Chapter 9 - THE MOTHER WHO HAD BEEN WAITING NINE YEARS|
The drive to Wisconsin took nearly three hours.
Sarah sat in the passenger seat of an unmarked police vehicle, watching the city disappear behind them.
Detective Brooks had coordinated with local authorities to verify the address before bringing Sarah there.
Luca followed in a separate car with Daniel.
Sarah had insisted that Lily remain with Mrs. Alvarez, who had become more than a neighbor over the years.
The little girl knew only that her mother was going to look for someone important.
Sarah hadn't told her about Rebecca yet.
She couldn't bear to give Lily hope before knowing the truth.
The address led to a quiet lakeside town.
Small houses lined narrow streets.
Autumn leaves covered the sidewalks.
And at the end of a gravel driveway stood a modest white cottage with blue shutters.
Sarah stared through the windshield.
“Is this really it?”
Brooks checked her notes.
“The property records show a woman named Rebecca Hart has lived here for seven years.”
Sarah felt her heart pounding.
Hart had been her mother's maiden name.
The detective looked at her.
“Are you ready?”
Sarah nodded, though she wasn't sure she would ever be ready.
They approached the cottage.
A wind chime moved gently above the porch.
Sarah raised her hand and knocked.
Footsteps sounded inside.
Then the door opened.
A woman in her early sixties stood before her.
Her hair was streaked with gray.
There were lines around her eyes that Sarah didn't remember.
But the face was unmistakable.
“Mom?”
The woman stared at her.
Her lips parted.
“Sarah?”
For a moment, neither moved.
Then Rebecca covered her mouth and began to cry.
“Oh, my baby.”
Sarah stepped forward.
Rebecca wrapped her arms around her daughter.
Nine years of anger, grief, and unanswered questions collapsed between them.
Sarah held her mother so tightly that neither could speak.
“I thought you didn't want me,” Sarah sobbed.
Rebecca shook her head.
“Never. Not for one second.”
“Why didn't you come back?”
“I tried.”
Sarah pulled away.
“What?”
Rebecca wiped her cheeks.
“Twice. But every time I contacted someone in Chicago, I received a warning.”
“From Richard Bellini?”
Rebecca nodded.
“He knew where you were.”
Sarah felt cold.
“He was watching me?”
“I believe so.”
Rebecca looked toward Detective Brooks.
“Are you here because of Antonio?”
“And Michael Collins,” Brooks answered.
Rebecca's face changed.
“Michael?”
Sarah swallowed.
“He was my husband.”
Rebecca stared at her.
Then she began crying again.
“Oh, Sarah.”
Sarah stepped backward.
“You knew Michael?”
Rebecca nodded.
“He found me.”
The porch seemed to tilt beneath Sarah's feet.
“What do you mean?”
“Five years ago, he came here.”
Sarah could barely breathe.
“Why?”
“He'd discovered old records connecting Richard to Antonio's death. He followed a trail of payments and found the name I was living under.”
“Did he know you were my mother?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't he tell me?”
Rebecca closed her eyes.
“He wanted to bring you here after he gathered enough evidence to protect us.”
Sarah began trembling.
“Then he died.”
Rebecca nodded.
“I heard about the warehouse accident three days later.”
She looked at Sarah with unbearable sadness.
“I knew it wasn't an accident.”
Detective Brooks asked permission to enter.
Rebecca welcomed them inside.
The cottage smelled of cinnamon and fresh coffee.
Photographs of flowers decorated the walls.
On a small table near the window sat a framed picture of Sarah at sixteen.
Beside it was a photograph of Lily.
Sarah stared.
“Where did you get that?”
Rebecca looked ashamed.
“Michael brought it.”
Sarah picked up the frame.
Lily was two years old, smiling beneath a yellow birthday hat.
Her father had taken the photograph the morning of her birthday party.
Sarah remembered that day.
She remembered Michael saying he needed to run an errand.
He had returned with flowers and a strange sadness in his eyes.
Now she understood why.
“He came to see you,” Sarah whispered.
Rebecca nodded.
“He wanted me to know I had a granddaughter.”
Sarah began crying again.
Rebecca reached for her.
“I'm so sorry I wasn't there.”
Sarah held the photograph against her chest.
“You missed everything.”
“I know.”
“Her first day of school. Her birthdays. Her surgeries.”
Rebecca's face went pale.
“Surgeries?”
Sarah explained Lily's heart condition.
Rebecca sat down slowly.
“Oh, sweetheart.”
For several minutes, the only sound was the wind against the windows.
Then Detective Brooks gently returned to the investigation.
“Rebecca, do you have any evidence related to Antonio Moretti's death?”
Rebecca looked toward the hallway.
“Yes.”
Luca, who had entered with Sarah's permission, straightened.
“What kind?”
Rebecca stood.
“Medical records. Recorded conversations. And a copy of the original toxicology findings.”
Luca stared at her.
“My father had a toxicology test?”
“Yes.”
“Why wasn't it in the official report?”
Rebecca's expression hardened.
“Because Richard paid someone to replace it.”
She opened a locked cabinet.
Inside were several sealed folders and an old digital recorder.
Rebecca placed them on the table.
“Antonio knew Richard was stealing money. He knew someone was tampering with his medication.”
Sarah whispered, “Who?”
Rebecca looked at Luca.
“I saw the person enter his office the night he died.”
Luca's voice became barely audible.
“Who was it?”
Rebecca took a shaky breath.
“RICHARD BELLINI'S BUSINESS PARTNER.”
Brooks leaned forward.
“What was his name?”
May you like
Rebecca answered.
“VICTOR HALE.”
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