Chapter 8 - C-17
C meant Confidential.
17 meant seventeenth protected maternity patient in program.
Not baby.
C-17 was mother.
Her daughter was born twelve years earlier.
Where was daughter now?
Unknown to Daniel.
Catherine knew.
Or claimed to.
Her mother Miriam created confidential identifier.
When privacy breach threatened, she ordered Evelyn to replace mother’s name with administrative alias.
Rebecca’s employee name was used.
Wrong.
Illegal.
Then alternate Evelyn certificate appeared during correction attempt.
Also wrong.
So neither Rebecca nor Evelyn was mother.
Then whose identity was hidden?
Catherine refused.
Why?
Her mother made her promise.
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“Everyone in this story made promises.”
Catherine looked at him.
“Some promises keep people alive.”
“Is mother still in danger?”
Pause.
“No.”
“Then tell me.”
“Her daughter might be.”
Now stakes changed.
The twelve-year-old daughter could be harmed by revelation.
Not physically necessarily.
Family, custody, inheritance, reputation.
Daniel asked if daughter was wealthy.
Catherine laughed.
“No.”
Poor?
“Not relevant.”
Then she asked Daniel:
“Why do you think Rebecca kept investigating?”
“To expose truth.”
“No.”
“To prevent someone else from exposing it first.”
Who?
A private investigator named Victor Lane.
Hired by unknown client.
He had been searching C-17 before Rebecca died.
Rebecca feared identity would be sold.
Then Claire said she knew Victor.
He approached her six months before Rebecca’s accident.
Offered $50,000 for information about Evelyn.
Claire refused.
Did Rebecca know?
Yes.
They met the next day.
Then Rebecca died four months later.
Car crash remained accident.
Police reports clear.
No tampering.
No pursuing vehicle.
No murder twist.
But after Rebecca died, Victor disappeared from inquiry.
Someone paid him to stop.
Who?
Thomas Mercer.
Daniel confronted father.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Rebecca asked me.”
Daniel was stunned.
Rebecca had ultimately trusted Thomas enough to shut investigator down.
Thomas paid Victor $75,000 for his research files and confidentiality agreement.
Where files?
Thomas kept them.
He finally surrendered.
Inside:
Photographs of twelve-year-old girl.
Daniel did not recognize her.
Brown hair.
Freckles.
Name:
Grace Miller.
Lives in Baltimore with mother, Anna Miller.
Was Anna C-17?
Victor believed so.
DNA?
None.
Documents?
Circumstantial.
Anna worked briefly at St. Matthew’s under different surname.
Then vanished after birth.
Daniel prepared to contact her.
Catherine stopped him.
“Wrong woman.”
“What?”
“Anna was caregiver.”
“For whom?”
Catherine closed eyes.
“C-17.”
So Grace may not be Anna’s biological daughter.
Then who raised her?
Anna.
Legal parent after private adoption.
Was adoption valid?
Yes.
According to Catherine.
Mother voluntarily placed child.
No baby theft.
Important.
Then why secrecy twelve years later?
Because biological mother had never told her current family she gave birth.
Daniel asked:
“Does Claire know her?”
Catherine looked at bride-to-be.
“Yes.”
Claire’s face changed.
“Who?”
Catherine answered:
“Your mother did.”
Evelyn.
Not Claire personally.
Then Catherine revealed Evelyn had paid Anna monthly for three years.
Not hush money.
Child support from biological mother, routed anonymously.
Then payments stopped when Evelyn died.
Another fund took over.
Mercer Foundation.
Daniel stared at Thomas.
His father had financially supported Grace for nine years.
“Dad?”
Thomas whispered:
“Rebecca asked me to.”
“Why would Rebecca care this much about someone else’s child?”
Thomas looked at him.
“Because she knew the mother.”
“Who?”
Thomas glanced at locket.
Still refused.
Then Daniel exploded:
“What is so dangerous about one woman’s name?”
Thomas answered quietly:
“Nothing.”
Daniel stopped.
“The dangerous name isn't the mother.”
May you like
He pointed toward engraving.
“It’s the father.”
