Chapter 10 - A BROTHER BURIED UNDER ANOTHER NAME
The investigation entered its most painful stage when the hidden archive was opened.
Noah's files contained thousands of records.
Transport authorizations.
Patient identity changes.
Invoices.
Internal messages.
And video statements recorded by employees who believed they might disappear if they spoke publicly.
Emma watched the investigators' briefing with her hands clasped so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Dr. Chen sat beside her.
Julian remained on the other side of the room.
For once, nobody tried to protect her from the truth.
The records showed how Aster's operations evolved.
Initially, the company overcharged insurers for medical transport.
Then certain executives began falsifying patient movement records to conceal where vulnerable individuals had been transferred.
Some patients had valid treatment needs.
Others were moved into facilities without appropriate authorization.
Several were assigned administrative aliases that made it difficult for relatives to locate them.
The scheme crossed multiple institutions.
Saint Catherine's was only one part of it.
Emma felt sick.
"How many families?"
An investigator answered.
"We're still identifying them."
"And Noah?"
The detective opened another file.
Her brother's original identity had been replaced with Daniel Reed after he attempted to report the scheme.
The records described a severe neurological condition.
But the independent medical assessments obtained so far did not support the extent of incapacity claimed.
Emma covered her mouth.
"They stole his name."
The detective nodded grimly.
"They concealed his identity and restricted his movements."
Then the investigators showed her a video.
Noah sat in a small room wearing a gray sweater.
He looked older.
His face was thin.
But his eyes were unmistakable.
Emma began crying before he spoke.
"If anybody finds this," Noah said, "my name is Noah Richardson."
His voice was rough.
"I worked for Aster. I built the verification system they're trying to destroy."
He paused.
Looked toward the door.
Then continued.
"They changed my records. They told the staff I was confused. But I'm not confused."
Emma pressed a hand against her chest.
Noah swallowed.
"My sister is Emma Richardson. She works as a nurse. She probably thinks I'm dead."
His eyes filled.
"Emma, if you ever see this, I'm sorry."
She began sobbing.
"I never meant to leave you."
The screen blurred through her tears.
Then Noah said something that broke her heart.
"Please don't blame yourself for not finding me."
Emma bent forward.
Dr. Chen placed a hand on her shoulder.
The video ended.
And for a long time, she couldn't speak.
Later, Julian found her sitting outside the building.
The afternoon sky was gray.
Traffic moved slowly along the street.
He approached but didn't sit until she looked up.
"May I?"
Emma nodded.
He sat beside her.
For several minutes, neither spoke.
Then she said, "I thought he left because he didn't want me."
Julian looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because people kept telling me maybe he'd chosen another life."
Her voice broke.
"Maybe he was tired of being poor. Maybe he wanted to disappear. Maybe I wasn't enough to make him stay."
Julian said nothing.
She looked down.
"Now I know he was trying to come home."
His expression softened.
"Yes."
Emma began crying again.
Julian waited.
Then, very carefully, he held out his hand.
Not a command.
Not an assumption.
An offer.
Emma looked at it.
Then placed her hand in his.
For a moment, he closed his eyes.
"Emma," he whispered, "I wish I'd known sooner."
She nodded.
"So do I."
That evening, the investigators confirmed that Noah had recently been moved from Saint Catherine's to another location.
The transfer occurred shortly before Julian was shot.
Victoria had apparently anticipated renewed scrutiny.
But the destination was hidden behind a false facility code.
Investigators were working to identify it.
Then Julian's attorney called.
A witness had come forward.
Mara Sloane.
She wanted protection in exchange for providing information about Noah's location.
Emma stared at Julian.
"She's going to tell us where he is?"
Julian nodded.
"If her information checks out."
Emma closed her eyes.
For the first time in seven years, the possibility of seeing Noah again no longer felt like an impossible dream.
It felt close.
May you like
Painfully close.
And Emma was terrified that hope might hurt more than grief.
