Chapter 12 - Before Emma Was Born
Christopher did not tell Emma what Arthur had said.
Not there.
Not in the rain.
Not while Margaret bled beside the chapel and Leo stared at Gideon like a stranger.
Christopher carried Emma back to the SUV.
He wrapped her in his coat.
She rested against him.
“Is Grandpa okay?”
Christopher looked at her.
She had met Arthur for less than an hour.
Already she called him Grandpa.
Children gave love so easily.
Adults in the Pierce family treated it like currency.
“I don’t know.”
Emma touched his face.
“You look sad.”
“I am.”
“Because of me?”
Christopher’s chest tightened.
“No.”
He kissed her forehead.
“Never because of you.”
Emma seemed to consider the answer.
Then she leaned against him.
Gideon drove.
Margaret pressed cloth against her injured shoulder.
Juliette sat beside Leo.
The boy would not look at her.
Christopher watched the road.
Arthur’s confession repeated inside his head.
I paid someone to make her lose the baby.
He felt sick.
Rachel had never told him.
Or perhaps she had tried.
Seventeen calls.
Seventeen messages Estelle intercepted.
How many other truths had never reached him?
They reached Pierce House forty minutes later.
Police vehicles filled the driveway.
Actual police.
Fire trucks.
Ambulances.
News vans already gathered outside the gates.
Victoria waited beneath the portico.
She saw Emma and visibly relaxed.
Christopher stepped from the SUV.
Victoria came forward.
“Federal agents are on their way.”
“Good.”
“Local officers are attempting to take custody of Emma.”
Christopher’s expression hardened.
“The order is invalid.”
“I know.”
“They do not.”
“Then educate them.”
Victoria nodded.
She looked at Margaret.
“Who is she?”
“Later.”
Christopher carried Emma inside.
The mansion smelled of smoke.
Black streaks scarred the west wing.
Firefighters moved through halls.
Employees gathered in the ballroom.
Several were crying.
Yvette ran toward them.
“Emma!”
Emma reached for her.
Christopher let Yvette take her.
The elderly housekeeper held the child and sobbed.
Christopher turned toward Victoria.
“Halden?”
“Dead.”
“How?”
“Smoke inhalation according to preliminary assessment.”
Christopher frowned.
“He was underground.”
“The body was found near the service staircase.”
“Burned?”
“No.”
“Then why smoke inhalation?”
Victoria lowered her voice.
“There was bruising around his throat.”
Christopher stared.
“Murder.”
“Possibly.”
“And Father?”
“Missing.”
“Estelle?”
Victoria hesitated.
“Also missing.”
Christopher closed his eyes.
Jonathan.
Theodore.
Arthur.
Estelle.
Everyone disappearing into hidden corridors.
“Where is Juliette?”
Gideon answered behind him.
“Police took her.”
Christopher turned.
“For the pool?”
“Yes.”
“Did she cooperate?”
“Yes.”
Gideon looked toward Leo.
The boy stood beside Margaret.
“Child services wants Leo.”
“No.”
“He has no legal guardian present.”
“You’re his father.”
“Not legally established.”
Christopher looked at Victoria.
“Fix it.”
She nodded.
Gideon stared at Christopher.
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“No.”
Christopher looked toward Leo.
“But he does.”
Gideon swallowed.
Christopher continued.
“Emma needs a safe room.”
Yvette nodded.
“The east library survived.”
“Take both children.”
Leo looked frightened.
Gideon crouched.
“I’m going to stay right outside.”
Leo did not respond.
Emma took his hand.
“Come on.”
Leo looked at her.
She smiled weakly.
“My dad gets really loud when he’s scared.”
Christopher almost laughed.
Emma continued.
“But he doesn’t leave.”
Christopher felt tears burn his eyes.
Leo followed her.
Yvette led them away.
Christopher turned toward Gideon.
“We need to find Arthur.”
“Yes.”
“And Theodore.”
“Yes.”
“And my mother.”
Gideon nodded.
Christopher looked around.
“Start with Arthur’s confession.”
Gideon’s expression darkened.
“I heard part of it.”
“He tried to hurt Rachel while she was pregnant.”
Gideon went completely still.
“What?”
“He paid someone to make her lose Emma.”
Gideon’s face changed.
Rage.
Pure rage.
“When?”
“I don’t know.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know.”
Gideon turned toward the hall.
Christopher grabbed him.
“Where are you going?”
“To find Arthur.”
“So am I.”
“I’m not planning to ask questions.”
Christopher tightened his grip.
“No.”
Gideon stared.
“No?”
“You don’t get to become them.”
“He tried to kill my sister’s baby.”
“And if you murder him, Leo loses his father on the first day he learns you exist.”
Gideon froze.
Christopher released him.
“Think about your son.”
Gideon closed his eyes.
Slowly, the rage changed.
Not gone.
Controlled.
“Fine.”
Victoria approached.
“There’s something you need to see.”
She held a tablet.
Security footage.
Christopher looked.
Arthur’s wheelchair appeared on a service corridor camera twenty minutes before the fire.
Estelle was pushing him.
Christopher frowned.
“She was helping him?”
“Watch.”
The video showed Estelle stopping beside the underground elevator.
Arthur said something.
No audio.
Estelle leaned close.
Then struck him across the face.
Christopher’s jaw tightened.
Arthur tried to move his wheelchair backward.
Estelle grabbed the handles.
A third person entered frame.
Jonathan.
Christopher stared.
Jonathan pushed the elevator button.
Estelle and Jonathan wheeled Arthur inside.
Christopher looked at Victoria.
“They took him together.”
“Yes.”
“Where did the elevator go?”
“Basement feed ended.”
Gideon frowned.
“There’s more.”
Victoria swiped.
Another camera.
Ten minutes later.
Estelle emerged alone.
She walked toward the west wing.
Then fire alarms activated.
Jonathan did not reappear.
Arthur did not reappear.
Christopher stared.
“Mother came back upstairs before the fire.”
“Yes.”
“Then disappeared.”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
Victoria swiped again.
Estelle entered the garage.
She left in a blue sedan.
Christopher looked at the timestamp.
“She left before Emma was taken to the chapel.”
Gideon nodded.
“She may not be with Theodore.”
Christopher thought.
“What about Jonathan?”
“No exit footage.”
“He’s still here?”
“Or underground.”
Christopher looked toward the damaged wing.
“Find him.”
Gideon left.
Victoria handed Christopher another document.
“What is this?”
“Federal agents asked whether you know about the St. Agnes Clinic.”
Christopher frowned.
“No.”
“It was a private women’s medical clinic funded through the Pierce Foundation.”
He looked at the paper.
“Why?”
“Because Rachel Monroe was treated there during pregnancy.”
Christopher’s stomach tightened.
“And?”
Victoria’s voice became quieter.
“Her medical records show an attempted poisoning at twenty-two weeks.”
Christopher closed his eyes.
Arthur.
“They knew?”
“The clinic diagnosed accidental exposure.”
“Of course.”
Victoria continued.
“There’s more.”
Christopher opened his eyes.
“Rachel was admitted under another name.”
“What name?”
“Emily Sloan.”
Christopher stared.
“Sloan?”
“Yes.”
Yvette Sloan.
He turned toward the east library.
“Get Yvette.”
Minutes later, Yvette sat across from Christopher in the smoke-damaged study.
Her hands shook.
He placed the clinic report in front of her.
“Emily Sloan.”
Yvette closed her eyes.
“You knew.”
She nodded.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Rachel made me promise.”
“That promise nearly killed Emma.”
Yvette flinched.
Christopher immediately regretted the cruelty.
He softened.
“Tell me everything.”
Yvette took a long breath.
“When Rachel was five months pregnant, she became very ill.”
“Someone put something in her tea.”
“Who?”
“She never knew.”
“Arthur says he paid someone.”
Yvette looked stunned.
“Arthur?”
“He confessed.”
Yvette’s expression turned distant.
“I should have known.”
“What happened?”
“Rachel called me.”
“I took her to St. Agnes under my niece’s name.”
“Why hide it?”
“She was afraid Estelle would find out she was still pregnant.”
Christopher stared.
“Still pregnant?”
Yvette nodded.
Christopher felt cold.
“Mother thought Rachel had already lost the baby?”
“Yes.”
Christopher understood.
Arthur paid someone.
Rachel survived.
Then hid the pregnancy.
“That’s why Emma’s birth was secret.”
“Yes.”
“Who helped?”
“Margaret.”
“Daniel.”
“Me.”
“And someone else.”
Christopher leaned forward.
“Who?”
Yvette hesitated.
“Your father.”
Christopher stared.
“That makes no sense.”
“I know.”
Yvette continued.
“Arthur came to St. Agnes.”
“He cried when he saw Rachel.”
“He told her he had made a terrible mistake.”
Christopher’s jaw tightened.
“He confessed?”
“Yes.”
“And Rachel forgave him?”
“No.”
Yvette almost smiled.
“She threw a water pitcher at him.”
Christopher imagined it.
That sounded like Rachel.
“He promised to protect her.”
“Did he?”
“For a while.”
Christopher looked toward the window.
“Then why didn’t he tell me?”
Yvette’s expression became sad.
“Because Arthur believed Emma would be safer if even you did not know.”
Christopher shook his head.
“Again.”
“What?”
“Everyone decides Emma is safer when I’m kept ignorant.”
Yvette said nothing.
Christopher looked at her.
“What else did Arthur do?”
“He arranged the sealed paternity acknowledgment.”
“Victoria found it.”
“He created an emergency trust for Emma.”
Christopher frowned.
“What trust?”
Yvette looked surprised.
“You don’t know?”
“No.”
“Rachel called it the Sparrow Fund.”
Christopher remembered Rachel calling Emma her little sparrow.
“What’s in it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Who controls it?”
“Rachel named three trustees.”
“Who?”
“Arthur.”
“Daniel.”
Yvette paused.
“And you.”
Christopher stared.
“You control a trust?”
“No.”
“Not anymore.”
“Why?”
“Arthur was legally dead.”
“Daniel changed his identity.”
“I never activated my authority.”
Christopher shook his head.
“How much?”
Yvette’s voice dropped.
“I was told it held ten percent of Pierce Industries.”
Christopher stopped breathing.
“That’s impossible.”
“It was created from Arthur’s personal shares.”
Christopher stood.
Ten percent.
Hidden.
For Emma.
No wonder everyone was desperate.
A knock came at the door.
Victoria entered.
Her face was pale.
“We found Jonathan.”
Christopher turned.
“Alive?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“In the old nursery.”
Christopher frowned.
“What is he doing there?”
Victoria’s mouth tightened.
“He’s tied to a chair.”
Christopher stared.
“And on the wall behind him…”
She swallowed.
“Someone wrote a message in blood.”
Christopher went cold.
“What message?”
Victoria looked directly at him.
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“ASK CHRISTOPHER WHO EMMA’S MOTHER REALLY WAS.”
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