Chapter 4
The resemblance became obvious once we knew to look.
Eric brought an old photograph of his son Lucas.
Brown hair.
Narrow chin.
Deep-set eyes.
Mason had the same face.
Not similar.
Nearly identical.
Eric stared at the photograph beside one of Mason.
“No.”
Detective Harper ordered another DNA test.
Vanessa refused to consent.
Because Mason’s grandmother had temporary authority during the investigation, the court approved testing.
Twenty-four hours later, we had the truth.
Eric Collins was Mason’s biological father.
I sat across from him at Harper’s office.
Eric looked devastated.
“Mason is mine.”
“Yes.”
“But Vanessa told me Lily was.”
Harper nodded.
“Why?”
Eric looked at me.
“To keep me from asking about Mason.”
That answer made sense.
And terrified me.
Mason’s legal father, Caleb, had died before I met Vanessa.
She told me he was Mason’s biological father.
Apparently not.
“What happened between you and Vanessa eight years ago?” Harper asked.
Eric rubbed his forehead.
“We briefly got back together.”
“When?”
“About nine months before Mason was born.”
“Did you know she was pregnant?”
“No. She disappeared.”
“Why?”
“She said she was marrying someone else.”
“Caleb?”
“I assume.”
Harper asked, “Why hide Mason from you?”
Eric shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
I thought about Vanessa’s obsession with Lily’s trust.
Money.
Control.
Custody.
Maybe Mason had always been connected to something financial too.
Rebecca joined us.
“I pulled probate records for Caleb.”
Vanessa’s first husband.
She placed documents on the table.
Caleb had died four years earlier.
He left Mason a life-insurance policy worth $300,000.
Vanessa controlled it as guardian.
“Is the money still there?” I asked.
Rebecca’s expression answered before she spoke.
“No.”
Eric leaned forward.
“What happened to it?”
“Almost all of it was withdrawn.”
“For what?”
“Vanessa reported educational and medical expenses.”
I stared.
“Mason goes to public school.”
“And he has insurance.”
Rebecca nodded.
“Which is why this looks suspicious.”
Harper asked for bank records.
The withdrawals had flowed through several accounts.
One belonged to Vanessa.
One belonged to a company called BrightPath Family Consulting.
The same company name appeared in the metadata of the custody documents Mason recorded.
Harper looked at me.
“This may be larger than one attempted custody case.”
“What is BrightPath?”
“Officially? A family advocacy service.”
“Unofficially?”
“We’re finding out.”
Mason returned to my house that evening under supervision because his grandmother was ill.
He looked nervous when Eric arrived.
I had told him only that police had discovered something important.
Eric crouched several feet away.
“Hi, Mason.”
Mason stared.
“You’re the man from Mom’s videos.”
“Yes.”
“Mom said you wanted Lily.”
Eric swallowed.
“She lied to me.”
Mason looked at me.
“About what?”
I sat beside him.
“Mason, police did a test.”
“What test?”
“DNA.”
His face changed.
He understood enough.
Eric whispered:
“I’m your biological father.”
Mason stared.
“No.”
His voice cracked.
“My dad was Caleb.”
I immediately said, “Caleb was your dad too.”
Eric nodded.
“I’m not trying to replace him.”
Mason backed away.
“You helped Mom hurt Lily.”
Eric looked ashamed.
“I did something wrong because I believed a lie.”
Mason started crying.
“Everybody lies.”
That sentence broke the room.
I pulled him into my arms.
“No one gets to lie to you anymore.”
Then Mason whispered something against my shoulder.
“Mom has another phone.”
Harper, who had remained nearby, looked up.
“Where?”
“In the garage.”
Mason wiped his eyes.
“She hides it inside Dad Caleb’s toolbox.”
Police obtained permission to retrieve it.
Inside were hundreds of messages.
Not with Eric.
With someone saved as BPF.
One message read:
Once Daniel is discredited, both children become manageable.
Harper frowned.
“Both children?”
I felt cold.
Another message appeared.
Lily gives us access to the trust.
Mason gives us access to Caleb’s policy records.
May you like
Then one final line:
After that, Vanessa gets her new identity and disappears.
