“From Dad?”
“From everyone.”
“Does Claire know?”
“No.”
“Does Claire know who she is?”
“No.”
“Then I will tell her.”
The man’s voice sharpened.
“If you do, you may kill your sister.”
The recording ended.
I stared at my father.
“You said Mom died.”
He looked suddenly ancient.
“The woman in the car was not your mother.”
Daniel’s grip tightened on his shoulder.
“What are you talking about?”
My father spoke to me, not him.
“The body recovered from Bellweather Ravine belonged to Dr. Laura Vale. Samuel’s wife.”
I stepped backward.
“No.”
“Your mother survived the exposure.”
“You identified the body.”
“I lied.”
“You buried someone else under her name.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because Evelyn begged me to.”
The room seemed to contract around us.
“Where is she?”
“I don’t know.”
“Rosie found her.”
“She believed she did.”
“Where?”
My father looked at the laptop.
“The rest isn’t on that drive.”
“Then where is it?”
He said nothing.
