Chapter 16 - The Woman Behind the Glass|
Dominic wanted to leave for Three Bells immediately.
I could see it in his face.
The sudden hope.
The terror of being disappointed.
The unbearable possibility that the woman he'd mourned for two years might still be alive.
But I stepped in front of him.
“Dominic, please.”
He stopped.
“What?”
“Don't go there alone.”
“Clara—”
“If Marcus knows you've discovered the recordings, he'll be expecting you.”
Gabriel nodded.
“She's right, boss.”
Dominic looked between us.
Then reached for his phone.
He contacted Detective Marisol Vega, an investigator outside his usual circle of acquaintances.
He had already provided her office with copies of the records from the blue room.
Now he told her about Three Bells.
Two hours later, the detective met us at a secure location outside Lake Forest.
She was forty-five, sharp-eyed, and unimpressed by Dominic's reputation.
“I don't work for you, Mr. Vale,” she said.
Dominic nodded.
“Good.”
She studied him.
“Good?”
“I've made the mistake of trusting people because they worked for me.”
He glanced toward the evidence folder.
“I'd prefer someone who doesn't.”
Detective Vega almost smiled.
Then she turned to me.
“Miss Reed, tell me about the woman your brother saw.”
I repeated Tyler's story.
Vega listened carefully.
“And you're certain he recognized the words correctly?”
“Yes.”
“Has he identified Evelyn from photographs?”
“He says she strongly resembles the woman he saw.”
The detective nodded.
“We'll treat that as a lead, not proof.”
By late afternoon, investigators entered the Three Bells facility under a court-authorized search.
Dominic and I remained in a waiting area at a nearby police station.
Those hours felt endless.
Then Vega called.
“We found the woman from the recent footage.”
Dominic rose.
“Is it Evelyn?”
A pause.
“No.”
His face fell.
Vega continued:
“Her name is Rachel Wynn. She worked as a nurse at this facility. She resembles your wife from a distance, but she's not her.”
Dominic slowly sat down.
For a moment, I thought he might break.
Then Vega said:
“But she wants to speak to you.”
Thirty minutes later, Rachel appeared on a secure video connection.
She was pale and frightened.
“I knew your wife,” she said.
Dominic leaned forward.
“Where?”
“Here.”
His face changed.
“When?”
Rachel swallowed.
“After the roadside attack.”
The room went silent.
“She arrived injured,” Rachel continued. “She was conscious for part of the first night.”
Dominic stared.
“That's impossible. I was told she died before reaching the hospital.”
Rachel shook her head.
“Someone lied to you.”
I covered my mouth.
Rachel began crying.
“She kept asking for her son.”
Dominic gripped the table.
“Where is she now?”
Rachel looked away.
“I don't know.”
“Was she still alive when she left?”
Rachel hesitated.
Then whispered:
“Yes.”
Dominic stopped breathing.
Rachel continued:
“Someone transferred her out under a different patient's name.”
“Who authorized it?”
She closed her eyes.
“I never saw the signature.”
Then she opened them again.
“But I heard the man speaking on the phone.”
Dominic leaned closer.
“What man?”
May you like
Rachel's voice trembled.
“He said Mr. Vale had approved everything.”
