Chapter 47 Chapter 47
FORTY-SEVEN~
The FBI launched a massive manhunt for Catherine Morrison. But she'd disappeared completely.
"No credit card usage, no phone activity, no sightings," Agent Torres reported daily. "She's either left the country or gone completely underground."
"She's not gone," I said with certainty. "She's here. Watching. Waiting for the right moment."
Security around our house was increased to maximum levels. Armed guards. Cameras everywhere. Panic buttons in every room.
"We're living in a prison," Liam complained. "I can't even go to the bathroom without someone watching."
"It's temporary," I promised, though I didn't know if that was true.
Declan was struggling with the revelation about Catherine.
"She's my sister," he kept saying. "My half-sister. And I never knew."
"James kept a lot of secrets," I reminded him.
"But a child?" Declan asked. "How do you keep a whole child secret?"
"By being James Harris," I said bitterly.
We decided to tell the kids about Catherine. They deserved to know who was threatening them and why.
"So I have an aunt I've never met?" Liam asked. "And she wants to kill us?"
"She's not actually your aunt," I corrected. "She's your father's half-sister, which makes her... complicated."
"Our family is always complicated," the twins said in unison.
They weren't wrong.
Sarah was shocked when I told her about Catherine.
"So the woman who tormented you for years is actually related to Declan?" she asked.
"Apparently," I said.
"That's—wow," Sarah said. "I don't even have words for how messed up that is."
"Welcome to my life," I said dryly.
Two weeks after Catherine disappeared, something strange happened.
I got a phone call at work from a woman claiming to be Catherine's therapist.
"I know I'm violating patient confidentiality," the woman said. "But Catherine told me she's planning to hurt people. I can't just sit on that information."
"What exactly did she say?" I asked, motioning for Agent Torres to listen in.
"She said she's been planning something for years," the therapist explained. "Something that will destroy the Harris family from the inside out. She was vague about details, but she seemed very confident."
"When did you last see her?" Agent Torres asked.
"Three weeks ago," the therapist said. "She cancelled her last two appointments. I've been trying to reach her, but she won't respond."
We got a warrant for Catherine's therapy records. What we found was disturbing.
Catherine had been in therapy for five years, working through her feelings about being James's secret daughter. The early sessions showed genuine pain and confusion.
But over time, that pain had turned to rage. And that rage had become focused entirely on destroying Declan's family.
"She's been planning this for years," Agent Torres said, reading through the notes. "Everything she did before—the harassment, working with Victoria—that was just the warmup."
"What's she planning now?" I asked.
"I don't know," Agent Torres admitted. "But according to these notes, it's something big. Something permanent."
That night, I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about Catherine, about everything she'd done, everything she might still do.
Around 2 AM, I heard a noise outside. I woke Declan and we checked the security cameras.
Nothing. Just shadows and wind.
But I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was out there.
"You're being paranoid," Declan said gently. "The security system would alert us if someone was on the property."
"Unless they knew how to bypass it," I said.
"Catherine's not a technology expert," Declan reminded me.
"But she could hire someone who is," I countered.
The next morning, I asked the security company to upgrade our system. Again.
"At this rate, we're going to have military-grade security," Declan observed.
"Good," I said. "Maybe then I can sleep."
But no amount of security made me feel safe.
A month passed with no sign of Catherine. Then two months.
"Maybe she really did leave the country," Agent Torres suggested. "Maybe she realized we were onto her and decided to cut her losses."
"Or maybe she's just being patient," I said.
Then, three months after Catherine disappeared, something happened that changed everything.
I got a call from the prison where Victoria had died.
"Mrs. Harris, I'm calling about Victoria Laurence's death," the warden said.
"That was years ago," I said, confused. "Why are you calling now?"
"Because we just discovered something," the warden explained. "Victoria didn't commit suicide. She was murdered. And we have evidence that Catherine Morrison arranged it."
My heart stopped. "What kind of evidence?"
"Prison records show Catherine visited Victoria several times before her death," the warden explained. "We have recordings of their conversations. In one, Catherine explicitly discusses 'taking care of Victoria' to keep her quiet."
"Catherine killed Victoria to cover her tracks," I realized.
"It appears so," the warden confirmed. "We're reopening the investigation."
This was it. Evidence of a serious crime. If the FBI could prove Catherine murdered Victoria, they could arrest her, charge her, put her away for life.
But first, they had to find her.
Agent Torres's team worked with the prison to analyze every detail of Catherine's visits to Victoria. They found something interesting.
"Catherine used a fake ID to visit Victoria," Agent Torres explained. "The name on the ID was Sarah Martinez."
"Sarah Martinez," I repeated. "As in, using my sister's first name and Rachel's last name?"
"Seems like it," Agent Torres agreed. "Catherine's been playing games for a long time."
"Can you track the fake ID?" I asked.
"We're trying," Agent Torres said. "But it was professionally made. Whoever created it knew what they were doing."
Days of investigation turned into weeks. The trail of Catherine's fake identity led to a document forger in the city, but he claimed he couldn't remember making the ID.
"I make hundreds of these," he said. "They all blur together."
It was a dead end.
Until Agent Torres had an idea.
"What if Catherine is still using that fake identity?" she asked. "What if she's been hiding in plain sight as Sarah Martinez?"
It was worth checking. The FBI searched databases for anyone named Sarah Martinez matching Catherine's description.
They found dozens.
But one stood out. A Sarah Martinez who'd rented an apartment downtown six months ago. No previous address. No employment history. Paid rent in cash.
"That has to be her," I said.
The FBI surrounded the apartment building. SWAT team was ready to move in.
But when they breached the apartment, it was empty.
Not empty like no one was there. Empty like it had never been lived in.
"She knew we were coming," Agent Torres said, frustrated. "She's always one step ahead."
"Because someone's tipping her off," I said. "Someone is feeding her information."
"But who?" Agent Torres asked. "We've been careful. Only a small team knows about the investigation."
"Then someone on that team is working with Catherine," I said.
Agent Torres didn't want to believe it. But she launched an internal investigation anyway.
Two days later, they found the leak.
A junior agent named Kevin Brooks. He'd been feeding Catherine information for months.
"Why?" Agent Torres demanded when they brought him in.
"Because she's paying me," Kevin said simply. "A lot of money. More than the FBI will ever pay me."
"You betrayed your oath for money?" Agent Torres asked, disgusted.
"I betrayed my oath for two million dollars," Kevin corrected. "There's a difference."
He was arrested and charged with obstruction of justice and conspiracy.
But the damage was done. Catherine knew every move we'd made.
"She knows about the Victoria investigation," Agent Torres said. "She knows we're looking for her. She'll disappear even deeper."
"Or she'll accelerate her plans," I said. "Strike before we can stop her."
I was right.
That night, fire alarms went off at Declan's foundation office.
By the time firefighters arrived, the building was engulfed in flames.
"Arson," the fire marshal said after investigating. "Someone poured accelerant throughout the building and lit it up."
All of Declan's work—years of helping people, making amends for James's crimes—gone.
"She's sending a message," I said, watching the building burn. "She's saying she can destroy anything we build."
Declan looked devastated. "All those files. All those people we were helping. Gone."
"We have backups," I reminded him. "Digital copies."
"It's not the same," Declan said. "That building represented our fresh start. Our chance to do good. And she burned it down."
The next day, we got a letter from Catherine.
Dear Brother,
Surprised to find out you have a sister? I've known about you my whole life. Watched you grow up from a distance. Watched you inherit everything that should have been mine.
Dad didn't want me. Said I was a mistake. Paid my mother off and pretended I didn't exist. But I existed. I grew up knowing I had a father who didn't want me, a brother who had everything I deserved.
So yes, I'm going to destroy you. Everything you have, everything you love, everything you've built—I'm taking it all away. The way Dad took my life away from me.
The foundation was just the beginning. Next, I'm coming for what really matters.
Your family.
Sleep well, big brother.
- Your loving sister, Catherine
"She's going to kill us," I said quietly.
"Not if we find her first," Declan said, but he didn't sound confident.
Agent Torres assigned round-the-clock protection to our family. But we all knew it wasn't enough.
Catherine had been planning this for years. She had resources, intelligence, and most importantly, she had nothing to lose.
"We need to draw her out," I said to Agent Torres. "Make her come to us on our terms."
"How?" Agent Torres asked.
"We give her what she wants," I said. "A chance to confront Declan. Face to face. Brother to sister."
"That's too dangerous," Agent Torres protested.
"Everything about this situation is dangerous," I countered. "At least this way, we control the when and where."
Declan agreed to my plan, though he was terrified.
"She's my sister," he said. "My blood. Maybe I can get through to her. Make her see that destroying us won't fix what James did."
"Or maybe she'll just kill you," I said bluntly.
"Maybe," Declan agreed. "But we have to try."
We set up a meeting through the FBI. A public message to Catherine, offering to meet at a neutral location to talk.
Two days later, Catherine responded.
You want to talk? Fine. Memorial Park. Tomorrow night. Midnight. You and me, Declan. No FBI. No tricks. Or the twins die.
"She's bluffing about the twins," Agent Torres said. "We have them secured."
"Are you sure?" I asked. "Catherine's been ahead of us this whole time. What if she's found a way to get to them?"
Agent Torres checked with the security team protecting the twins.
"They're safe," she reported. "No signs of any intrusion attempts."
But I wasn't convinced.
"I want to see them," I said. "I want to physically see my children before we do this."
Agent Torres arranged it. The twins were brought to FBI headquarters under heavy guard.
"Mom, what's going on?" Maya asked when she saw me.
"Just making sure you're safe," I said, hugging both twins tightly.
"Are we in danger again?" Nathan asked.
"Always," I said honestly. "But we're handling it."
After seeing the twins, I felt better. They were safe. Whatever Catherine was planning, it didn't involve getting to the twins.
Or so I thought.
The next night, Declan went to Memorial Park for the meeting with Catherine.
He was wired for sound and video. FBI agents were positioned throughout the park.
"Remember," Agent Torres said before Declan left. "Your job is to keep her talking. Get her to confess to everything. We'll handle the rest."
Declan nodded, looking pale but determined.
I watched from a mobile command center as Declan entered the park.
Catherine was already there, sitting on a bench.
"Hello, brother," she said when Declan approached.
"Catherine," Declan said, sitting down carefully. "We need to talk."
"About what?" Catherine asked. "About how Dad rejected me? About how you got everything while I got nothing?"
"About how to move forward," Declan said. "About how to stop this cycle of revenge."
Catherine laughed. "There is no moving forward. Not for me. I've spent my entire life as James Harris's dirty secret. The daughter he didn't want. The child he paid to disappear."
"I'm sorry," Declan said. "I'm sorry for what Dad did to you. But Catherine, I didn't know about you. I would have—"
"You would have what?" Catherine interrupted. "Shared your inheritance? Welcomed me into the family? Don't lie. You would have done exactly what Dad did. Pretended I didn't exist."
"That's not true," Declan said.
But even I wasn't sure if he believed it.
Catherine stood up. "This was a waste of time. I thought maybe, just maybe, you'd understand. But you're just like Dad. Selfish. Entitled. Thinking you deserve everything while people like me get nothing."
"Wait," Declan said. "Please. Don't walk away. We can work this out."
"There's nothing to work out," Catherine said. "I'm done talking. Now I act."
She pulled out her phone and pressed a button.
Immediately, my phone buzzed with an alert.
I looked at the screen and my blood went cold.
The security feed from the safe house where the twins were being kept had gone dark.
"The twins," I said into my headset. "Check on the twins. Now!"
Agent Torres radioed the security team.
No response.
"Send backup to the safe house!" Agent Torres ordered.
But I already knew it was too late.
Catherine had gotten to them.
While we were focused on the meeting, she'd struck where we were most vulnerable.
"Where are they?" Declan demanded, grabbing Catherine's arm. "What did you do with my children?"
Catherine smiled. "They're safe. For now. But if you want to see them again, you'
ll have to do exactly what I say."
FBI agents moved in to arrest Catherine.
But she just kept smiling.
"Arrest me if you want," she said. "But without me, you'll never find them. And by the time you do, it'll be too late."
My worst nightmare had come true.
Catherine had my children.
And this time, I didn't know if we could save them.