Chapter 9: The Truth About Daniel Reed
Nina felt the room go silent around her.
She stared at Marcus, waiting for him to explain how a child born that morning could be connected to an embryo created eight years earlier.
“That makes no sense,” she said.
Marcus nodded.
“I know how it sounds.””
“Then explain it.””
He looked toward the hospital window.
“The embryo was frozen under a confidential research agreement. The clinic's records were altered to make it appear that the material had been destroyed after your mother's complaint.””
“Why?””
“Because the embryo was connected to the original donor file. Victor wanted it kept out of public records.””
Nina shook her head.
“Why would an embryo matter to a financial investigation?””
Marcus took a breath.
“Because the clinic was being used to conceal more than money. It was also being used to conceal identities.””
Darius stepped forward.
“Marcus, stop talking.””
Marcus turned toward him.
“You've had eight years to stop me.””
Nina raised her hand.
“I'm not interested in another argument. Tell me what happened.””
Marcus looked at her.
“Eight years ago, Samuel discovered that Victor was moving money through a network of shell companies. Some of those companies were connected to the clinic. The clinic received payments disguised as research grants and medical donations.””
“And the embryo?””
“Samuel's wife, Rebecca, had been part of a fertility program before she died. Her medical records contained information about the donor file. When Samuel discovered that the clinic was using patient information without proper authorization, he began collecting evidence.””
Nina thought of the old letter.
Her mother had helped Marcus disappear because he was afraid someone would hurt her.
“Did Samuel know about the embryo?””
“Yes. He believed it was connected to the records Victor wanted destroyed.””
“Was it created using his genetic material?””
Marcus nodded.
“That's what the original records indicate.””
Nina felt her chest tighten.
“So Daniel is Samuel's biological son.””
“Most likely, yes. But a proper genetic test would be needed to establish that.””
Lauren looked down at the baby.
“Then why did the clinic transfer the embryo to me?””
Marcus hesitated.
“Because someone revived the file after your mother's complaint. They changed the authorization and arranged the transfer under a new agreement.””
Lauren's face went pale.
“Who?””
Marcus looked at Darius.
Darius stared at the floor.
Nina turned toward her husband.
“Tell me.””
He swallowed.
“Victor arranged it.””
“You knew?””
“I knew the clinic was handling a surrogacy arrangement. I didn't know the embryo came from an old file.””
“You knew the clinic was connected to Victor. You knew the paperwork carried my forged signature. You knew the money was moving through the company.””
Darius's eyes filled with tears.
“Yes.””
“And you still went along with it.””
“I thought I could protect you and get us the baby we'd wanted.””
Nina shook her head.
“You didn't want to give me a baby. You wanted to make me accept a decision you'd already made.””
He looked devastated.
But Nina no longer mistook his pain for innocence.
Lauren adjusted the blanket around Daniel.
“If he's Samuel's son, then Samuel should know he's alive.””
Marcus nodded.
“That's why we need to find him.””
“Why hasn't he come forward?”” Lauren asked.
“Because Victor has spent years making sure nobody knows where he is.””
Nina looked at the message on her phone.
*ASK MARCUS WHAT HE DID WITH THE ORIGINAL EMBRYO.*
“Someone knows more than we're telling each other,” she said.
“And they're trying to force us into making mistakes.””
Marcus agreed.
“We need to get the notebook.””
Nina took the brass key from her pocket.
“Then we're going to Peachtree Storage.””
Marcus shook his head.
“Not without the police.””
“We've already contacted Detective Harris. We'll tell him where we're going and ask him to meet us.””
She called the detective and explained what they had learned about the clinic records. Harris listened without interrupting.
When she finished, he said, “Do not attempt to access the storage locker alone. I'll arrange for officers to accompany you.””
“Can you also send someone to remain with Lauren and the baby?””
“Already done.””
Nina glanced at Lauren.
“Thank you.””
Lauren shook her head.
“Don't thank me. I'm the one who carried him, and I didn't know any of this was happening.””
“You didn't know because they made sure you couldn't know.””
Lauren looked down at Daniel.
“Whatever the truth is, I want him safe.””
“So do I,” Nina said.
She meant it.
For the first time that day, the baby was no longer a symbol of Darius's betrayal or Victor's schemes.
He was a child who deserved to grow up without being treated like evidence in someone else's crime.
Peachtree Storage stood behind a row of warehouses on the outskirts of Atlanta.
The facility's metal gates rattled in the evening wind. Security lights illuminated the narrow lanes between rows of storage units.
Detective Harris arrived with two officers and a warrant authorizing the search of locker 214.
Marcus stood beside Nina while the detective checked the lock.
“You don't have to do this,” Marcus said quietly.
Nina looked at him.
“My mother left me the key. My name appears on the documents. And someone is threatening a newborn because of what's inside that locker.””
She took a breath.
“Yes, I have to do this.””
Harris inserted the key.
The lock clicked.
The metal door rolled upward with a grinding sound.
Inside stood several cardboard boxes, a small filing cabinet, and an old suitcase.
Dust covered everything.
Nina stepped forward.
“That's it?””
Marcus nodded.
“My mother used this locker after she helped me leave.””
Harris instructed the officers to photograph the contents before anything was moved.
They opened the first box.
Inside were bank statements, business records, and copies of contracts bearing Victor Hale's signature.
The second box contained medical documents from Peachtree Reproductive Center.
Nina felt her stomach tighten as she saw the clinic's name.
Harris put on gloves and lifted the top file.
“There's a lot here,” he said.
“Can you tell what it is?”” Nina asked.
“Not until we've reviewed it properly.””
Marcus moved toward the filing cabinet.
“There's a false bottom.””
Harris stopped him.
“Don't touch it.””
An officer examined the cabinet and found a hidden compartment beneath the lowest drawer.
Inside was a blue notebook.
Nina's breath caught.
The cover was faded, and the edges were worn, but the words written across the front were clear.
*PROJECT REED — ORIGINAL RECORDS.*
Harris photographed it before opening it.
The first pages contained account numbers and lists of payments. Several entries matched the transfers Nina had found in her joint account.
Others referenced medical research grants and private donor agreements.
Then they found a page bearing three names.
Victor Hale.
Samuel Reed.
Darius Carter.
Beside each name was a handwritten note.
Victor: *Funding and control.*
Samuel: *Original records and genetic source.*
Darius: *Financial access and intended-parent identity.*
Nina stared at the last line.
“Intended-parent identity?””
Marcus looked sick.
Harris turned the page.
A copy of the original donor agreement was attached.
At the bottom was a signature.
Not Nina's.
Not Darius's.
Samuel Reed's.
The document authorized the storage of genetic material and specified that any future use required the consent of the donor's legal representative.
A handwritten note beneath it read:
No transfer is authorized without Samuel's written consent.
Harris looked up.
“This could be important.””
Nina pointed to another line.
“What does this mean?””
The document referenced a separate trust established for a child who might be born from the stored embryo.
The beneficiary's name had been crossed out.
A new name had been written above it.
*Daniel Evelyn Carter.*
Nina felt her knees weaken.
“Evelyn?””
Marcus stared at the page.
“Your mother.””
“She named the child after herself?””
Marcus nodded slowly.
“She must have been trying to protect him.””
Harris examined the document.
“Or establish a record of who was supposed to care for him. We'll need to determine when this amendment was made.””
Nina looked through the next few pages.
There were records of payments made to the clinic, transfers from Victor's companies, and a list of people who had received money.
One entry stood out.
*E. CARTER — TRUST ADMINISTRATION — $125,000.*
Nina's heart pounded.
“My mother received money?””
Marcus shook his head.
“She wouldn't have taken it.””
“But the record says she did.””
“Then the record is wrong, or someone used her name.””
Harris closed the notebook carefully.
“We'll need to verify the transactions. Don't assume every entry is accurate.””
Nina nodded.
She was learning that a document could look convincing and still be a lie.
Then an officer called from the back of the locker.
“Detective, you need to see this.””
He had opened the old suitcase.
Inside lay a collection of envelopes, a passport, and a small cassette recorder.
Harris examined the passport.
The photograph showed Samuel Reed.
The name on the passport was different.
*Michael Bennett.*
Nina stared at it.
“Samuel changed his identity?””
“Possibly,” Harris said.
“Or someone created this document for him.””
Marcus picked up one of the envelopes, then froze.
“What is it?”” Nina asked.
He handed it to her.
The envelope was addressed to Evelyn Carter.
The postmark was from six years earlier, two years before her mother's death.
Inside was a short letter.
Evelyn,
I have kept my promise. The boy is safe, and Victor believes the records were destroyed. I cannot return yet, but I will when it is safe.
Tell Nina nothing until you know whom she can trust.
Samuel.
Nina stared at the letter.
Samuel had been alive six years earlier.
He had contacted her mother.
And he had referred to Daniel as the boy.
She looked at Marcus.
“Where was Daniel during those years?””
Marcus shook his head.
“I don't know.””
Harris checked the remaining envelopes.
One contained a photograph of Samuel standing beside a woman holding a toddler.
The woman's face was blurred by damage to the photograph, but the child's face was clear.
Nina leaned closer.
The little boy had the same dark eyes as the newborn in Lauren's hospital room.
On the back, Samuel had written:
My son. The one they tried to erase.
Nina covered her mouth.
Then Harris found another document.
A birth certificate.
The child's name was Daniel Reed.
The mother's name was Rebecca Reed.
The father's name was Samuel Reed.
But the date of birth was eight years earlier.
Nina stared at it.
“That can't be the same child.””
Harris examined the document.
“It's either a different child, or someone has manipulated the records.””
Marcus looked as though he might be sick.
“Victor told us Rebecca died before the embryo was transferred.””
Nina turned toward him.
“Then who was the woman in the photograph?””
“I don't know.””
Harris placed the birth certificate in an evidence sleeve.
“We're not going to solve this by guessing.””
Nina took a breath.
“Then let's establish the facts. We have a newborn named Daniel, a donor file linked to Samuel, a trust in my mother's name, and a birth certificate for a child with the same name from eight years ago.””
Harris nodded.
“Correct.””
“And someone is threatening Lauren because they want the notebook.””
“Yes.””
“Then we need to find Samuel.””
Marcus stared at the photograph.
“I think I know where he went.””
Everyone turned toward him.
“Where?”” Nina asked.
Marcus hesitated.
“There's a place outside Savannah where he used to meet my brother and me. A private property owned by one of the companies Victor controlled.””
“Why would Samuel go there?””
“Because if he was hiding a child, he needed somewhere Victor couldn't easily trace.””
Harris looked at Marcus.
“Do you have an address?””
Marcus nodded.
“I can take you there.””
Before they could leave, Nina's phone rang.
Lauren.
Nina answered immediately.
“What's happening?””
Lauren's voice was trembling.
“Someone came back to the hospital. This time, he had a police officer with him.””
Nina's stomach dropped.
“Was it Detective Harris?””
“No. I don't know who he was. He said there was a new court order and that the baby had to be transferred immediately.””
Nina looked at Harris.
“Stay where you are,” she told Lauren.
“Do not sign anything. We're coming.””
Then Lauren whispered, “Nina, there's something else.””
“What?””
“The man showed me a photograph of Samuel Reed.””
Nina's blood ran cold.
“What did he say?””
Lauren began to cry.
“He said Samuel had been dead for eight years.””
Nina stared at Marcus.
He shook his head, his face pale.
Then Lauren added the words that made Nina's heart stop.
“He said the man who had just come to claim Daniel was Samuel Reed's legal guardian.””
Nina gripped the phone.
“Who was it?””
Lauren whispered the name.
“Darius Carter.””
Nina slowly turned toward her husband.
Darius wasn't in the storage unit.
May you like
He had disappeared while they were examining the documents.
And now he was trying to take the baby.
