Chapter 6 - The Hospital Room
Swedish Medical Center smelled of antiseptic and anxiety. Luis and Sarah walked quickly through the corridors of the fourth floor, their footsteps muffled by the linoleum tiles.
Two of Daniel's private security officers, dressed in plain clothes, stood watch near the elevators, ready to signal if Martin returned.
Luis pushed open the heavy wooden door to Room 412.
Elaine Ellison lay in the hospital bed, looking incredibly small and frail. Her pale face was devoid of makeup, her graying hair scattered across the pillow. An IV line ran into the back of her hand, and her eyes were half-closed, glazed over from the heavy sedatives.
But when the door opened, her head snapped toward them. When her eyes fell on Sarah, the color completely drained from her face.
"No," Elaine whispered, her voice a dry, raspy gasp. She pulled the thin hospital blanket up to her chin, her hands trembling violently. "No, please. Go away."
"Elaine," Sarah said, walking slowly to the side of the bed. Her voice was incredibly quiet, but it carried the weight of a guillotine. "Do you know who I am?"
"Laura's... Laura's sister," Elaine sobbed, closing her eyes tightly, as if she could make the reality disappear. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. We didn't mean to hurt her. We didn't know they were dead until... until Martin brought her home."
"You knew," Sarah said, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the metal bed rail. "You knew they died in that crash. You knew my sister's body was lying in the morgue while you were dressing her baby in pink pajamas. You lived a lie for twenty-three years, Elaine. You watched me on the news, crying, begging for information about my missing niece, and you said nothing."
"Martin said it was a miracle!" Elaine wept, her body shaking so hard the heart monitor beside her began to beep frantically. "He said God gave her to us! I had just lost my baby, Sarah! My little girl, Chloe... she died inside me. I was going to kill myself. I was standing on the balcony of our apartment, looking down, and then Martin walked in holding this perfect, beautiful baby girl. He said she was ours. He said nobody would ever know."
Luis stepped forward, pulling a small, digital voice recorder from his pocket and placing it on the bedside table. "Mrs. Ellison, my name is Investigator Ortega. Your husband is currently on his way to a decoy location. The federal authorities have already been briefed on this case. If you want to protect whatever dignity you have left, you need to tell us exactly what happened the night of October 4th, 2003."
Elaine looked at the recorder, then back at Sarah’s cold, unforgiving face.
"He... he came home smelling like smoke and mud," Elaine whispered, her voice cracking. "He had the baby wrapped in his jacket. He told me the parents were gone, that there was no one else in the car. He said he’d handle the paperwork. He had a friend in the birth registry office, a man named Arthur Pendelton. Martin had helped Arthur cover up a domestic dispute a few years prior. Arthur made the new birth certificate."
"And the car seat?" Luis asked. "The police report mentioned an empty car seat."
"Martin went back to the yard where the wreck was towed," Elaine said, her tears soaking into her pillow. "He cut the straps and took the seat. He burned it in our fireplace. He burned everything that belonged to Natalie. We changed her name to Claire. We moved to Seattle six months later."
"Thank you, Mrs. Ellison," Luis said, stopping the recording. "This is exactly what we need."
"Is she... is she safe?" Elaine asked, looking at Sarah with a desperate, pleading expression. "Claire... Natalie. Is she okay?"
"She is safe from you," Sarah said coldly. "And she will never call you Mother again."
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As they turned to leave, the security radio in Luis's ear buzzed. Daniel’s voice came through, sharp and urgent.
"Luis, get out of there now! Martin realized the library was a trap. He’s driving like a madman back to the hospital. He’s five minutes away."
