CHAPTER 3 The Secret Hidden in the Ultrasound
"The baby isn't the target."
Those six words seemed to drain every bit of warmth from the hospital room.
Cole stared at Victoria.
For the first time since walking through the door, uncertainty flickered across his face.
Emily's breathing became frantic.
"No..."
She whispered.
"Please don't..."
Victoria slowly climbed to her feet, rubbing the red marks around her neck.
Her expensive jacket was wrinkled.
Her hair had fallen out of place.
For any other woman, it would have been humiliating.
For Victoria...
It only made her angrier.
She smiled.
"You really think this family feud started because I dislike your wife?"
Cole's jaw tightened.
"Stop talking in riddles."
"Oh, I intend to."
She brushed invisible dust from her sleeve.
"But first..."
She looked at Emily.
"...tell your husband the truth."
Emily burst into tears.
"I can't."
"You can."
"I promised."
Victoria laughed.
"There it is again."
"Promises."
Cole slowly turned toward his wife.
"What promise?"
Emily couldn't answer.
She simply shook her head.
"I was trying to protect you."
"Protect me from what?"
Her lips trembled.
"My father."
Cole frowned.
"Your father has been dead for twelve years."
Emily closed her eyes.
"Not mine."
Silence.
"I meant..."
"...your father."
Cole felt his pulse quicken.
"My father?"
Victoria nodded.
"Richard Carter."
"My husband."
"The man you worshipped."
Cole's expression hardened.
"Watch your mouth."
Victoria ignored the warning.
"Richard wasn't the saint you believe he was."
"Enough."
"He hid things."
"Enough."
"He lied."
"I said enough."
Victoria stepped closer.
"And he left behind something worth killing for."
Emily suddenly grabbed Cole's hand.
Her fingers were freezing.
"Please..."
"Don't listen to her."
"She's trying to divide us."
Cole squeezed her hand gently.
"I need the truth."
She looked away.
"I know."
"But the truth is dangerous."
One of the lawyers finally found his courage.
"Mrs. Carter."
"The police are on their way."
Victoria smiled without looking at him.
"Good."
She turned back toward Cole.
"Perhaps they'll enjoy today's story."
Cole's phone vibrated.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
He ignored it.
Then it rang again.
The caller ID flashed one name.
Jake Morales.
His ranch foreman.
Jake never called repeatedly.
Never.
Cole answered.
"What?"
Jake sounded terrified.
"Boss..."
"What happened?"
"You need to come home."
"I'm busy."
"No."
Jake's voice cracked.
"You don't understand."
"The north barn..."
Cole frowned.
"What about it?"
"It's burning."
Cole froze.
"What?"
"The entire barn is on fire!"
Background sirens screamed through the phone.
"Cattle are trapped!"
"The firefighters are here!"
"And..."
Jake hesitated.
"What?"
"There was a message."
Cole's blood ran cold.
"What message?"
Jake swallowed.
"Someone painted it on the wall."
"What did it say?"
Jake read it exactly as written.
"THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING."
The call disconnected.
Victoria smiled.
"Terrible timing."
Cole slowly lowered the phone.
"You knew."
"I suspected."
"You did this."
"I never said that."
"You smiled."
"So?"
His eyes narrowed.
"You planned everything."
Victoria shrugged.
"Rich people have busy schedules."
Emily suddenly gasped.
Pain shot through her abdomen.
Her hand instinctively grabbed her stomach.
The heart monitor screamed.
BEEP!
BEEP!
BEEP!
A nurse rushed forward.
"She's contracting!"
"What?" Cole shouted.
"She's only thirty-three weeks!"
The nurse pressed the emergency button.
"Call Obstetrics!"
"NOW!"
Doctors flooded into the room.
"CLEAR THE AREA!"
"Move!"
Cole refused.
"I'm staying."
"You can't."
"That's my wife."
"We need space!"
Emily screamed.
The sound tore through his chest.
A young female doctor entered carrying a tablet.
She stopped abruptly when she saw Victoria.
"You."
Victoria recognized her immediately.
"Dr. Harper."
The doctor's face darkened.
"I told hospital administration never to allow you near this patient again."
Cole looked between them.
"What does she mean?"
Dr. Harper hesitated.
Victoria interrupted.
"Careful."
The doctor's jaw clenched.
"No."
"I'm done being careful."
She turned to Cole.
"The bruises on your wife's legs..."
"...didn't happen from one assault."
Cole felt sick.
"They happened..."
"...over several visits."
His heart stopped.
"What?"
Dr. Harper nodded.
"Mrs. Carter came here three different times."
"Each time..."
"...the injuries were worse."
Cole slowly looked at Emily.
"You came here..."
"...without telling me?"
Emily sobbed.
"They threatened you."
Victoria rolled her eyes.
"How sentimental."
Dr. Harper ignored her.
"I documented every bruise."
"Every injury."
"I reported suspected domestic violence."
Cole whispered,
"And?"
The doctor laughed bitterly.
"My report disappeared."
She looked directly at Victoria.
"So did the security footage."
Cole turned.
"You erased it."
Victoria simply smiled.
Dr. Harper held up the tablet.
"I made copies."
Victoria's smile disappeared.
"You what?"
"I knew someone would eventually ask."
The doctor tapped the screen.
Ultrasound images appeared.
Cole looked confused.
"I've seen these."
"No."
Dr. Harper shook her head.
"You've seen edited copies."
Cole frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
She enlarged one scan.
"This was taken three weeks ago."
Another image appeared.
"This was the version entered into the hospital records."
They looked almost identical.
Almost.
Then she highlighted a small area.
"There."
Cole leaned closer.
"I don't understand."
Dr. Harper whispered,
"Someone digitally removed something."
The room became silent.
Victoria's face finally lost all color.
Emily began crying uncontrollably.
Cole looked back and forth between them.
"What..."
"...was removed?"
Dr. Harper inhaled deeply.
Then rotated the ultrasound image.
"There."
Cole stared.
One heartbeat.
Two.
Three.
His eyes widened.
His lips parted.
He whispered,
"No..."
Dr. Harper nodded.
"Yes."
"You weren't expecting one baby."
Cole's knees nearly buckled.
Emily covered her face.
"I'm sorry..."
Dr. Harper spoke softly.
"Your wife was pregnant..."
"...with twins."
The room exploded.
"What?!"
Cole couldn't breathe.
He grabbed the edge of the hospital bed.
"Twins?"
Emily nodded through tears.
"We found out..."
"...two months ago."
Cole stared at her.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wanted to."
"So why didn't you?"
Emily looked at Victoria.
"Because she found out first."
Cole slowly turned.
Victoria remained silent.
For the first time...
She had nothing to say.
Dr. Harper continued.
"The second fetus suddenly disappeared from every official record."
Cole whispered,
"How?"
"No medical explanation."
"No miscarriage."
"No emergency surgery."
"Just..."
"...erased."
The doctor looked directly at Victoria.
"Exactly like someone erased the evidence."
Cole felt the world spinning.
One child.
Missing.
No explanation.
His father.
A mysterious inheritance.
A burned ranch.
Threats.
Bruises.
Lies.
None of it was random.
It was connected.
Somehow...
His unborn child...
Was connected to a secret worth destroying an entire family.
Just then, another figure appeared in the doorway.
An elderly man in a dark suit.
Silver hair.
Weathered face.
A cane carved from mesquite wood.
The instant Victoria saw him...
She took one frightened step backward.
"No..."
She whispered.
"He can't be here."
Cole frowned.
"You know him?"
The old man removed his cowboy hat.
His eyes settled on Cole.
Then he spoke a sentence that changed everything.
"I promised your father..."
May you like
"...I'd tell you the truth only if someone tried to kill his grandchildren."
End of Chapter 3...
