Chapter 13 - The Memory Card Rebecca Risked Everything to Protect

# Chapter 13 - The Memory Card Rebecca Risked Everything to Protect

Thomas Harper stood beneath the broken station clock with a smile that made Daniel Carter want to strike him.

"Give me the memory card," Thomas said, "and I'll tell you where Ethan is."

Daniel moved instinctively in front of Benjamin.

The boy clutched the small black memory card in his trembling hand.

"Don't give it to him," Benjamin whispered.

Thomas laughed.

"Careful, kid. You don't know what you're protecting."

Daniel kept his eyes on the man.

"Where's my son?"

"Safe enough."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one you're getting until we make a deal."

The abandoned train station was nearly silent. Wind moved through the broken windows, carrying the smell of damp wood and rusting metal.

Daniel knew Detective Mitchell and several officers were positioned nearby.

But Thomas didn't appear nervous.

That frightened him.

A man who knew he was walking into a possible police operation should have been cautious.

Thomas seemed almost pleased.

"You brought company," he said.

Daniel felt his stomach tighten.

Thomas glanced toward the empty ticket office.

"Two officers behind the west entrance. Another near the parking lot. And your detective is probably listening."

Benjamin stepped closer to Daniel.

"How does he know?"

Thomas smiled.

"Because some people are much easier to predict than they think."

Daniel's phone vibrated.

A message from Mitchell.

Keep him talking. Do not approach.

Daniel slipped the phone into his pocket.

"Tell me what you want."

Thomas pointed toward Benjamin.

"The card."

"Why?"

"Because Rebecca recorded something she wasn't supposed to see."

Daniel's heartbeat accelerated.

"What?"

Thomas's smile disappeared.

"The beginning of all this."

Benjamin suddenly stepped forward.

"You said you'd let Ethan go."

Thomas looked at him.

Daniel turned sharply.

"Benjamin?"

The boy's face went pale.

Thomas chuckled.

"Didn't tell him about our arrangement?"

Daniel felt cold.

"What arrangement?"

Benjamin lowered his eyes.

"I didn't know what else to do."

"Tell me."

The boy swallowed.

"Thomas contacted me yesterday. He said he knew where Ethan was."

Daniel stared at him.

"And?"

"He said if I brought you here with the memory card, he'd release him."

Daniel felt a sharp ache in his chest.

Benjamin had been manipulated.

Just as Ethan had been.

Just as Rebecca had been.

Thomas had found the one thing Benjamin desperately wanted: proof that he belonged somewhere.

And he had used that longing to lure Daniel into another confrontation.

"Benjamin," Daniel said gently, "look at me."

The boy hesitated.

"Look at me."

Benjamin raised his eyes.

"You didn't do anything wrong by wanting to help Ethan."

Tears appeared in the boy's eyes.

"But I brought him here."

Daniel shook his head.

"Thomas chose to threaten us. That's on him."

Thomas rolled his eyes.

"Touching. Are we finished?"

Daniel turned back.

"You're not getting the card until I speak to Ethan."

Thomas studied him.

Then he reached into his jacket.

Daniel's entire body tightened.

But Thomas only removed a phone.

He tapped the screen and held it up.

A video began playing.

Ethan sat on a narrow bed in a dim room.

His hair was disheveled.

His eyes looked tired.

But he was awake.

"Dad?"

Daniel's chest constricted.

"Ethan!"

The recording continued.

"I'm okay. Please don't do anything stupid."

Ethan glanced toward someone outside the frame.

Then spoke again.

"There's something I need to tell you."

Daniel leaned closer.

The boy swallowed.

"Lily's here."

Daniel froze.

Lily.

Alive.

The recording showed Ethan looking toward the doorway.

Then Lily stepped into view.

She wore a gray sweatshirt that was too large for her.

Her long light-brown hair was tangled.

But she appeared alert.

"Mr. Carter," she whispered, "please help my mom."

The video ended.

Daniel stared at the black screen.

"Where are they?"

Thomas slipped the phone into his pocket.

"Give me the card."

"Where's Noah?"

Thomas's expression changed slightly.

Daniel noticed.

"You've got Ethan and Lily. Where's Noah?"

Thomas looked away.

"Not your concern."

"He called me."

Thomas's eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"Noah called me. He said he was with Ethan."

For the first time, Thomas seemed genuinely surprised.

Daniel pressed forward.

"You've lost control of something, haven't you?"

Thomas's jaw tightened.

"Enough."

Daniel took a slow breath.

"Tell me where the children are."

Thomas stepped closer.

"Last chance."

A sharp metallic sound echoed from the far end of the platform.

Thomas turned.

For one second, his attention shifted.

Then Detective Mitchell's voice rang out.

"Thomas Harper! Police! Keep your hands visible!"

Two officers emerged near the ticket office.

Another appeared behind the platform stairs.

Thomas froze.

Daniel immediately pulled Benjamin backward.

"Stay behind me."

Thomas slowly raised his hands.

Mitchell approached.

"Don't move."

Thomas laughed bitterly.

"You think arresting me solves anything?"

"Turn around."

Thomas looked at Daniel.

"You're making a mistake."

Daniel said nothing.

The detective repeated the command.

Thomas turned.

An officer secured his wrists.

As he was led away, Thomas suddenly stopped.

"Daniel!"

Daniel looked up.

Thomas's expression had changed.

The mocking smile was gone.

For the first time, he looked frightened.

"You need to understand something."

Mitchell motioned for the officers to continue.

Thomas raised his voice.

"Charles isn't the one you should be afraid of!"

Daniel stared.

"Then who?"

Thomas hesitated.

His eyes moved toward Mitchell.

Then toward Benjamin.

Finally, he whispered, "The person who gave Rebecca the camera."

The officers led him away.

Daniel remained motionless.

The person who gave Rebecca the camera.

Another clue.

Another hidden connection.

And still no confirmed location for Ethan.

At 6:18 p.m., Daniel sat beside Benjamin in an interview room at the police station.

The boy hadn't spoken for nearly twenty minutes.

His hands rested in his lap.

He looked exhausted.

Daniel studied him carefully.

The resemblance between them was difficult to ignore.

But resemblance was not proof.

The hospital records were unreliable.

And Daniel had learned that every apparent certainty in this case could conceal another lie.

"Benjamin?"

The boy looked up.

"Are you angry?"

Daniel shook his head.

"No."

"I brought you into a trap."

"You thought you were helping Ethan."

Benjamin stared at the floor.

"Thomas said if I didn't do what he wanted, Ethan would disappear."

Daniel felt his chest tighten.

"Did he threaten you too?"

Benjamin nodded.

"He said Caroline would get hurt."

Daniel frowned.

"Caroline Mercer?"

"Yes."

"Where is she?"

Benjamin hesitated.

"I don't know."

Daniel leaned closer.

"Is she your mother?"

The boy's expression changed.

"I thought she was."

Daniel went still.

"What do you mean?"

Benjamin swallowed.

"She raised me. She told me she was my mother."

"And now?"

Benjamin looked toward the window.

"Rebecca said I needed to see the original records before believing anything."

Daniel felt a cold uneasiness.

Even Benjamin didn't know his true identity.

He had spent years living with Caroline, believing Samuel Mercer was his father or uncle depending on which records were used.

And someone had told him Daniel Carter might be his biological father.

The boy had no reliable foundation for understanding his own past.

Daniel placed a hand on the table.

"Benjamin, whatever we discover, I want you to know something."

The boy looked up.

"You don't have to prove anything to deserve help."

Benjamin's lips trembled.

Daniel continued.

"We'll find out what happened. And we'll do it carefully."

The boy nodded.

Then whispered, "Rebecca said you'd say something like that."

Daniel felt tears sting his eyes.

"Did she?"

Benjamin nodded.

"She said you were stubborn."

Despite everything, Daniel almost smiled.

"She was right."

"And she said you cared about people more than you admitted."

Daniel looked away.

Rebecca.

Alive three weeks earlier.

Somewhere beyond his reach.

He wondered whether she knew Ethan had been kidnapped.

Whether she was searching for him.

Whether she was frightened.

Or whether she was already in danger herself.

At 7:04 p.m., Detective Mitchell entered the room.

"We've recovered the memory card."

Daniel stood immediately.

"Did you examine it?"

"The forensic team created a working copy."

"And?"

Mitchell's expression was grave.

"It contains several video files."

Daniel's pulse accelerated.

"From Ethan's birth?"

"Some appear to be from that period."

"Can I see them?"

Mitchell hesitated.

"There's one Rebecca appears to have recorded herself."

Daniel stopped breathing.

"Then I need to see it."

Mitchell studied him.

"All right."

The recording began with a dark screen.

Then the image shifted.

A hospital room appeared.

Rebecca sat on the edge of a bed, holding a small camera.

Her face was pale.

Her eyes were swollen from crying.

Daniel recognized her immediately.

She looked younger.

Twelve years younger.

The woman he remembered from the day Ethan was born.

Rebecca adjusted the camera.

Then spoke.

"My name is Rebecca Carter."

Daniel felt his chest tighten.

"I'm recording this because I don't know who I can trust."

She looked toward the door.

Then continued.

"Today, I discovered that someone altered the identification records for several newborn babies."

Daniel leaned forward.

Rebecca's voice trembled.

"I gave birth to a son this morning. I held him for only a few minutes before a nurse took him away."

She wiped her eyes.

"When I asked for him back, Dr. Mercer told me there had been a complication with the records."

Daniel felt sick.

Rebecca continued.

"Then I saw another child wearing a bracelet with my surname."

She looked directly into the camera.

"That child was not the baby I delivered."

Daniel closed his eyes.

The confession was unmistakable.

Rebecca had known from the beginning that something was wrong.

But the recording continued.

"I demanded to know where my son was. Mercer refused to answer."

Rebecca took a shaky breath.

"Then Eleanor Harper came to me."

Daniel opened his eyes.

"Eleanor had been helping me investigate suspicious placements through the family-support program."

Rebecca glanced toward the door again.

"She told me two babies were being moved under false identities."

Daniel's heartbeat accelerated.

Ethan and Lily.

Rebecca continued.

"One was a boy. The other was a girl."

She paused.

"I couldn't leave them there."

Daniel felt tears rise.

"I knew the boy wasn't the child I delivered. But he was frightened, and no one would tell us where his mother was."

Rebecca began crying.

"Eleanor said she could protect the girl. I agreed to take the boy home while we searched for the truth."

Daniel covered his mouth.

Ethan.

Rebecca had taken him home because she refused to abandon him.

Not because she wanted to deceive Daniel.

Not because she didn't love him.

But because a child needed protection.

Rebecca continued.

"I should have told Daniel immediately."

Her voice broke.

"But Charles said Mercer would take the boy away if we exposed the arrangement."

Daniel felt anger surge through him.

Rebecca wiped her face.

"I believed Charles. I thought he was helping us."

She looked toward the camera.

"Daniel, if you ever see this, please understand that I loved that little boy from the moment I held him."

Daniel's eyes filled.

"And I never stopped searching for our biological son."

The recording paused briefly.

Rebecca adjusted the camera.

Then spoke again.

"There's something else."

Daniel leaned forward.

Rebecca lowered her voice.

"Charles isn't acting alone."

The room became silent.

"He keeps referring to someone he calls the Benefactor."

Mitchell glanced toward Daniel.

Rebecca continued.

"I don't know who that person is. But I heard Mercer say the Benefactor has been paying for the altered registrations."

Daniel felt a chill.

The Benefactor.

A name.

Finally, something beyond Charles and Mercer.

Rebecca looked frightened.

"I managed to photograph part of a financial ledger."

She held a sheet of paper toward the camera.

The image was blurred.

But several company names were visible.

Northbridge Holdings.

Harbor Children's Trust.

Carter Development.

Daniel's stomach tightened.

His own company.

Rebecca lowered the paper.

"One payment was authorized through Daniel's business."

She shook her head.

"I know Daniel would never knowingly participate in something like this."

Daniel closed his eyes.

Rebecca had trusted him.

Even while hiding the truth.

"But someone used his company to move money."

Her voice hardened.

"And I intend to find out who."

The recording ended.

For several minutes, Daniel couldn't speak.

He had spent days wondering whether Rebecca had betrayed him.

Now he had watched her explain why she brought Ethan home.

Why she protected Lily.

Why she kept searching for their biological child.

And why she had become a target.

Mitchell broke the silence.

"This recording gives us a much clearer account of Rebecca's actions."

Daniel nodded slowly.

"She wasn't trying to replace our son."

"No."

"She was trying to save another child."

Mitchell looked at him.

"That's what she says."

Daniel stared at the black screen.

For the first time since the mystery began, he felt something other than fear.

Pride.

Rebecca had made mistakes.

Terrible mistakes.

She had hidden information that should have been shared.

But she had also risked everything to protect children who had no one else.

Daniel wiped his eyes.

"Find the Benefactor."

Mitchell nodded.

"We're examining the financial records."

At 8:32 p.m., an officer entered the room.

"Detective, we have an update on Thomas Harper."

Mitchell stood.

"What?"

"He's requesting to speak with you."

Daniel immediately looked up.

"About Ethan?"

The officer nodded.

"He says he'll reveal the children's location."

Daniel's heart accelerated.

"Then let's go."

Mitchell held up a hand.

"There's a condition."

Daniel froze.

"What condition?"

The officer looked uncomfortable.

"Thomas says he'll only speak if Vanessa Brooks is brought into the room."

Daniel stared.

"Vanessa?"

"Yes."

Mitchell frowned.

"Why?"

The officer hesitated.

"He says she knows who the Benefactor is."

Daniel felt his stomach drop.

Vanessa.

Again.

The woman who had worked beside him for nine years.

The woman who had hidden Rebecca's survival.

The woman who had helped trace the children.

And now Thomas was claiming she knew the person behind the entire operation.

At 9:06 p.m., Vanessa entered the interview room.

Thomas Harper sat at the table, his wrists restrained.

He smiled when he saw her.

"Hello, Vanessa."

She stopped.

Her face went pale.

"Thomas."

Daniel watched carefully.

They knew each other.

Not casually.

There was history in the way they looked at one another.

Thomas leaned back.

"Still pretending you don't remember?"

Vanessa's hands began trembling.

Mitchell sat across from him.

"Thomas, you said you would tell us where the children are."

Thomas ignored him.

His eyes remained fixed on Vanessa.

"Tell Daniel."

Vanessa shook her head.

"No."

Thomas smiled.

"Tell him who hired you."

Daniel felt a chill.

Vanessa looked toward him.

Her eyes filled with tears.

"Daniel, please."

He stared at her.

"Who hired you?"

She swallowed.

"Martin Vale."

"We know that."

Thomas laughed.

"That's not the whole answer."

Vanessa closed her eyes.

Thomas leaned forward.

"Tell him who told Martin to put you inside Carter Development."

Daniel's heart began pounding.

Vanessa began crying.

"I didn't know what they were doing at first."

Daniel stared.

"Who?"

She shook her head.

Thomas's smile disappeared.

"Say the name."

Vanessa looked at Daniel.

Her voice was barely audible.

"Your father."

Daniel went completely still.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then Daniel whispered, "My father?"

Vanessa nodded.

"Richard Carter."

Daniel felt the room tilt.

Richard Carter had founded the original family investment company.

He had taught Daniel everything he knew about business.

He had introduced him to Charles Whitmore.

And he had died six years earlier.

Daniel stared at Vanessa.

"My father is dead."

Thomas smiled coldly.

"That's what you were told."

Daniel stopped breathing.

The same words.

The same nightmare.

Rebecca.

Now Richard.

Two deaths.

Two possible lies.

Thomas leaned closer.

"Your father didn't die six years ago, Daniel."

Daniel's hands began shaking.

"Then where is he?"

Thomas looked directly into his eyes.

"He's the Benefactor."

The room fell silent.

Then Thomas delivered the words that made Daniel's blood run cold.

"And he's the one who ordered Ethan's kidnapping."