A Death Certificate Without a Grave
Chapter 03 - A Death Certificate Without a Grave
Vivian's office contained locked cabinets, old invoices, and a folder labeled FAMILY MEDICAL. Investigators identified paperwork purporting to document Rose and Lucy's deaths after a car wreck eighteen months earlier. The file was full of inconsistencies: missing signatures, contradictory dates, and a death certificate number that did not match the issuing authority's records.
Adrian sat across from detective Mara Castillo while she laid out the discrepancies. “I saw Rose's coffin,” he said. “I stood at the funeral.”
“Did you see her body?”
He stared at the table. “Vivian said I shouldn't. She said the injuries were severe.”
“Who arranged the funeral?”
“My sister.”
Castillo wrote something in her notebook. She didn't make promises. She said the documents would be verified through official channels, and any allegation concerning the crash would require real evidence.
Lucy spent much of that day sleeping. Sometimes she woke convinced someone would take her away again. I stayed with her while a child specialist arranged proper support. She held my sleeve as she ate toast.
“Did you know my mommy?” she asked.
“No, sweetheart.”
“Aunt Vivian said Mommy was bad because she made Daddy sad.”
I chose my words carefully. “Grown-ups can say things that aren't true. You're not responsible for what happened.”
She considered that, then asked whether she could have strawberry jam. I told her she could.
Adrian stood in the doorway watching us. Later he told me he'd built his companies to keep his family safe. His wife had hated how much time he spent away, but he'd insisted that security and comfort required sacrifice.
“Rose said a big house isn't much use if nobody's home in it,” he recalled.
May you like
That night the detective called: the funeral director had never handled the second burial attributed to Lucy. Someone had created a paper trail for a child who had been living only one floor above her father's study.
**The missing records also pointed to another person who might still be alive.**
