Chapter 7 - The Second Birth Certificate
Bianca stared at him.
Nobody spoke.
Finally she laughed.
A weak, exhausted sound.
“Of course.”
Charles raised an eyebrow.
“Of course what?”
“Another lie.”
“It isn’t.”
Catherine shouted, “He’s trying to hurt you.”
Bianca spun toward her.
“Is he?”
Catherine froze.
That was the answer.
Bianca’s eyes widened.
“Oh my God.”
Elena stood slowly.
“Catherine.”
Catherine covered her mouth.
Bianca whispered, “Who am I?”
Catherine began to cry.
“Rebecca was your mother in every way that mattered.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
“She loved you.”
“Who gave birth to me?”
Charles leaned back.
For the first time all night, he seemed to enjoy himself.
Catherine looked at Reyes.
“I need immunity.”
Reyes stared at her.
“This isn’t television. Tell us what happened.”
Catherine wiped her face.
“There was another employee.”
Bianca’s breathing grew shallow.
“Name.”
“Laura Bennett.”
Elena glanced at Adrian.
The name meant nothing to either of them.
Catherine continued.
“Laura was twenty-one. She worked administrative support.”
Charles muttered, “She was a thief.”
Catherine snapped, “She was terrified of you.”
Bianca looked at Charles.
“Was she pregnant?”
“Yes,” Catherine said.
“By him?”
Charles answered.
“No.”
Catherine hesitated.
Bianca saw it.
“By him?”
“Yes.”
Charles slammed his cuffed hands against the table.
“That was never proven!”
Bianca recoiled.
Catherine continued quickly.
“Laura planned to leave. She gave birth early.”
“To me.”
“Yes.”
“What happened to her?”
Catherine looked down.
“She disappeared.”
Elena felt cold.
“Disappeared?”
“Three days after Bianca was born.”
Reyes’s pen stopped moving.
“Was a missing-person report filed?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Charles told everyone she quit.”
Bianca’s voice became frighteningly calm.
“And Rebecca?”
“Rebecca found out.”
“She took me?”
Catherine nodded.
“She was trying to protect you.”
Bianca sat down again.
Everything she had believed about herself was gone.
Her name.
Her mother.
Her father.
Her family.
Even her birthday now felt questionable.
Elena quietly pushed a glass of water toward her.
Bianca looked at it.
Then at Elena.
“I hit you.”
“Yes.”
“Why are you helping me?”
Elena answered simply.
“Because you’re still a person.”
Bianca stared at her.
The shame in her eyes was immediate.
Before she could respond, Reyes’s partner entered.
“We found the old missing-person records.”
Reyes turned.
“Laura Bennett?”
He shook his head.
“No report under that name.”
Charles smiled.
The detective continued.
“But there was an unidentified woman found six months later.”
Catherine gripped the table.
“Where?”
“New Jersey.”
Bianca whispered, “Alive?”
The detective hesitated.
“No.”
Silence.
“Cause of death?” Reyes asked.
“Undetermined at the time.”
Bianca looked like she might be sick.
Charles scoffed.
“This proves nothing.”
The detective placed a photocopied report on the table.
“There was one item recovered with the body.”
“What?” Catherine whispered.
“A necklace.”
He slid a photograph across the table.
Bianca looked down.
Then stopped breathing.
It was a small silver heart.
The same design as the necklace she had worn every birthday since she was five.
She reached under the collar of her gown.
Pulled out her necklace.
Everyone stared.
The two pieces looked nearly identical.
Catherine whispered, “There were two.”
Bianca looked at her.
“What?”
“Laura had one.”
Catherine pointed at Bianca’s.
“And Rebecca had the other.”
Bianca’s fingers trembled around the pendant.
Reyes stood.
“We need DNA.”
Charles laughed.
“You still have nothing connecting me to that woman’s death.”
Reyes turned toward him.
“I didn’t say we did.”
“You’re thinking it.”
“I’m thinking you’re remarkably calm about the possibility that the mother of the child you raised was found dead.”
Charles’s smile disappeared.
Adrian’s phone buzzed.
He read the screen.
Then stood.
“What is it?” Elena asked.
“My security team.”
He showed her the message.
Someone had entered their penthouse apartment twenty minutes earlier.
Elena’s stomach dropped.
“Who?”
“They don’t know yet.”
Bianca looked at them.
“Why would anyone go to your apartment?”
Adrian’s face hardened.
“The original copy of Marissa’s letter is there.”
Elena whispered, “And the employee files.”
Adrian nodded.
His phone buzzed again.
A still image appeared from their private hallway camera.
A man in a baseball cap stood outside the study.
Elena zoomed in.
Marissa made a sound behind them.
She knew him.
“Who is that?” Elena asked.
Marissa stepped back.
“That’s Daniel.”
Charles looked up sharply.
Reyes noticed.
“Daniel who?”
Marissa’s face went pale.
“Charles’s head of private security.”
Bianca turned toward her father.
Charles said nothing.
Adrian grabbed his coat.
Then his phone rang.
Their building manager.
Adrian answered.
He listened for three seconds.
His face changed.
“Elena.”
“What?”
May you like
He slowly lowered the phone.
“The apartment is on fire.”
