Chapter 13 - The Nanny Named May
May Carter.
Forty-six.
Brown hair.
Quiet.
Excellent with Lily.
Recommended by Helen.
Of course.
I nearly laughed from fury.
Helen had brought Thomas Mercer’s daughter into my home under another name.
Why?
To watch her.
To control her.
To determine whether she knew who she was.
Did May know?
Helen claimed no.
May had been adopted after Caroline died.
Raised under Carter.
The Oregon records were sealed.
Helen found her through a private investigator.
Then arranged employment near Lily.
“Why?”
“To see whether she had the Mercer documents.”
“You put a stranger inside my home because of money?”
“She’s family.”
I stared.
“That has never stopped you before.”
Evelyn almost smiled.
Then I remembered something.
May had quit three weeks earlier.
Suddenly.
No explanation.
She left behind one thing.
A children’s book.
Goodnight Moon.
Inside the cover:
For Lily, when she is old enough to ask why everyone lied.
I had assumed it was sentimental.
Now it sounded like warning.
I retrieved the book.
Between the final pages was a photograph.
Thomas Mercer.
Older.
Standing beside Caroline.
And a young woman who looked exactly like May.
On the back:
Maya, tell Daniel’s girl before Helen does.
Daniel’s girl.
Me.
My father Daniel Mercer.
The names aligned.
May knew.
She had known the entire time.
Why not tell me?
The next page answered.
Because Richard is still working for Helen.
I looked at my husband.
His face collapsed.
“No.”
I showed him.
He shook his head.
“I wasn’t.”
“Then why would May write it?”
“I don’t know.”
Evelyn looked at Richard.
“What did Mom ask you to do after May left?”
Silence.
I turned.
“What?”
Richard whispered:
“She asked me to find her.”
“Did you?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“A motel outside Richmond.”
“And?”
“I spoke to her.”
“What did she say?”
He looked ashamed.
“She said if I loved you, I would stop looking.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
Of course not.
He followed her.
Not for Helen, he claimed.
To protect us.
Again.
He saw May meet someone.
A lawyer.
The lawyer carried a black case.
Inside were original Mercer stock certificates.
May had them.
“What happened?”
“I told Mom.”
I almost laughed from disbelief.
“You keep doing the same thing.”
“I know.”
Helen found May.
Then May disappeared.
Three weeks ago.
My blood went cold.
“Where is she?”
Richard shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
Evelyn stared at Helen.
“Do you?”
Helen’s eyes filled.
“No.”
For once, I believed her.
Then we found something in the vault.
A recent envelope.
Dated eight days earlier.
From May.
Addressed to me.
Maya,
If Richard gives Helen my location again, don’t blame him first.
Ask who has been pretending to be Helen in his messages.
Richard froze.
He pulled out his phone.
I looked at the message thread with “Mom.”
Same contact.
Same number.
Except May’s letter contained another number.
Helen’s real private number.
Different.
May you like
Richard had been taking instructions from someone pretending to be his mother.
For months.
