“I know.”
“She made a choice.”
“What choice?”
“To keep you alive.”
Naomi's jaw tightened.
“By lying?”
“By creating a life where nobody would know who you really were.”
“Who am I?”
Thomas looked at Henry.
Then back at her.
“You are the daughter of two people who were never supposed to meet.”
Naomi stared.
“Who?”
Thomas whispered:
“Claire Carter and Richard Calloway.”
The name struck her like a physical blow.
Richard Calloway.
Edward's younger brother.
The man who had supposedly disappeared in 1998.
Naomi shook her head.
“No.”
Thomas nodded.
“Your mother loved him.”
“No.”
“He loved her.”
“My father is James.”
“James was the man who protected you.”
“That's not what I asked.”
Thomas sighed.
“James knew.”
Naomi stepped backward.
“My whole life?”
“Yes.”
“And my mother?”
“Yes.”
“Did Richard know?”
Thomas didn't answer.
That silence was enough.
Naomi turned toward Henry.
“Did you know?”
Henry's face tightened.
“I suspected.”
“You suspected?”
“I found records suggesting Richard had a daughter.”
“And you didn't tell me?”
“I didn't know if the daughter was you.”
“But now you know.”
“Yes.”
“How?”
Henry looked toward the journal.
“Your mother's records.”
He opened the metal case.
Inside was a medical document.
Naomi took it.
The name at the top was hers.
Naomi Carter.
Underneath was a handwritten note.
Biological father: R. Calloway.
Naomi stared at it.
“This isn't possible.”
Henry quietly said:
“Your mother had a DNA test done when you were six.”
“Why?”
“She was afraid someone would discover your identity.”
Naomi's hands began trembling.
“She knew.”
“Yes.”
“And she never told me.”
“She wanted you to have a normal life.”
Naomi laughed bitterly.
“A normal life?”
She looked at the journal.
“My mother was murdered. My father lied. Victor Hale is watching me. Someone built an international criminal network around my family.”
Her voice broke.
“And she thought lying would give me a normal life?”
Thomas stepped closer.
“She was wrong.”
Naomi looked at him.
“Then why did you let her?”
Thomas lowered his head.
“Because I was afraid.”
“For what?”
“That I would fail her again.”
They left the Ferry Building before sunrise.
Thomas refused to tell Naomi where he was going.
Henry drove.
Naomi sat in the back seat, holding the journal against her chest.
Nobody spoke.
Finally she said:
“Where is Richard Calloway?”
Thomas stared out the window.
“If I knew, I would have found him years ago.”
“Then why did you say he was alive?”
“Because he was.”
“Was?”
Thomas looked at her.
“The last person who saw him alive was your mother.”
“When?”
“Two days before she died.”
Naomi closed her eyes.
“What happened?”
“They met at a hotel.”
“Which one?”
“The Fairmont.”
“Why?”
“To exchange information.”
“What information?”
Thomas paused.
“Your mother had discovered who was really controlling Northstar.”
Naomi opened her eyes.
“Who?”
Thomas looked directly at her.
“Richard.”
Naomi's heart stopped.
“My father?”
“Your biological father.”
“Why would he control Northstar?”
“He didn't.”
“Then why did you say—”
“He was trying to destroy it.”
Thomas looked away.
“Someone framed him.”
“Who?”
“Victor.”
At eight that morning, Naomi returned home.
James was awake.
He looked at her.
He knew immediately.
“You found out.”
Naomi stood in the doorway.
“Tell me everything.”
James closed his eyes.
“I knew this day would come.”
“You knew Richard Calloway was my father.”
“Yes.”
“How did you meet my mother?”
James remained silent.
“Dad.”
“She met me after Richard disappeared.”
“Why?”
“Because she needed protection.”
“From Victor?”
“Yes.”
“Did you know Richard?”
“Yes.”
“Were you friends?”
James smiled sadly.
“No.”
“Then why did he trust you with me?”
James looked at her.
“Because I promised him.”
Naomi froze.
“Promised him what?”
“To raise you as my daughter.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Why?”
“Because he believed he was going to die.”
“Did he?”
“I don't know.”
“Did my mother know?”
“Yes.”
“Did she love him?”
James looked down.
“Yes.”
Naomi closed her eyes.
She had spent her entire life believing her family had been ordinary.
Now she understood that ordinary had been a carefully constructed illusion.
James reached for her.
She stepped away.
“I need time.”
“I understand.”
“No.”
She looked at him.
“You don't understand.”
Then she left.
Across town, Victor Hale entered a private underground garage.
A black SUV was waiting.
The three men from Table Twelve were inside.
Victor opened the door.
Henry Lin's face appeared.
But he was not alone.
The oldest man sat beside him.
Victor stared.
“You told me they were gone.”
Henry said nothing.
The oldest man smiled.
“Mr. Hale.”
Victor recognized him now.
“Samuel Cross.”
The old man nodded.
“I wondered when you would finally remember me.”
Victor's expression hardened.
“I thought you were dead.”
“I was.”
“What does that mean?”
Samuel smiled.
“It means the man you knew as Samuel Cross died in 1989.”
He pointed to himself.
“But I didn't.”
Victor's eyes narrowed.
“Why are you here?”
Samuel looked toward the city.
“Because Naomi Carter has opened the door.”
Victor's voice dropped.
“She knows about Richard.”
“She knows enough.”
“And Henry?”
Samuel smiled.
“Henry has always known more than you thought.”
Victor looked at Henry.
“You betrayed me.”
Henry shook his head.
“No.”
He opened the car door.
“I betrayed the man who betrayed my sister.”
Victor froze.
“Mei?”
Henry nodded.
“She survived.”
Victor's face went pale.
And suddenly the past was no longer buried.
It was coming back.
THE DAUGHTER OF RICHARD CALLOWAY
Naomi spent the next three days avoiding James.
She slept at Henry's guest apartment.
She barely ate.
She read her mother's journal over and over.
Every page contained fragments.
Names.
Dates.