continued.
“My father eventually brought me home. He called it a privilege.”
His voice hardened.
“I thought I'd earned his love.”
Fay looked at the old letter.
“Maybe your mother tried to find you.”
The possibility seemed to frighten him more than any enemy ever had.
An independent investigator began reviewing Evelyn Cain's death records.
The results were troubling.
The burial permit had been issued years after the date written on her headstone.
The original hospital file was incomplete.
And the physician who allegedly signed the death certificate had retired before Rafferty's birth.
Rafferty stared at the report.
“She was alive.”
The investigator answered carefully.
“We have strong reasons to question the original account.”
Then came a breakthrough.
A property record identified a woman named Evelyn March living in a private residence outside Baton Rouge.
Her birth date matched Evelyn Cain's.
Several photographs also suggested a resemblance.
But nothing had been confirmed.
Rafferty insisted on an independent identity check.
Fay admired that.
For all his power, he wasn't demanding a convenient answer.
He wanted the truth.
Then Silvano entered with another folder.
“Boss, we located an old visitor log from St. Augustine's.”
Rafferty looked up.
“And?”
“Your mother tried to visit you.”
His face drained.
“How many times?”
Silvano swallowed.
“Twenty-three.”
Rafferty closed his eyes.
Twenty-three visits.
Twenty-three attempts to see a boy who believed nobody wanted him.
Then Silvano revealed the final detail.
“Every visit was denied by the same administrator.”
Rafferty looked up.
“Who?”
Silvano hesitated.
Then answered:
“Charles Vanderpool.”
May you like
Celeste's father.
And the man who'd been arranging Rafferty's marriage to his daughter.
