Chapter 12 - THE NIGHT EMILY DIEDRebecca disappeared.
We found her at an abandoned motel thirty miles from the lake.
She was sitting on the floor with a gun beside her.
When I entered, she didn't look up.
“You know.”
“Yes.”
“You know I killed Emily.”
“Yes.”
“Then you know why.”
“Tell me.”
Rebecca sighed.
“I was ordered to.”
“By Richard?”
She shook her head.
“No.”
“Daniel?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
She looked at me.
“Your mother.”
My blood went cold.
“My mother was dead.”
“She wasn't when Emily died.”
I stared.
“What?”
Rebecca nodded.
“She came back.”
“Why?”
“Because Emily had discovered what happened to Grace.”
“What happened?”
Rebecca closed her eyes.
“Five years ago, there were two babies.”
“I know.”
“Emily was assigned to protect both.”
“Both?”
Rebecca nodded.
“The real Grace and Sophie.”
I froze.
“Sophie?”
“Yes.”
“Why would Sophie be there?”
“Because Richard discovered your pregnancy wasn't accidental.”
I felt sick.
“They had planned her.”
“Yes.”
“And Grace?”
“She was the backup.”
My mind struggled to understand.
Rebecca continued.
“They created two children from your genetic material.”
“One became Sophie.”
“The other was Grace.”
“But why separate them?”
“Because they weren't sure which child would survive the procedure.”
My eyes filled with tears.
“What happened?”
“Grace was placed in cryogenic storage.”
“And Sophie?”
“She was returned to you.”
“So Emily knew.”
“Yes.”
“She tried to expose them.”
“Yes.”
“And my mother killed her.”
Rebecca nodded.
“Emily had the files.”
“Where are they?”
“Gone.”
“Who has them?”
Rebecca looked away.
“No one.”
“That's impossible.”
“She destroyed them before she died.”
“Then why is Richard still looking?”
“Because he believes another copy exists.”
“Does it?”
Rebecca looked at me.
“Yes.”
My heart stopped.
“Where?”
“Inside Grace.”
I stared at the baby.
“What does that mean?”
“The files were encoded into her genetic markers.”
I felt dizzy.
“They made a baby into a storage device?”
Rebecca nodded.
“That's why they need her.”
I looked at Daniel.
He was silent.
“Tell me you knew.”
He finally spoke.
“I suspected.”
“That's not good enough.”
“I was trying to confirm it.”
“You let me live through five years of hell.”
“I know.”
“You could have told me.”
“They would have killed you.”
Rebecca suddenly stood.
“They're here.”
Gunfire erupted outside.
Glass shattered.
We ducked.
Rebecca grabbed the weapon.
“They found us.”
Daniel pulled me toward the back exit.
Sophie suddenly appeared on the phone.
Her voice was frantic.
“Mom!”
“Sophie?”
“Listen carefully.”
Her breathing was fast.
“Richard isn't in control anymore.”
“What?”
“He never was.”
“Then who is?”
Silence.
Then Sophie whispered,
“Grandma.”
My heart stopped.
“That's impossible.”
“She isn't dead.”
The phone went quiet.
Then a man's voice replaced hers.
“Karen.”
I recognized it.
My father.
May you like
A man who had supposedly died fifteen years ago.
“Your family has been lying to you for a very long time.”
