Chapter 14 - The Signature That Should Not Exist
Nathan spent six hours reviewing corporate documents.
At 6:30 p.m., he found the signature.
Elena Mercer.
A consent form transferring several family trust protections after her death.
The document had supposedly been signed six weeks before the accident.
Marina looked at it.
“That isn’t mine.”
A handwriting expert agreed.
The signature was forged.
The witness signature belonged to Harrison Vale.
Adrian’s corporate takeover began collapsing.
Police obtained a warrant for his office.
They recovered emails between Adrian and Vanessa.
Most were cautious.
Some were not.
One message read.
WHEN ELENA IS OUT OF THE PICTURE, LOGAN WILL NEED BOTH OF US.
Another said.
THE TRUST ACTIVATES UPON LEGAL DEATH, NOT RECOVERY OF A BODY.
Adrian denied ordering Elena’s death.
He claimed Vanessa had promised only to expose Elena as mentally unstable and force her into treatment.
Logan wanted to believe at least that much.
Then police found a payment.
Three hundred thousand dollars.
From an Adrian-controlled consulting account.
To a private rehabilitation facility in Pennsylvania.
The same facility where Marina had spent eight months after her injuries.
Rachel confronted him.
“You paid for Elena’s treatment.”
Adrian nodded.
“So you knew where she was.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell Logan?”
Adrian’s answer came quietly.
“Because she remembered almost nothing.”
“That wasn’t your decision.”
“I know.”
“Why change her name?”
Adrian looked down.
“I didn’t.”
Marina sat forward.
“What?”
“When I arranged payment, she was registered as Jane Doe.”
“Three days later, somebody changed the file.”
“To Marina Ellis.”
Adrian looked directly at her.
“I assumed hospital staff did it.”
Rachel asked for the name of the person Adrian dealt with.
Dr. Samuel Crane.
The hospital neurologist who supervised Marina’s recovery.
Dr. Crane had resigned four months earlier.
Nobody knew where he went.
Marina returned to Mercer House feeling numb.
Logan walked beside her.
“You should hate us.”
She looked at him.
“I don’t know who ‘us’ is anymore.”
“My family.”
“You aren’t your brother.”
“I ignored things too.”
“You didn’t know.”
“I knew Noah was afraid of Vanessa.”
Logan swallowed.
“And I explained it away.”
Marina stopped.
“You can apologize to him by listening from now on.”
Not by punishing yourself.”
Logan looked at her.
It sounded like something Elena would have said.
Then Noah came running from the nursery.
He carried a piece of paper.
“Mommy.”
Marina crouched.
“What is that?”
Noah handed it to her.
It was a drawing.
Three figures.
A small boy.
A woman.
A man.
Beside them stood a fourth figure colored entirely black.
Marina pointed.
“Who’s this?”
Noah whispered.
“Doctor.”
Logan’s skin went cold.
“What doctor?”
May you like
Noah looked toward the hallway.
“The doctor who came at night.”
