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Patricia—this keeps him clear for now. But if Kesha ever asks for a copy of the delivery receipt, there may be a problem. You should speak with Daniel before this goes any further.
Daniel.
Marcus’s older brother.
The one person who had not been at Christmas dinner.
I read the name again, and the room seemed to tilt.
Daniel Reynolds had been Marcus’s attorney during our divorce. Daniel had signed every cold letter. Daniel had told my lawyer there would be no communication. Daniel had known there was medical documentation.
And Daniel had helped bury it.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand, making me jump.
A message from an unknown number appeared on the screen.
Kesha, it’s Celeste. I found something tonight after everyone left. I don’t think Marcus knows. I don’t think Patricia knows all of it either. Please call me before you speak to Daniel.
I stared at the message until the words blurred.
Down the hall, my children slept peacefully, unaware that the story of their beginning had just opened another door.
And somewhere in the past, someone had been holding the key.
PART 3
I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at Celeste’s message as the silence of the Austin house stretched tight around me. My hands were perfectly still. Eight years of survival teaches you how to freeze your body while your mind reconfigures the universe.
I dialed the number.
She picked up on the second ring. “Kesha?”
“I’m here,” I said softly.
“I didn’t mean to drag you back into their darkness,” Celeste said, her voice strained over the line. “I left the house an hour ago. I took a room at a hotel in downtown Boulder. But before I packed my bags, I went into Daniel’s old study at Patricia’s—the one he uses when he visits from Denver. I wanted to find my car keys, but…” She drew a sharp breath. “I found a file, Kesha. A physical legal file tucked behind the books.”
“What was in it?”
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