CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FOUR
The Missing Three Years
“What happened on October 17, 2015?”
Nathan didn't answer.
Willa waited.
The room seemed to shrink around them.
Evelyn stood near the window, her face turned toward the darkness outside. She looked as though she had already heard the answer and was afraid of hearing it again.
Nathan finally sat down.
“I met your mother.”
Willa's heart stopped.
“You said you didn't.”
“I said I wasn't in the photograph.”
“Your ring is in the photograph.”
“I know.”
“You said you didn't know what happened that day.”
“I didn't.”
“Then why were you there?”
Nathan rubbed his face.
“Because Miriam called me.”
“Why?”
“To ask me to find your mother.”
Willa stared at him.
“She was already dead.”
“No.”
“You knew she was alive.”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
Nathan looked at her.
“Three years.”
Willa's throat tightened.
“And you never told me.”
“I couldn't.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because it's true.”
“No.”
Willa shook her head.
“You could have told me.”
“If I had, you would have gone looking for her.”
“Yes.”
“And they would have found you.”
“Who?”
Nathan didn't answer.
“Who, Nathan?”
“The people who wanted her dead.”
Willa looked at the photograph.
“My mother disappeared in 2012.”
Nathan nodded.
“Officially.”
“And in reality?”
“She left.”
“Why?”
“Because someone found out she had the original amendment.”
Willa stared at him.
“Where did she get it?”
“From Miriam.”
“Why?”
“Because your mother discovered that Calder had forged part of the Rowe trust.”
Willa frowned.
“Forged?”
“He altered the beneficiary schedule.”
“Why?”
“To remove your mother.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Because she knew what he had done.”
“What?”
Nathan looked at Evelyn.
Evelyn stepped forward.
“Calder had another family.”
Willa stared.
“What?”
“He had another wife before Miriam.”
“That isn't possible.”
“It was hidden.”
“Why?”
“Because the woman had a son.”
Willa's stomach tightened.
“Who?”
Evelyn didn't answer.
Nathan did.
“Your father.”
The words echoed in the room.
Willa looked at him.
“My father was Calder's son?”
“No.”
Nathan shook his head.
“Calder's son was not your father.”
“Then who was he?”
“Your mother's first husband.”
Willa's confusion deepened.
“My mother was married before?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't I know?”
“Because the marriage was annulled.”
“Why?”
Nathan looked at the photograph.
“Because he disappeared.”
“Like my mother?”
“Yes.”
Willa closed her eyes.
The past was becoming a maze.
Every answer created another question.
She opened her eyes.
“Tell me about the three years.”
Nathan nodded.
“Your mother disappeared in March 2012.”
“Where did she go?”
“New Orleans.”
Willa frowned.
“Why there?”
“She had a contact.”
“Who?”
“An attorney named Samuel Hart.”
“Is he alive?”
“No.”
“When did he die?”
“2014.”
“How?”
“Car accident.”
Willa stared at him.
“Another accident.”
Nathan said nothing.
“Was it an accident?”
“No.”
“Who killed him?”
“We don't know.”
“Of course.”
She turned away.
Nathan continued.
“Your mother stayed in New Orleans for eight months.”
“Then?”
“She moved to Chicago.”
“For how long?”
“Six months.”
“Then?”
“Boston.”
Willa looked at him.
“How do you know all this?”
“Miriam kept records.”
“Why?”
“To protect her.”
“And you?”
“I helped organize them.”
Willa's eyes narrowed.
“So you were tracking my mother.”
“No.”
“You knew where she was.”
“Sometimes.”
“Then you were tracking her.”
“I was protecting her.”
“From whom?”
“From the same people who were watching Miriam.”
Willa looked at Evelyn.
“Who was watching Miriam?”
Evelyn's face was pale.
“Everyone.”
“That isn't an answer.”
“It is the only one I have.”
“No.”
Willa shook her head.
“You've all had years to prepare your answers.”
She looked at Nathan.
“I'm done accepting them.”
She reached for her phone.
“I want the truth.”
Nathan looked alarmed.
“What are you doing?”
“Calling someone.”
“Who?”
“An investigator.”
“You don't have one.”
“I'll find one.”
Nathan took a breath.
“I know someone.”
Willa laughed.
“Of course you do.”
“His name is Daniel Cross.”
“What does he know?”
“He worked for Miriam.”
“How long?”
“Twenty years.”
“Where is he?”
“Retired.”
“Where?”
Nathan hesitated.
“Vermont.”
“Call him.”
Nathan looked at Evelyn.
Evelyn nodded.
He dialed.
The phone rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
No answer.
Then a voicemail.
Nathan hung up.
“Again.”
He called.
Nothing.
Willa frowned.
“Maybe he doesn't want to talk to you.”
Nathan looked at her.
“Maybe.”
“Give me the number.”
He did.
Willa called.
The phone answered on the second ring.
An old man's voice said:
“Who is this?”
“My name is Willa Rowe.”
Silence.
Then:
“No.”
Willa froze.
“You know me?”
“I know your mother.”
“Do you know what happened to her?”
The man breathed slowly.
“Yes.”
Willa's heart raced.
“Where is she?”
“I can't tell you.”
“Why?”
“Because you're asking the wrong question.”
“What should I ask?”
He paused.
“Who was following her?”
Willa looked at Nathan.
“Who?”
The old man's voice became quieter.
“Your husband.”
Willa's blood went cold.
Nathan stared at her.
Daniel continued.
“Your mother wasn't running from the Rowes.”
Willa couldn't speak.
“She was hiding from your husband.”
The line went dead.
Willa slowly lowered the phone.
Nathan didn't move.
Evelyn closed her eyes.
Willa looked at her husband.
“Is that true?”
Nathan's face was unreadable.
“No.”
“Then why did he say it?”
“I don't know.”
“Stop saying that.”
“Willa—”
“Did you follow my mother?”
“No.”
“Did you know where she lived?”
“Sometimes.”
“Did you meet her in 2015?”
“Yes.”
“Did she run from you?”
“No.”
“Did she fear you?”
Nathan hesitated.
That hesitation was enough.
Willa's eyes filled with tears.
“Did she?”
“No.”
“You hesitated.”
“Because I was trying to remember.”
“Remember what?”
Nathan looked at the floor.
“The last thing she said to me.”
“What?”
“She told me to stay away from you.”
Willa felt as though someone had struck her.
“Why?”
“I don't know.”
“She didn't trust you.”
“No.”
“Then why did you marry me?”
Nathan looked at her.
“Because I loved you.”
Willa shook her head.
“That isn't enough.”
“I know.”
“Were you using me?”
“No.”
“Did you marry me because of the trust?”
“No.”
“Did you marry me because of my mother?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
Nathan didn't answer.
Willa whispered:
“Why did my mother tell you to stay away from me?”
Nathan finally looked at her.
“Because she believed I was being watched.”
“By whom?”
“Someone inside the Rowe family.”
Willa stared.
“Celeste?”
“No.”
“Adrian?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
Nathan said nothing.
Evelyn stepped forward.
“Willa.”
“What?”
“Your mother met Miriam three times during those missing years.”
Willa turned.
“When?”
“2012.”
“Where?”
“New Orleans.”
“2014.”
“Chicago.”
“And 2015?”
Evelyn hesitated.
“Here.”
“Where?”
“The Rowe archive.”
The photograph.
Willa looked down.
October 17, 2015.
Her mother.
Miriam.
Adrian.
Calder.
And Nathan's ring.
“What happened at the archive?”
Evelyn sat down.
“They opened the original trust.”
“Who?”
“Your mother and Miriam.”
“And Calder?”
“He was already there.”
“Alive.”
“Yes.”
“Why did everyone say he died in 2006?”
“Because he wanted them to.”
Willa stared.
“He faked his death?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To disappear from the public record.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Because he was being investigated.”
“For what?”
“Fraud.”
“Only fraud?”
Evelyn looked away.
“No.”
Willa waited.
“Murder.”
The word was almost silent.
“Whose?”
“Samuel Hart.”
Willa's blood ran cold.
“The attorney?”
“Yes.”
“So Calder killed him?”
“We believe so.”
“Then why wasn't he arrested?”
“Because Calder disappeared before the investigation finished.”
Willa looked at Nathan.
“And my mother found him.”
“Yes.”
“What happened next?”
Nathan answered.
“She tried to make a deal.”
“With Calder?”
“With Miriam.”
“For what?”
“Her safety.”
Willa frowned.
“What did Miriam offer?”
“Money.”
“How much?”
“Enough to disappear.”
“And my mother?”
“She wanted you.”
Willa's throat tightened.
“She wanted me?”
“She wanted Miriam to protect you.”
“Why?”
“Because she knew someone was coming for you.”
“Who?”
Nathan's voice dropped.
“Your father.”
Willa stared.
“You still won't tell me who he is.”
“I can't.”
“Why?”
“Because your mother made me swear.”
“Why would she make you swear?”
“Because if his identity became public, you'd become a target.”
Willa stood as much as the hospital bed allowed.
“You keep saying I'm in danger.”
“You are.”
“Then tell me from whom.”
Nathan looked at her.
“From everyone who wants the inheritance.”
“And my father?”
“He wants something else.”
“What?”
Nathan's face tightened.
“You.”
Willa felt sick.
“Why?”
“I don't know.”
Again.
That phrase.
Again.
Then Evelyn spoke.
“He isn't your father.”
Willa turned.
“What?”
Evelyn looked at Nathan.
Nathan's face went pale.
“He isn't your father,” Evelyn repeated.
“Then why did Nathan say he was?”
“He said your father was alive.”
Willa looked at Nathan.
“Who is my father?”
Nathan stood.
“Willa—”
“Who?”
He didn't answer.
“Who is my father?”
Evelyn whispered:
“Calder's son.”
Willa stared.
“My grandfather's son.”
“Yes.”
“Then Nathan was wrong.”
“No.”
Willa looked between them.
Evelyn continued.
“Calder had two sons.”
The room went silent.
“Your mother married one.”
“And the other?”
Evelyn's eyes moved toward Nathan.
Willa's heart stopped.
“No.”
Nathan shook his head.
“No.”
Evelyn said:
“The other son is Nathan's father.”
Willa stared at her husband.
Nathan's face had gone completely white.
“That means…”
Evelyn looked at Willa.
“Your father and Nathan's father were brothers.”
Willa couldn't speak.
She looked down at the photograph.
Then at Nathan's ring.
Then at the old messages from her mother's number.
Her entire life had suddenly become something she no longer recognized.
A knock came at the door.
Everyone turned.
A nurse entered.
“Mrs. Rowe?”
“Yes?”
“You have a visitor.”
“Who?”
The nurse checked her clipboard.
“A man named Daniel Cross.”
Willa's heart jumped.
“Bring him in.”
The nurse hesitated.
“He said he won't come inside.”
“Why?”
“He asked you to meet him in the parking garage.”
Nathan immediately shook his head.
“No.”
Willa looked at him.
“You don't get to decide anymore.”
“It's not safe.”
“Neither is staying here.”
Nathan stepped toward her.
“I'm coming.”
“No.”
“Willa.”
“No.”
She looked him directly in the eyes.
“If you really want to protect me, then stop deciding what I am allowed to know.”
Nathan stopped.
Willa turned to Evelyn.
“You stay here.”
Then she looked at the nurse.
“I want a wheelchair.”
The parking garage smelled of concrete and rain.
Daniel Cross stood beneath a flickering light.
He was older than Willa expected.
Thin.
Gray-haired.
He held a cane in one hand.
When he saw her, his expression changed.
“You look like her.”
“My mother?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me what happened.”
Daniel looked past her.
“Did Nathan come?”
“No.”
Daniel seemed relieved.
“Good.”
Willa's heart sank.
“You really believe he was following my mother?”
“I know he was.”
“Why?”
“Because I saw him.”
“When?”
“2014.”
“Where?”
“Boston.”
“What was he doing?”
“Watching the house.”
Willa swallowed.
“What house?”
“Your mother was staying there under another name.”
“Did you speak to her?”
“Yes.”
“What did she say?”
Daniel looked at Willa.
“She told me she was afraid.”
“Of Nathan?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
Daniel's face hardened.
“Your mother wasn't running from the Rowes.”
He looked directly into Willa's eyes.
“She was hiding from your husband.”
Willa's heart sank.
“Why?”
Daniel opened his mouth.
Before he could answer, a car engine roared.
Headlights flashed across the garage.
Daniel grabbed Willa's wheelchair.
“Down!”
A black SUV sped toward them.
Willa screamed.
Daniel shoved the wheelchair sideways.
The SUV missed them by inches.
It crashed into a concrete pillar.
Airbags exploded.
The driver's door opened.
A man stumbled out.
Daniel stared.
“No.”
Willa looked.
The man was bleeding.
He raised his head.
Willa recognized him.
Adrian.
He looked directly at her.
Then shouted:
“Your mother is alive!”
Before anyone could move, another vehicle entered the garage.
Daniel pulled Willa behind a pillar.
Adrian ran.
A gunshot cracked through the garage.
Willa screamed.
Daniel covered her.
Another shot.
Then silence.
When Willa looked up, Adrian was gone.
Only blood remained on the concrete.
And beside it—
a small brass key.
The same kind as the one that had disappeared from Willa's coat.
Willa reached toward it.
Daniel grabbed her wrist.
“Don't touch it.”
“Why?”
“Because that's the key they wanted you to find.”
Willa stared at him.
“What does it open?”
Daniel looked at her.
“Your mother's grave.”
Willa's breath caught.
“My mother isn't dead.”
Daniel's expression was grim.
“No.”
He looked toward the dark entrance of the garage.
“But someone wants you to believe she is.”
And behind them, somewhere in the shadows, a phone began to ring.
Willa recognized the ringtone.
It was her mother's.
The same one she had heard every night as a child.
Her phone was still in her hand.
The screen lit up.
The number was the same one that had been disconnected fourteen years ago.
Willa answered.
No one spoke.
Then a whisper came through the darkness.
“Willa…”
Her knees weakened.
“Mom?”
A pause.
Then:
“Don't go home.”
The call ended.
Willa stared at the screen.
Daniel looked terrified.
“What's wrong?”
She slowly turned toward him.
“She said not to go home.”
Daniel's face changed.
“Then we don't have much time.”
“Why?”
He looked toward the black SUV.
May you like
“Because your husband already knows where you're going.”
And somewhere above them, a second gunshot echoed through the parking garage.
