Chapter 49 - THE FIFTH NAME
The Hale estate burned until sunrise.
Richard disappeared.
Abigail was missing.
Emma was presumed dead.
Daniel and Noah sat outside the hospital, surrounded by police officers who had no idea how many crimes had taken place beneath their feet.
Daniel held the silver key.
A tiny compartment opened along its edge.
Inside was a microchip.
Noah connected it to a computer.
Five names appeared.
Daniel Hale.
Noah Vale.
Abigail Hale.
Emma Hale.
Lily Hale.
The fifth name was encrypted.
Noah worked for several minutes before the screen unlocked.
SARAH HALE.
Daniel stared.
“Sarah was a subject?”
Noah shook his head.
“She was the first witness.”
A video began playing.
Sarah sat in a hospital room, holding a newborn.
“My name is Sarah Hale. The Hale family has been transferring children under false identities. I have copies of every record.”
She looked down at the baby.
“If anything happens to me, the child must never return to this family.”
The recording ended.
A second video appeared.
Claire stood beside Sarah.
The two women looked identical.
“Daniel must never learn the truth about his birth,” Claire said.
The screen went black.
Daniel felt sick.
“What does that mean?”
Noah opened another file.
A birth certificate appeared.
Daniel's biological mother was listed as Elena Vale.
Margaret had stolen him and raised him as her own.
But another line was marked in red.
BIOLOGICAL FATHER: UNKNOWN.
Daniel stared at the document.
His entire life had been constructed around a lie.
Then his phone rang.
An unknown number.
A woman's voice whispered, “You've found the records.”
“Where is Abigail?”
“She is safe.”
“Prove it.”
A photograph arrived.
Abigail sat inside a dark room, her hands tied to a chair.
Richard stood behind her.
The woman continued.
“Bring me the key, and Abigail goes free.”
“Who are you?”
A long silence followed.
Then she answered.
“I'm the woman who gave birth to you.”
The call ended.
Daniel stared at the phone.
Noah checked the signal.
“It came from inside the hospital.”
They ran through the emergency entrance and searched the maternity ward.
A nurse in a white coat hurried around a corner.
Daniel chased her into an empty room.
A baby monitor sat on the bed.
Margaret's voice came through the speaker.
“You've been searching for the wrong mother.”
Daniel gripped the device.
“Where are you?”
“Closer than you think.”
Another voice joined hers.
Emma's.
“Hello, Dad.”
Daniel froze.
Emma was supposed to be dead.
The recording continued.
“You have one hour to find the fifth subject. Otherwise, the world will learn what really happened the night you were born.”
The screen went black.
Daniel looked through the window.
Across the street, a woman stood beside a black car.
She removed her sunglasses.
She had Claire's face and a crescent-shaped scar beneath her chin.
She raised her hand and waved.
Then she climbed into the car and disappeared.
Noah approached Daniel.
“Who was that?”
Daniel couldn't answer.
His phone vibrated.
A final message appeared.
May you like
THE FIFTH SUBJECT IS ALREADY INSIDE YOUR HOME.
If the missing child had been living among them all along, which member of Daniel's family had been hiding her—and what would happen when the truth finally came out?
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