“Then that’s all good.”
“Yes. It seemed so. Except I left college after two months because of my pregnancy.”
“You can return to school.”
“Not to Stilton, where my scholarship is. It’s in Denver, and I live here now.”
“You can go anywhere. Money is hardly an issue for you.”
I shook my head. “College isn’t in the cards for me. I’m a mother first. My baby needs me.”
“You can be a mother and a college student, Daphne.”
“You called me Daphne.”
“I did. I’m sorry.”
“Please, I prefer it. I know I’m young. I hardly seem like a missus.”
He smiled. “Okay. If it means that much to you, Daphne. You worked very hard for your scholarship. Are you sure you’re ready to give up college?”
“My baby is the most important thing in my life. I never knew true love until I had him.”
“Are you saying you’re not in love with your husband?”
“Oh, no. Of course I am. But my feelings for my child are even more intense in a totally different way. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him.”
“Would you say your child is more important to you than your husband?”
Would I? “I’m not sure. You really can’t compare the two. They’re like apples and oranges.”
“If you had to choose,” Dr. Pelletier said, “which one would you choose?”
“Between my husband and my baby?” I rounded my eyes. “You can’t be asking me that.”
“I am asking you that.”
“I can’t imagine my life without Brad.”
“So you choose Brad?”
“No.” I shook my head vehemently. “I’d choose… I can’t believe I’m saying this. I’d choose my child. I’d choose Jonah.”
He smiled. “Most mothers would make that choice if they had to.”
“Oh!” I heaved a relieved sigh. “You scared me for a minute there.”
“It doesn’t mean you love your husband any less. It just means you’re a normal mother who will do anything to protect her child.”
I nodded. “What does this have to do with Patty? And Sage?”
“You’ve been through a lot in your short life, Daphne. As a psychiatric professional, I need to make sure you’re fit to raise a child.”
“What? That’s not why I’m here.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m still bound by my ethics to do the right thing. You’re young, but you’ll be a good mother. Your baby is very lucky, and he should always be your first priority.”
“He is. That’s why I need to figure the rest of this stuff out. So I can be my best for him.”
“Which is why you’re here, of course. Now…when did you write Sage those letters?”
“I wrote them”—my mind raced—“while I was in the hospital.”
“All five of them?”
“Yeah.”
“How is it that you remember writing five letters, but you don’t remember so much else about your stay?”
“I… I don’t know, Doctor.”
“When was the last time you thought about those letters to Sage?”
“Before now? I’m not sure.”
“But they came to your mind when you remembered the other patients?”
“Yeah. They did.”
“I think this is probably all related to your friend who’s currently missing. I’m sorry that a friend had to disappear for your memory to kick in.”
“Yeah. Me too.”
“Our time is up for today, Daphne, but I assure you that we will get to the bottom of this.”
“Thank you, Doctor. My husband is trying his hardest to find Patty. I wish I could help him, but I think the best thing I can do for my baby and myself is to work through my own issues.”
“You’re on your way,” he said, smiling. “Your child is lucky to have you.”
“I’m the lucky one.” No truer words. “I’ll do anything for my little dove. Anything.”
Chapter Fifty-Three
Brad
Theodore Mathias
I stared at the name on the file I’d just opened. It was twice as thick as the files on the other Future Lawmakers, which made me pause. He was a year older than I was, and his birth certificate indicated his parents’ names were Niko and Gloria Mathias. He had one sister, Erica, who was engaged to Rodney Cates. I flashed back to when I’d first found all the files. My father kept a file on Theo’s mother. Mental note: Check that out.
Medical history was unremarkable, and his school records were of course commendable. He didn’t attend college, which was odd for someone of his intellect. But why should he? He was making scads of cash with his Future Lawmakers investments.
Would they continue to make that kind of cash now that I’d divested?
I sighed. Not my problem. I’d only looked at the first three pages of what appeared to be at least a hundred, when my phone rang.
“Brad Steel,” I said into the receiver.
“Mr. Steel, it’s Jason Morey.”
Good. One of my PIs. “Yeah? What do you have for me?”
“Not good news, I’m afraid.”
My stomach dropped. “Out with it, then.”
“We found Patty Watson.”
I consciously regulated my breathing. “And…?”
“I’m sorry. She’s gone.”
Fuck. My heart nearly stopped. What was I supposed to tell Daphne? And Ennis?