“And inside that folder is a scanned contract dated sixteen years ago. It looks like it has your mother’s signature on it.”
Thomas paled.
"That's impossible," he said.
"Why?" Daniel asked.
My father clung to the edge of the table.
“Because sixteen years ago, Marion was already too ill to sign legal documents without assistance. And because on that exact date…”
It stopped.
Clara took a step toward him. "Dad?"
Thomas looked at the notebooks, then he looked at me, his face filled with a fear deeper than any he had shown since his return.
“It was precisely on that date,” she said, “that Jason Mitchell came to our house for dinner for the first time.”
Daniel's phone vibrated again.
A second message from Priya appeared.
She had sent a photo of the scanned contract.
At the bottom of the page was what appeared to be my mother's signature.
Next to it was the witness's signature.
Evelyn Mitchell.
And below Evelyn's name was one more signature.
Mine.
I stared at him, unable to speak.
Because sixteen years ago, I had never signed any agreement.
And the signature that appeared on the page was not the one Jason had forged on the court documents.
It was perfect.
Too perfect.
A version of my name written exactly as I write it now.
A writing style that I didn't develop until years after my wrist injury.
Daniel looked at the screen and then looked at me.
“That means this document wasn’t signed sixteen years ago,” he said quietly.
Clara's voice trembled. "So when was it done?"
Before anyone could answer, the old observatory door creaked open behind us.
Madison stood on the threshold, breathless after climbing the hill.
"Iris," she said, her eyes wide. "Jason knows you're here."
Daniel stepped forward. "How?"
Madison held up a small black device with her trembling hand.
“I found this in my car after he left.”
A tracker.
Then my phone rang.
This time, caller ID was blocked.
I answered before Daniel could stop me, putting the phone on speakerphone.
Jason's voice filled the observatory, calm and almost tender.
"Iris," he said, "stay away from your father."
My blood ran cold.
He laughed softly.
“You still don’t understand, do you? Thomas Caldwell isn’t the secret Evelyn was protecting.”
A pause.
Then Jason uttered the words that changed everything.
"Are you."
