Chapter 10 - Two Sisters
“That’s impossible.”
Lorraine didn’t argue.
“My mother had one sister. Aunt Margaret.”
“Margaret raised me.”
I stared at her.
“What?”
“My name wasn’t always Lorraine Hayes.”
I felt dizzy.
“What was it?”
“Lorraine Mercer.”
I stood.
“No.”
“Sit down.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
“I’m trying to tell you the truth.”
“The truth would’ve been useful about thirty years ago!”
Grant opened the door.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
I wasn’t.
Lorraine continued.
“My mother had three daughters. Margaret, Helen, and me.”
Helen.
My mother’s name.
Lorraine was my mother’s sister.
My aunt.
Jackson’s mother was my aunt.
The room tilted.
That would make Jackson—
I grabbed the edge of the table.
“No.”
Lorraine realized where my mind had gone.
“No, no. Jackson is not my biological son.”
I stared at her.
“What?”
“I adopted him.”
“Does he know?”
“No.”
I laughed in disbelief.
“Of course he doesn’t.”
Lorraine cried silently.
“My husband couldn’t have children. We adopted Jackson privately.”
“And Cassandra?”
“My biological daughter.”
“So Jackson and I are not blood relatives.”
“No.”
I sat down slowly.
“Why hide all of this?”
“Because Helen hated me.”
“My mother?”
“She blamed me for what happened to Margaret.”
“What happened?”
Lorraine looked away.
“Margaret died when we were young.”
“My family told me she moved away.”
“She didn’t.”
“Why?”
Lorraine whispered, “Because your grandfather covered it up.”
The story came out in pieces.
Three sisters.
A violent father.
A family determined to look respectable.
Margaret disappeared after threatening to report him.
Years later, Lorraine found records suggesting Margaret had given birth to a daughter shortly before disappearing.
That child had been adopted.
“Who?”
Lorraine looked at me.
“Natalie and Daniel’s mother.”
My head spun.
“So Daniel was…”
“Your cousin.”
I closed my eyes.
Thank God our relationship had ended before it became more serious.
But Lorraine wasn’t finished.
“Daniel discovered the family records while investigating your father.”
“And you panicked.”
“I begged him to leave it alone.”
“You offered him money.”
“Yes.”
“Did you kill him?”
Her face collapsed.
“No.”
“Did Cassandra?”
“No.”
“Then who did?”
“I don’t know.”
I studied her.
For the first time, I believed she might actually be telling the truth.
“Why did you take Natalie’s baby?”
“Because Cassandra told me Natalie was going to release everything.”
“That doesn’t explain kidnapping him.”
Lorraine shook her head.
“I didn’t kidnap him. Cassandra brought him to me.”
“Why?”
“She said Natalie abandoned him.”
“And you believed her?”
“At first.”
“What changed?”
“Mia.”
My breath caught.
“What did Mia see?”
Lorraine leaned forward.
“Mia saw Cassandra put something in Natalie’s drink.”
My heart stopped.
“What?”
“She told me Aunt Cass made the lady sleepy.”
I stood.
“Why didn’t you call police?”
“Because I panicked.”
“Where is Natalie?”
“I don’t know.”
“Lorraine.”
“I swear.”
May you like
Then she grabbed my wrist.
“But I know where Cassandra took her.”
