Chapter 8 - The Name Nobody Expected“My family?” I repeated.
David didn't answer immediately.
I thought of my sister, Rachel, waiting in Orlando. I thought of my late mother, whose baby carrier held Leo against my chest. I thought of every relative who had sent congratulations after his birth.
There was no one I could imagine wanting to hurt my child.
“David, tell me the name.”
“I don't know for certain.”
“Then why did you say it?”
“Because the investigator traced one of the payments to an account connected to your mother's estate.”
My mother's estate.
She had died months before Leo's birth, leaving a modest inheritance and a small house that my sister and I were supposed to share.
I had handled the paperwork while recovering from pregnancy complications. David had offered to help, but I'd insisted I could manage.
“What does my mother's estate have to do with Leo?”
“Someone used an account in her name to pay for information about your family.”
I could hear David breathing.
“Claire, I should have told you sooner. I didn't want to scare you before we understood what was happening.”
“You let me board a plane with our baby without telling me someone might be watching him!”
“I know.”
His voice cracked.
“I know, and I'm sorry.”
Before I could respond, the call abruptly ended.
No signal.
I tried calling again.
Nothing.
Denise approached and asked what David had said.
I explained everything, including the reference to my mother's estate.
Her expression grew serious.
“We've notified the appropriate authorities on the ground. The captain is considering our safest options.”
“Can we turn around?”
“That's being discussed.”
Across the aisle, Victoria had stopped crying.
She was looking at me.
“I know who paid,” she whispered.
I moved closer.
“Who?”
Her eyes darted toward Cole.
Then she leaned toward my ear.
“The woman who hired us wasn't your sister.”
I stared at her.
“Then who?”
Victoria swallowed.
“Your mother.”
For several seconds, I couldn't even understand the words.
“My mother is dead.”
May you like
Victoria's eyes filled with tears.
“That's what everyone was told.”
Related Stories
