Chapter 4 - A Message from the Dead
"I don't know that man," I told the nurse. "Remove him from my chart."
She immediately called hospital administration. My name, address, and pregnancy details were in a private file someone had changed that afternoon. The nurse helped me set a password for anyone requesting information. Then she asked whether I wanted a hospital security officer.
"Yes," I said. For the first time since Daniel died, I didn't feel ashamed of needing help.
Across the city, Vincent had connected Elena's phone to a charger under the detective's supervision. Its lock screen displayed their wedding photograph. Vincent unlocked it using their anniversary. An unsent message lay beneath a thread of unanswered calls.
Vincent read it aloud to me over a recorded call, with my permission.
"Vanessa says you signed papers rejecting our baby. I don't believe her. Richard says if I contact you, they'll take my child. I'm leaving so I can keep her safe. Please find me."
"She tried to tell you," I said.
"I was overseas. Every call went through Richard's office. I thought she wanted nothing to do with me." His voice broke. "I let a stranger decide what my wife meant."
A chime interrupted him. The old phone had connected to the estate Wi-Fi, and a new message had appeared on it.
If you recovered the phone, Vincent, stop searching for me with your men. Call an independent lawyer. Richard has eyes on everyone you employ.
A second message followed.
Our daughter is alive. Her name is Grace.
Vincent inhaled so sharply that I heard it through the speaker. I pressed my hand to my belly. Daniel had chosen that name for our baby too.
"How does she know we're reading it?" I asked.
"There was a recovery alert when the phone reconnected. Elena may still have access to the account." Vincent swallowed. "She knows I'm here."
The next message included a photograph: a little girl holding a stuffed rabbit under an apple tree. Brown curls. Vincent's unmistakable eyes. Almost four years old.
May you like
Then came the line that made me sit upright despite the nurse's warning.
The woman who has been helping raise Grace works inside your house. Ask why Clara Bennett was hired.
