Chapter 7: The Signature of a Dead Man
James stared at the screen until the image blurred.
His own name sat beneath the agreement.
James Cole.
The date beside it was three years after his father's death.
He knew his signature. He had signed thousands of documents over the years, from mortgage papers to business contracts. The signature on the screen looked exactly like his.
But he had never seen that document.
“I didn't sign that,” he whispered.
Emily stood beside him, gripping the back of the chair.
“James, look at the date.””
“I can read it.””
“Then think. Where were you on September seventeenth, three years ago?””
He closed his eyes.
September seventeenth.
He remembered a business trip to Chicago, a hotel conference room, and a disastrous presentation that had cost his company a major client. He remembered calling Victoria from the airport because his flight had been delayed.
He had been nowhere near his father's old research facility.
“I was in Chicago,” he said.
“I have receipts. Hotel records. Everything.””
“Then somebody forged your signature.””
Victoria stood near the doorway, her face pale.
“That's impossible.””
James turned toward her.
“Stop saying that.””
“But the agreement couldn't have been finalized without your consent. That's what Dr. Shaw told me.””
“Then Dr. Shaw lied to you.””
Victoria shook her head.
“He showed me the signature.””
“And you never thought to ask me about it?””
“I thought you knew!””
James stared at her.
“You thought I knew someone was using my name to arrange the transfer of my children?””
Victoria's mouth opened, but no words came.
Emily reached for the mouse and paused the video.
“There's a file attached to the recording. It may contain the original document.””
She opened the attachment.
A scanned agreement appeared, several pages long. Most of the language concerned genetic material, medical confidentiality, and the placement of children. On the final page, beneath James's forged signature, was a handwritten instruction.
*IN THE EVENT OF DISCOVERY, CONTACT SUBJECT C-14. DO NOT APPROACH THE CHILDREN DIRECTLY.*
James pointed at the code.
“Who is Subject C-14?””
Emily searched the folder.
“There's no reference to that designation in the other files.””
“Then search the clinic records.””
“I already did. The designation appears in one place.””
She opened another document.
It was a personnel list from the Cole Biomedical Trust.
Fourteen names appeared beneath a heading labeled Restricted Participants.
James scanned the list.
Most names meant nothing to him.
Then he saw one that made him lean closer.
*NATHAN COLE — SUBJECT C-14.*
He read it aloud.
“Nathan.””
Victoria's face drained of color.
Emily noticed.
“You know that name?””
Victoria looked away.
“Victoria,” James said.
“Who is Nathan Cole?””
She pressed a hand against her mouth.
“Dr. Shaw told me he was dead.””
“Who was he?””
Victoria's eyes filled with tears.
“He was your father's son.””
James gripped the desk.
“You just said the biological father of the twins was my father.””
“I know what I said.””
“Then how could Nathan be his son?””
Victoria looked at him helplessly.
“Because Nathan was born before you.””
The room fell silent.
James had grown up believing he was his father's only child. His mother had died when he was young, and Thomas had never remarried. There were no family stories about another baby, no photographs, no mysterious birthday cards from distant relatives.
His father had kept everything hidden.
“Where is Nathan?”” James asked.
“I don't know.””
“You said Dr. Shaw told you he was dead.””
“He did.””
“When?””
“After the twins were born. I overheard him arguing with someone on the phone. He said Nathan had disappeared and the original donor was no longer available.””
Emily leaned forward.
“Was that the man in the recording?””
“I think so.””
James walked to the window.
His entire life had been built around a father who refused to explain himself. Now the secrets were multiplying faster than he could understand them.
A child his father had never acknowledged.
A research program that continued after Thomas's death.
A forged signature.
And two newborns whose future had apparently been negotiated by strangers.
His phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
He answered immediately.
“Who is this?””
A man's voice replied, “Someone who wants your children alive.””
James motioned for Emily to remain quiet.
“Where are my babies?””
“Safe for now.””
“Where?””
“You need to stop asking the wrong questions.””
James clenched his jaw.
“Tell me where they are, or I'm calling the police.””
“You can call whoever you like. But if the police arrive before midnight, the people holding your children will move them.””
“Who are you?””
A pause.
Then the man said, “My name is Nathan.””
James felt his heart slam against his ribs.
“Nathan Cole?””
“Yes.””
“Are you my brother?””
“Half brother, technically. Your father wasn't a good man, James. You should know that before you decide to trust me.””
“Where are my children?””
“I can help you get them back. But first, you need to go to the house where your father died.””
James looked at Emily.
She shook her head, warning him not to agree.
“Why?”” James asked.
“Because the evidence that proves what happened to your father is there. And because the person who arranged the transfer of your twins has been using your father's identity for years.””
“Who?””
Nathan's voice dropped.
“The same person who signed your name.””
James looked at the frozen video on the screen.
“That's impossible. The signature is forged.””
“Not all of it.””
“What does that mean?””
“It means somebody used your signature, but somebody else authorized the agreement. The original contract was signed by a man who should have been dead.””
James gripped the phone tighter.
“Who?””
Before Nathan could answer, a loud crash sounded downstairs.
Emily jumped.
Victoria screamed.
James ran out of the study and down the stairs.
The front door stood wide open.
Rain blew across the entryway.
Victoria was crouched beside the hall table, staring at a shattered picture frame. The photograph inside showed James and Victoria holding the twins in their hospital beds.
Someone had written across the glass in black marker.
*MIDNIGHT. ONE CHILD. NO POLICE.*
James turned toward the open doorway.
A dark SUV sat at the curb with its headlights off.
A man stood beside it, wearing a black coat.
James couldn't see his face clearly, but the man lifted one hand and held up a small object.
A baby bracelet.
Lily's bracelet.
James rushed toward him.
The man climbed into the SUV and drove away.
James stopped at the edge of the driveway, rain soaking through his shirt.
His phone was still pressed against his ear.
“Nathan?”” he shouted.
“Who took my daughter?””
Nathan answered quietly.
“That's not your daughter they're after.””
James froze.
“What?””
“They don't want Lily because of who her father is.””
A pause.
“They want her because of what she carries.””
The call ended.
James stood in the rain, staring at the empty street.
Behind him, Emily appeared in the doorway.
“What did he say?””
James turned slowly.
“He said Lily is carrying something.””
Emily's face went white.
Then she whispered, “The genetic marker.””
James stared at her.
“What genetic marker?””
Emily looked toward the house.
“James, I found another report before Victoria caught me. It said one of the twins inherited a rare genetic sequence connected to your father's research.””
“Which twin?””
Emily swallowed.
“Lily.””
A car horn sounded from the street.
Both of them turned.
A silver sedan had pulled up behind the SUV's tire marks. The driver's window rolled down.
An elderly woman leaned across the passenger seat.
May you like
She looked directly at James.
Then she said, “If you want your daughter back, get in the car. We have less than two hours before they discover what your father really left inside her.””
