Chapter 14 - Rachel’s Mother
Rachel had not spoken to her mother in six years.
Elaine Morgan lived in Indiana now.
At least that was what Rachel believed.
She called the number she still had.
Disconnected.
Daniel watched her.
“What happened between you two?”
Rachel stared at Claire’s message.
“She left after my father died.”
“That’s it?”
“No.”
Rachel sat down.
“She worked at St. Vincent’s.”
Daniel’s face changed.
“What did she do?”
“Night nurse.”
Nobody spoke.
Rachel suddenly remembered things she had never connected.
Her mother insisting on being in the delivery room.
Her mother disappearing for almost an hour during the outage.
Her mother arguing with another nurse afterward.
Then, six months later, Elaine quit without explanation.
Rachel called Margaret.
“Did Claire know my mother?”
Margaret hesitated.
“Yes.”
Rachel closed her eyes.
“Of course she did.”
“Rachel—”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because Claire made me promise.”
“You hit my daughter to get to Bunny and now you want to talk about promises?”
Margaret fell silent.
Rachel hung up.
Dunn ran Elaine’s name.
Ten minutes later he looked up.
“She’s not in Indiana.”
“Where is she?”
“She owns a condo in Chicago under a trust.”
Daniel grabbed his coat.
They left Sophie and Lily with a hospital social worker and two officers Dunn claimed he trusted.
Rachel hated it.
But she hated taking them into whatever waited at Elaine’s condo more.
The building overlooked the lake.
Expensive.
Far beyond what Rachel’s mother could afford on a nurse’s pension.
Elaine opened the door.
She looked older.
But not surprised.
“Rachel.”
Rachel held up the hospital tags.
Her mother’s face collapsed.
“Where did you get those?”
“Bunny.”
Elaine whispered, “Claire.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Did you switch the babies?”
Elaine looked at Rachel.
“I saved them.”
“From who?”
“Victor Lang.”
Rachel shook her head.
“Claire says Victor didn’t do it.”
“No. He didn’t order the switch.”
“Who did?”
Elaine’s eyes filled.
“Your father.”
Rachel stared.
“My father was an accountant.”
Elaine laughed bitterly.
“No, sweetheart.”
She opened a locked drawer and removed an old photograph.
Rachel’s father stood beside Victor Lang.
And behind them was a younger Margaret.
Elaine whispered:
“Your father built Arden Financial.”
---
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