Chapter 5 - The Woman We Buried

I had stood beside my mother’s coffin.

I remembered the cold church.

The lilies.

The rain hitting black umbrellas.

I remembered my father gripping my shoulder while the casket lowered.

I remembered Evan crying where no one could see him.

So when Margaret said our mother was alive, my first reaction was not shock.

It was rage.

“You’re lying.”

“No.”

“I saw her body.”

“You saw a closed casket.”

I stopped.

Evan looked at me.

He remembered too.

The funeral director had said the accident damage was severe.

Dad insisted we remember her as she had been.

We never saw her face.

Evan whispered, “No.”

Margaret said, “Anna entered federal protection.”

I laughed.

“That’s your story?”

“She agreed to testify.”

“Against who?”

“Voss.”

“Then why didn’t she?”

“Because the case collapsed.”

“How?”

“Evidence disappeared. A prosecutor was compromised. Two witnesses died.”

Emma whispered, “And Anna?”

“Stayed hidden.”

I stared at Margaret.

“Twelve years.”

“Yes.”

“She let us bury an empty coffin.”

“Yes.”

“She let us think she was dead.”

“She thought it kept you alive.”

I walked away before I broke something.

Lily looked up from her drawing.

“Daddy?”

I forced my voice steady.

“I’m okay.”

She did not believe me.

Children never do.

Evan said, “Where is she?”

Margaret hesitated.

“Montana.”

“Address.”

“I don’t have one.”

“You said you knew.”

“I know how to contact her.”

“Do it.”

Margaret took out a second phone from her bag.

Evan laughed bitterly.

“Of course you have another phone.”

She typed one message.

Then waited.

Ten minutes later, a reply arrived.

ONE HOUR. NORTH SERVICE STATION. COME ALONE.

I said, “No.”

Margaret looked at me.

“She won’t come otherwise.”

“She’s had twelve years to learn compromise.”

Evan said, “We go.”

Caroline nodded.

Emma did not.

“You have two children being hunted.”

I looked at her.

“You’re right.”

That surprised everyone.

“I’m not taking Lily or Sophie.”

Caroline said, “Then I stay.”

Emma said, “Me too.”

Margaret looked at Evan.

“You and Ryan?”

“Yes.”

I shook my head.

“No. You stay.”

Evan stared.

“Absolutely not.”

“If Vale knows the lab, someone has to protect them.”

“You’re not going alone.”

“I won’t.”

I looked at Margaret.

“She’s coming.”

An hour later, Margaret and I waited behind a closed gas station on a rural highway.

A black SUV arrived.

The driver stepped out.

A woman in her sixties.

Gray-blond hair.

Straight posture.

A face I knew before my mind could accept it.

My mother.

Anna Mercer.

She stopped ten feet away.

“Ryan.”

My throat closed.

She looked older.

Alive.

Impossible.

“You’re dead.”

Tears filled her eyes.

“I know.”

I crossed the distance before I knew what I was doing.

Not to hug her.

I stopped inches away.

“You’re dead.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t get to say that.”

“I know.”

“You missed my wedding.”

“Yes.”

“You missed Lily being born.”

Her face broke.

“I know.”

“You let me bury you.”

“I watched from a car.”

I recoiled.

“What?”

“I needed to see you.”

I laughed.

“You watched us bury you.”

“Yes.”

Margaret said, “Anna—”

“Stay out of this.”

My mother flinched.

Good.

I wanted someone to hurt.

Then she said, “Sophie is alive?”

I froze.

“You know Sophie.”

“I knew she existed.”

“And Lily?”

She closed her eyes.

“Yes.”

“Everyone knew my children except me.”

“I did not know Lily survived.”

“Survived?”

“Voss ordered R-12 terminated when the transfer records leaked.”

My stomach turned.

“Caroline carried her.”

“I know now.”

“No. You don’t know anything now.”

She took it.

Did not defend herself.

That made me angrier.

“Who is A-09?”

Anna looked toward the road.

“We should leave.”

“Answer.”

“Not here.”

“Answer.”

She whispered, “Your sister.”

I stared.

“I don’t have a sister.”

“You do.”

Margaret closed her eyes.

Anna said, “Her name is Ava.”

I stepped back.

“How old?”

“Twenty-nine.”

I did the math.

My mother watched me.

“She was born before Evan.”

“Where?”

“Through the first successful trial.”

My voice vanished.

“You mean you and Dad—”

“No.”

Silence.

“Then who?”

Anna swallowed.

“Your father and Margaret.”

I turned slowly.

Margaret looked sick.

“What?”

She said, “Ryan—”

“You had a child with my father?”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“Nothing is ever like what it looks like with any of you.”

Anna stepped in.

“The embryo was created in a lab.”

“Using Dad and Margaret.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Margaret whispered, “Proof of concept.”

I stared at her.

“You let them use you?”

“I was twenty-six. I believed we were helping infertile couples.”

“And Ava?”

Anna said, “I carried her.”

That stopped me.

“You carried Dad and Margaret’s child.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because the intended surrogate became ill.”

I laughed helplessly.

“This family is insane.”

Anna said, “Ava was placed with another family.”

“Where is she?”

“No one knows.”

“Vale does.”

“Yes.”

“And she’s the successor.”

Anna nodded.

“Your father changed the trust.”

“Why?”

“He wanted everything transferred to the children as evidence.”

“Evidence?”

“The trust owns shell companies, land, patent rights, clinic shares, and internal records. Whoever controls it controls the paper trail.”

“So Ava controls it?”

“If she claims her identity.”

“And Vale wants her before she can.”

“Yes.”

I looked at Margaret.

“Why does he want the drives?”

“They contain the biometric key.”

I stared.

“What?”

Anna explained.

“Your father encrypted the final archive. Three genetic markers are required.”

“Sophie. Lily. Ava.”

“Yes.”

“And why?”

“So no adult could unlock it alone.”

I thought of my father.

Controlling.

Cold.

Brilliant in all the worst ways.

“What’s in the archive?”

Anna’s voice dropped.

“Names.”

“Whose?”

“Judges. doctors. investors. politicians. brokers. parents who bought children.”

I felt sick.

“This goes beyond Voss.”

“Yes.”

“Then why hasn’t anyone killed us already?”

Anna gave me a look.

“They’ve been trying.”

A gunshot cracked.

Margaret fell.

I spun.

Blood spread across her shoulder.

“Down!”

Anna dragged her behind the SUV.

Another shot shattered the rear window.

I pulled Margaret into cover.

“Shooter?”

Anna pointed toward the tree line.

“Two.”

I saw movement.

Then tires screamed.

A pickup came from the road.

Evan.

He swerved between us and the shooters.

“Get in!”

I opened the rear door.

Anna shoved Margaret inside.

We climbed in.

Evan floored it.

Bullets hit metal.

The truck fishtailed.

I looked at him.

“What are you doing here?”

“Tracking Mom’s burner.”

“You tracked her?”

“I’m learning from the family.”

Anna stared at him.

“Evan.”

He did not look at her.

“Don’t.”

She fell silent.

Margaret groaned.

I pressed cloth against the wound.

“It went through.”

She looked at Anna.

“They found us too fast.”

Anna nodded.

“Someone at the lab.”

My stomach turned.

“Who?”

Evan said, “The technician.”

I shook my head.

“Margaret trusted him.”

“He sent a message twenty minutes after we left.”

“How do you know?”

“I checked the network logs.”

Anna looked impressed.

Evan snapped, “Don’t.”

We drove another ten miles before stopping at an abandoned barn.

Margaret was pale but conscious.

Anna cleaned the wound.

I stood with Evan outside.

He said, “You okay?”

“No.”

“Me neither.”

We looked at each other.

Then, unexpectedly, we laughed.

Not because anything was funny.

Because sometimes your life becomes so absurd that the body chooses laughter over collapse.

He said, “Mom’s alive.”

“Apparently.”

“We have a sister.”

“Apparently.”

“Dad built illegal children.”

“Apparently.”

“Your wife hid your ex-girlfriend in the wall.”

I looked at him.

“That one still wins.”

He nodded.

“Fair.”

My phone buzzed.

Unknown number.

A photo loaded.

Caroline tied to a chair.

Emma beside her.

Lily and Sophie not visible.

My blood went cold.

A message followed.

BRING THE DRIVES TO MERCER HOUSE.

COME WITH ANNA.

OR THE CHILDREN DISAPPEAR AGAIN.

I showed Evan.

He went white.

“Who sent it?”

Another message.

VALE IS NO LONGER IN CONTROL.

Then one final line.

ASK YOUR MOTHER WHO DR. VOSS REALLY IS.

I turned toward Anna.

She saw my face.

“What?”

I held up the phone.

“Who is Adrian Voss?”

She closed her eyes.

And I knew.

Another family secret.

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Another knife.

Anna whispered, “My brother.”