Chapter 6 - THE WOMAN IN BLUERebecca Sterling entered the mansion alone.
She wore a navy-blue coat and carried no handbag. Her dark hair was pulled tightly behind her head, and she looked as though she'd spent years learning how to keep fear from showing on her face.
Vincent waited in the drawing room with Daniel beside him. I sat near the fireplace, the pendant resting in my palm.
Rebecca's eyes went immediately to the suitcase.
Then to Elena's phone.
“You found it,” she whispered.
Vincent stepped forward.
“Where is Elena?”
Rebecca swallowed.
“I don't know where she is now.”
“Then how do you know Grace is alive?”
“Because I raised her.”
The room went silent.
Vincent gripped the back of a chair.
“You raised my daughter?”
Rebecca nodded, tears gathering in her eyes.
“For the first year, I thought I was helping Elena. Richard told me she was in danger and needed time to recover. He said Vincent's enemies would use the baby against her.”
“Did you know the documents were forged?”
“No. I believed Richard had your permission. I didn't know he had tricked Elena until she tried to contact me.”
Rebecca looked down.
“When I learned the truth, I took Grace and disappeared. I changed my name, moved twice, and stopped contacting anyone from my family.”
“Why didn't you come to me?”
“Because Richard threatened my own child. He told me he could make it look as if I had kidnapped Grace. He had forged papers, medical records, and witnesses prepared.”
Vincent's voice became quiet.
“You should have trusted me.”
Rebecca's eyes filled.
“I was afraid. I'm not asking you to forgive me.”
She took a breath.
“But I came because Richard found us. Two nights ago, someone tried to enter my house. I escaped with Grace, but I couldn't keep running.”
Vincent's expression softened at the mention of his daughter.
“Where is she now?”
“Safe with a friend. I wouldn't bring her here until I knew whether this house was secure.”
Vincent nodded slowly.
“That was wise.”
He turned to Daniel.
“Arrange protection for Rebecca and the child. No one approaches them without my authorization.”
Rebecca looked at me.
“Are you Clara Bennett?”
I nodded.
“Daniel's wife?”
“Yes.”
She closed her eyes briefly.
“I'm sorry. Daniel saved Grace when everyone else was afraid to help.”
I felt my throat tighten.
“Did he know he might die?”
Rebecca shook her head.
“He knew Richard was dangerous. But he believed he could get Grace away from him without being discovered.”
She looked at the pendant in my hand.
“Did you open it?”
I nodded.
Rebecca's face changed.
“Then you have the key to the recording.”
I held up the microSD card.
“Is this what Daniel meant?”
“Possibly. But the recording won't make sense without the original file. Richard kept copies of the forged documents in a storage facility. Daniel said he had hidden the access key somewhere no one would look.”
I showed her the folded paper.
Trust the woman in blue.
Rebecca stared at it.
Then whispered, “Elena wore blue the night she disappeared.”
Vincent looked sharply at her.
“What does that mean?”
Rebecca took a breath.
“Elena had a blue coat with a torn lining. She told me she had sewn something into it. She said if she ever vanished, the truth would be inside.”
“Where is the coat?”
“I don't know. Richard took Elena's belongings after she left the hospital. He told everyone they had been destroyed.”
Vincent looked toward the suitcase.
“Then perhaps he lied about that, too.”
Daniel connected the microSD card to the laptop. Most of the files were corrupted, but one folder remained intact.
Inside was a scanned document bearing Vincent's signature.
A transfer of parental rights.
A statement claiming Elena had voluntarily surrendered her unborn child.
And a handwritten note from Richard:
Once the child is placed, Vincent will have no legal path to recover her.
Vincent stared at the screen.
“He planned to steal my daughter before she was born.”
Rebecca nodded.
“There was another reason. Richard believed Grace's existence gave him leverage over the Moretti family. He wanted control of your business holdings. He thought that if he controlled the heir, he could control you.”
Vincent's face hardened.
“He won't control anyone again.”
Then Rebecca reached into her coat and pulled out a small photograph.
It showed Elena standing beside a train station, wearing a blue coat.
On the back, in Elena's handwriting, were the words:
If you find me, don't bring Vincent until you know who killed his mother.
Vincent went completely still.
“My mother died of a heart attack.”
Rebecca shook her head.
“Elena didn't believe that.”
For a moment, the only sound in the room was the ticking clock.
Then Vincent's phone rang.
Daniel answered and listened. His expression changed.
“Sir, we found the storage facility.”
Vincent turned.
“And?”
May you like
Daniel swallowed.
“It's on fire.”
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