Chapter 7 - Amanda Comes Back
Amanda returned voluntarily.
She walked into Grace Nolan’s office wearing jeans, a gray sweater, and no makeup.
No wedding gown.
No performance.
Daniel stood.
Rebecca moved between them automatically.
Amanda looked at Daniel.
“Is Sophie okay?”
His expression hardened.
“Don’t ask me that.”
Amanda nodded.
“I deserve that.”
“You hit her.”
“Yes.”
“You pulled her hair.”
“Yes.”
“You lied to me.”
“Yes.”
“Rachel is alive.”
Amanda’s face crumpled.
“Yes.”
Daniel crossed the room.
Grace stepped closer.
Daniel stopped himself.
“Where?”
Amanda looked toward Ruiz.
“I want immunity.”
Daniel laughed in disbelief.
Ruiz answered.
“You’re not getting blanket immunity.”
“Then Rachel stays hidden.”
Daniel’s hands tightened.
Grace whispered,
“Daniel.”
He forced himself to stay still.
Ruiz said,
“You assaulted a child. You committed identity fraud. You participated in unlawful confinement.”
Amanda looked down.
“I know.”
“Start talking.”
Amanda began with Allison.
Her real name.
Victor recruited her at twenty-four.
Promoted her quickly.
Then used her to alter records.
She objected.
He threatened to destroy her nursing career.
Later he created fake evidence that she had stolen narcotics.
When Allison tried leaving, Victor staged her death.
“He said I could either go to prison as Allison or live free as Amanda.”
Rebecca stared.
“And you chose Amanda.”
“Yes.”
“Then helped him do it to other people.”
Amanda’s eyes filled.
“Yes.”
No excuse.
Daniel asked,
“Rachel.”
Amanda swallowed.
“She found me.”
“When?”
“Three weeks before the crash.”
“Did you threaten her?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Victor told me if Rachel exposed everything, I would go to prison and my mother would be charged for helping me hide.”
Patricia.
Daniel stared.
“Your mother barely knew anything.”
“I know that now.”
“What happened the night of the crash?”
Amanda’s hands started shaking.
“I followed Rachel.”
“Why?”
“To take the memory card.”
“The pendant?”
“I didn’t know she hid it there.”
“What did you do?”
“I blocked her car near the old coastal road.”
Daniel’s face hardened.
Amanda continued quickly.
“Victor was behind us.”
Rachel tried driving away.
Victor’s vehicle struck her rear quarter.
Rachel’s car hit the barrier.
“She was alive,” Amanda whispered.
Daniel felt nauseated.
“Did you pull her out?”
“Yes.”
“Then whose body burned?”
Amanda started crying.
“Melissa.”
Silence.
“Did you kill her?”
“No.”
“Who did?”
“I don’t know.”
Daniel stepped closer.
Amanda raised her hands.
“I swear.”
Melissa Grant had died earlier that evening at Hale Recovery Center after threatening to report Victor.
Amanda claimed Victor said she overdosed accidentally.
He transported her body.
Placed it in Rachel’s car.
Set the fire.
Daniel turned away.
Rebecca whispered,
“Oh my God.”
Amanda continued.
“Rachel had a concussion.”
“Then you took her to Victor.”
“Yes.”
“Why not a hospital?”
“Because I was already trapped.”
Daniel looked at her.
“You keep saying trapped.”
“I was.”
“And Rachel?”
Amanda cried harder.
“I made her trapped too.”
That answer stopped him.
No self-exoneration.
She knew.
“What did Victor tell Rachel?”
“That you died in a second crash trying to reach her.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
“And Sophie?”
“That she died with you.”
He nearly lost control.
Amanda continued.
“Rachel didn’t believe him at first.”
“So he drugged her.”
“Yes.”
“And when she started remembering?”
“We moved her.”
“You.”
“Yes.”
“How many times?”
“Four.”
Daniel stared.
Amanda whispered,
“I visited her.”
“Why?”
“To keep her calm.”
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“You stole her life and comforted her?”
Amanda covered her face.
“I know what that sounds like.”
“It sounds exactly like what it was.”
Then Daniel asked the question that mattered personally.
“Why did you come near me?”
Amanda looked at him.
“Victor sent me.”
There it was.
The relationship began as an operation.
“To do what?”
“Watch you.”
“For what?”
“To see if Rachel contacted you.”
“And then?”
Amanda’s eyes filled.
“I fell in love with you.”
Daniel laughed once.
“Don’t.”
“It’s true.”
“You built our first conversation from information you already had.”
“Yes.”
“You knew Sophie’s routines.”
“Yes.”
“You knew what Rachel liked.”
“Yes.”
“You knew how to become safe.”
Amanda nodded.
Daniel felt violated in a way he could not describe.
“Was the wedding part of Victor’s plan?”
“At first.”
“What did marrying me accomplish?”
“Access to Carter Medical.”
“Shares?”
“Eventually.”
Grace looked up.
Amanda continued.
“Victor believed if we married, he could use me to influence the company and destroy the audit trail Rachel started.”
Daniel stared.
“And you agreed.”
“Yes.”
“Even after you supposedly loved me.”
Amanda lowered her head.
“I kept telling myself I would get us away from him after the wedding.”
Daniel looked disgusted.
“You were going to save me after marrying me under a false identity.”
“I know.”
“And Sophie?”
Amanda’s tears came harder.
“I loved her too.”
Daniel’s expression changed.
“No.”
Amanda flinched.
“You don’t get to use that word after what I saw.”
“I panicked.”
“You hit a baby because she found evidence.”
Amanda whispered,
“Yes.”
Nothing more.
Ruiz leaned forward.
“Where is Rachel?”
Amanda wiped her face.
“Victor moved her five days ago.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know the exact site.”
Daniel stared.
“You came here with nothing?”
“No.”
Amanda removed a small key from her pocket.
“He has a private storage unit.”
“What’s inside?”
“Patient transfer records.”
Ruiz took it.
May you like
Amanda added,
“And a list of facilities he uses when someone needs to disappear.”
