Chapter 14 - THE MOON TOY
Police searched Daniel’s house.
Mateo led them upstairs.
“It’s Mr. Moon.”
He pulled a faded stuffed moon from under his bed.
One eye was missing.
Elena recognized it instantly.
She covered her mouth.
“I bought that before you were born.”
Mateo smiled.
“I sleep with him.”
Daniel looked sick.
“Vanessa gave it to me the night she moved in.”
Kim took the toy carefully.
Mateo frowned.
“Are you taking him?”
“Just borrowing.”
“For how long?”
Elena crouched.
“We’ll get him back.”
Kim examined the seam.
One section had been resewn.
Inside was a tiny encrypted storage device.
Matthew’s final backup.
The files were devastating.
Names.
Payments.
Judges.
Doctors.
Private agencies.
Wealthy clients.
Children moved across state lines.
Death certificates forged.
Parents declared unfit.
Some imprisoned after fabricated accusations.
Others paid to disappear.
Elena sat in a police conference room watching years of cruelty appear page after page.
Daniel stood beside her.
“That’s my father’s signature.”
Elena looked at him.
“I’m sorry.”
He shook his head.
“Don’t be.”
Kim entered.
“We have enough.”
“For what?”
“For federal charges.”
She placed a folder down.
“And reopening dozens of missing-child cases.”
Elena closed her eyes.
For once, good news hurt.
Because every name was another mother.
Another father.
Another empty bedroom.
Another child who might be waiting.
Kim continued.
“Pierce is cooperating.”
Daniel scoffed.
“Of course he is.”
“Vanessa too.”
Elena asked:
“What about Marisol?”
“Her lawyer is negotiating.”
Elena looked away.
She had not visited her sister again.
She wasn’t sure she ever would.
Kim sat down.
“There’s one problem.”
Elena laughed tiredly.
“There’s always one.”
“Custody.”
Daniel went still.
Elena looked at him.
Kim continued.
“Legally, Mateo’s guardianship documents are fraudulent.”
“So he’s mine.”
“Yes.”
Daniel stared at the floor.
Kim looked at him.
“You have no biological or legal parental claim.”
Elena saw his face.
Mateo entered the room with a child advocate.
“Dad!”
Daniel turned.
Mateo ran into him.
Daniel held him.
Too tightly.
Mateo laughed.
“Ow.”
Daniel immediately loosened his arms.
“Sorry.”
Elena watched.
Four years ago, she would have imagined ripping Mateo away from anyone who had been part of his stolen life.
Now she saw something she could not hate.
Love.
Messy.
Complicated.
Real.
That evening, Elena asked Daniel to sit with her.
“I’m taking Mateo home.”
Daniel nodded.
“I know.”
“To my apartment.”
“I know.”
“He needs stability.”
“I know.”
Elena sighed.
“Can you stop saying that?”
He almost smiled.
“Sorry.”
She looked at him.
“I don’t want you disappearing.”
Daniel stared.
“What?”
“For Mateo.”
His eyes filled.
“You mean…”
“You’re Dad to him.”
Daniel looked away quickly.
Elena continued.
“I can hate how this happened and still respect what you were to him.”
Daniel wiped his face.
“Thank you.”
“This won’t be easy.”
“I know.”
She gave him a look.
He laughed once.
“Right.”
Mateo came running into the room.
“Can Dad come for pancakes?”
Elena looked at Daniel.
“Strawberry pancakes.”
Daniel nodded solemnly.
“Chocolate chips.”
Elena narrowed her eyes.
“No.”
Mateo shouted:
“YES!”
For the first time in years, Elena laughed without pain swallowing it.
Then her phone rang.
Detective Kim.
Elena answered.
“What happened?”
Kim’s voice was serious.
“We identified one of the children on Matthew’s list.”
Elena’s smile faded.
“And?”
“She’s alive.”
“That’s good.”
“She was taken nineteen years ago.”
Elena sat down.
Kim continued.
“And she’s currently working as a pediatric nurse.”
Elena frowned.
May you like
“Why are you telling me?”
“Because her name is Vanessa Cole.”
