Chapter 61 Chapter 61
SIXTY-ONE~
Five years after the network's complete dismantlement, I thought we'd finally left the past behind. Second Chances was thriving, my family was happy, and the nightmares had mostly stopped. But the past has a way of resurfacing when you least expect it.
It started with a phone call on a Tuesday morning.
"Mrs. Harris?" an unfamiliar voice asked. "My name is Dr. Elizabeth Chen. I'm a forensic psychologist, and I need to speak with you about something urgent."
"What is this about?" I asked, immediately on guard.
"It's about James Harris," Dr. Chen said. "I've been conducting research into criminal psychology, specifically studying the families of serial manipulators. Your family's case is unique, and I've discovered something I think you need to know."
"We're done with James Harris," I said firmly. "Whatever research you're conducting, we're not interested in participating."
"Mrs. Harris, please," Dr. Chen said. "This isn't about research participation. I've found evidence that suggests James Harris may have had another victim. Someone who was never identified. And I believe this person might still be in danger."
My blood went cold. "What are you talking about?"
"Can we meet in person?" Dr. Chen asked. "This isn't something I want to discuss over the phone."
Against my better judgment, I agreed. We met that afternoon at a coffee shop downtown.
Dr. Chen was in her forties, professional and serious. She carried a thick folder of documents.
"Thank you for meeting me," she said. "I know this must be difficult."
"Just tell me what you found," I said.
Dr. Chen opened her folder and pulled out a photograph. It showed a young woman, maybe twenty-five, with dark hair and frightened eyes.
"Her name was Rachel Martinez," Dr. Chen said. "She disappeared in 2003. The case was never solved."
"What does she have to do with James Harris?" I asked.
"Rachel worked as a paralegal at a law firm that represented some of James's business associates," Dr. Chen explained. "According to her roommate, Rachel had been acting strangely in the weeks before she disappeared. Paranoid. Scared. She told her roommate she'd discovered something at work. Something dangerous."
"That doesn't prove James was involved," I said.
"No," Dr. Chen agreed. "But look at this."
She showed me bank records. Payments from one of James's shell companies to Rachel Martinez. Fifty thousand dollars deposited three days before she disappeared.
"James paid her," I said.
"Or tried to pay her off," Dr. Chen said. "But then she vanished. Her car was found abandoned near the river. No body was ever recovered. Police assumed she'd jumped, committed suicide. But her family never believed it."
"You think James killed her," I said.
"I think James had her killed," Dr. Chen corrected. "Just like he had Diana kill Thomas Reed. Just like he had various network members eliminate threats over the years."
I felt sick. "Why are you telling me this now? James is dead. He can't hurt anyone anymore."
"Because Rachel's daughter is still alive," Dr. Chen said quietly.
"What?" I asked, shocked.
"Rachel was pregnant when she disappeared," Dr. Chen explained. "Three months along. She'd told her roommate but hadn't told the father. If Rachel was killed, her daughter would be twenty-two years old now."
"How do you know the baby survived?" I asked.
"I don't know for certain," Dr. Chen admitted. "But I've been investigating, and I found records of a baby girl adopted through a private agency in 2004. The adoption was arranged by one of James's attorneys. The biological mother was listed as anonymous."
"You think Rachel had the baby and gave it up for adoption before she was killed?" I asked.
"Or James had Rachel held somewhere until the baby was born, then killed her and arranged the adoption," Dr. Chen said. "I know it sounds far-fetched, but Mrs. Harris, James Harris was capable of anything."
I couldn't argue with that.
"Why would James want Rachel's baby?" I asked.
"I don't know," Dr. Chen said. "But I've been trying to locate the girl. The adoption records are sealed, but I've traced some connections. I think she's living in Seattle. I think her name is Emma Reeves."
"Have you contacted her?" I asked.
"No," Dr. Chen said. "Because I don't know how to tell a twenty-two-year-old woman that her biological mother was likely murdered by a criminal mastermind and that she might have been part of some larger scheme."
"Why are you telling me?" I asked.
"Because you've navigated this world," Dr. Chen said. "You know how to handle these revelations. You know how to find the truth without destroying people in the process."
"You want me to investigate," I said.
"I want you to help me figure out what happened to Rachel Martinez," Dr. Chen said. "And to make sure Emma Reeves is safe."
I thought about Declan's warning. About not getting consumed again. About prioritizing family.
But if there was another victim, another young woman caught up in James's web, could I really walk away?
"I need to think about it," I said.
"Of course," Dr. Chen said. "But Mrs. Harris, if James did orchestrate Rachel's death and arranged Emma's adoption, there might be others involved. People from the network who are still out there."
"I thought we got everyone," I said.
"You got the major players," Dr. Chen said. "But criminal networks are like icebergs. You only see the tip. There could be dozens more people who were never identified."
I took Dr. Chen's folder and went home. I didn't tell Declan immediately. I needed to process this myself first.
That night, I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about Rachel Martinez. About Emma Reeves. About all the secrets James might have taken to his grave.
The next morning, I called Detective Morrison.
"I thought we were done with this," he said when I explained the situation.
"So did I," I said. "But if Dr. Chen is right, there's still an unsolved murder. Still a victim who never got justice."
"Rachel Martinez disappeared over twenty years ago," Detective Morrison said. "The case is cold. Even if we could prove James was involved, he's dead. We can't prosecute him."
"But we could find out what happened to her," I said. "Give her family closure."
Detective Morrison sighed. "Send me everything Dr. Chen gave you. I'll look into it. But Anita, no promises. This might be nothing."
I sent him the files.
Over the next week, Detective Morrison investigated. He contacted Rachel's family. Reviewed the old case files. Looked for connections to James Harris.
"Dr. Chen might be onto something," he told me. "Rachel's roommate remembers her mentioning a client named Harris right before she disappeared. And the timing of those payments is suspicious."
"What about Emma Reeves?" I asked.
"I found her," Detective Morrison said. "She's living in Seattle, working as a graphic designer. She has no idea she might be connected to any of this."
"Should we tell her?" I asked.
"That's complicated," Detective Morrison said. "We don't have proof. Just circumstantial evidence and theories. Telling her could traumatize her for no reason."
"Or it could help her understand her past," I countered.
"Or it could open her up to danger," Detective Morrison said. "If there are still network members out there who know about her connection to Rachel, telling her could put her at risk."
I hadn't thought of that.
"What do we do?" I asked.
"We investigate quietly," Detective Morrison said. "Build a case. Figure out what really happened. Then we decide whether to contact Emma."
I agreed, though part of me wanted to fly to Seattle immediately and warn Emma about everything.
Dr. Chen continued her research, sharing her findings with me and Detective Morrison. She'd discovered that Rachel had been working on a case involving real estate fraud when she disappeared.
"One of the defendants in that case was a business associate of James Harris," Dr. Chen said. "Rachel might have discovered evidence linking James to the fraud."
"So James had her killed to protect himself," I said.
"That's my theory," Dr. Chen confirmed.
But theories weren't proof.
I decided to tell Declan what was happening. I couldn't keep it from him anymore.
"Are you getting pulled back in?" he asked, his voice tight with worry.
"I'm helping with an investigation," I said. "That's different from being consumed by it."
"Is it?" Declan asked. "Because it feels like the same thing."
"Declan, there might be another victim," I said. "A young woman who deserves to know the truth about her mother."
"But at what cost to us?" Declan asked. "Every time you get involved with James Harris's legacy, it takes a piece of you. How many pieces do you have left to give?"
His words stung because they were true.
"I don't know," I admitted. "But I can't just ignore this."
"I'm not asking you to ignore it," Declan said. "I'm asking you to be careful. To protect yourself. To remember that you have a family who needs you present, not consumed by the past."
"I'll be careful," I promised.
But even as I said it, I wondered if I could keep that promise.
The investigation intensified over the following weeks. Detective Morrison found more evidence connecting James to Rachel's disappearance. Phone records showing calls between James's office and Rachel in the days before she vanished. Witnesses who remembered seeing Rachel looking frightened and talking about "powerful people."
"This is building into something," Detective Morrison said. "We might actually be able to prove James orchestrated Rachel's murder."
"What good does that do if he's dead?" I asked.
"It gives Rachel's family answers," Detective Morrison said. "And it might help us identify who actually killed her. That person might still be alive. Might still be prosecutable."
The thought of another trial, another conviction, another round of media attention made me tired.
But Rachel deserved justice.
Dr. Chen made a breakthrough. She found the attorney who'd arranged Emma's adoption. He was retired now, living in Arizona.
"I'm going to interview him," Dr. Chen told me. "See if he'll tell me about the adoption."
"He won't," Detective Morrison said. "Attorney-client privilege. Even if James is dead, he won't violate it."
"Then I'll appeal to his conscience," Dr. Chen said. "Make him understand what's at stake."
She flew to Arizona. I waited anxiously for her call.
When it came, her voice was shaking.
"You need to hear this recording," she said. "The attorney agreed to talk. What he told me changes everything."
She sent me an audio file. I listened with Declan beside me.
The attorney's voice was old but clear: "James Harris came to me in late 2003. Said he needed help with a private adoption. He had a pregnant woman in his care who needed to place her baby. He wanted it done quietly, no questions asked."
"Did you ask where the woman was?" Dr. Chen's voice asked on the recording.
"I did. James said she was in a private medical facility. That she was unstable and needed specialized care. He showed me documentation that appeared legitimate."
"Did you ever meet her?" Dr. Chen asked.
"No. James handled everything. He brought me the legal documents she'd supposedly signed. The medical records. Everything I needed to process the adoption."
"Did you suspect something was wrong?" Dr. Chen asked.
A long pause. Then: "I suspected James Harris was not a man to question. I was young, ambitious, and he was a powerful client. I did what he asked."
"Do you know what happened to the biological mother?" Dr. Chen asked.
Another pause. "I saw a missing person report about six months after the adoption. Rachel Martinez. The photo looked like the woman in the medical file James had shown me. But I told myself I was wrong. That it couldn't be the same person."
"But it was," Dr. Chen said.
"Probably," the attorney admitted. "I've lived with that guilt for twenty years."
The recording ended.
I sat in stunned silence.
"James kept Rachel alive long enough to have the baby," I said. "Then had her killed."
"That's what it sounds like," Declan agreed, his face pale.
"Why?" I asked. "Why would he do that? Why would he want Rachel's baby?"
"That's the question," Declan said.
Dr. Chen had the same question. Over the next few days, she dug deeper into Rachel's background. Looking for any connection to James that might explain his interest in her child.
What she found was shocking.
Rachel Martinez's father was Vincent Martinez, a federal prosecutor who'd been investigating James Harris in the early 2000s.
"James took Rachel because of her father," Dr. Chen said when she called to tell me. "It was revenge. Vincent Martinez was building a case against James. So James had his daughter killed."
"But he kept the baby," I said. "Why?"
"I don't know yet," Dr. Chen admitted. "But I'm going to find out."
She contacted Vincent Martinez, now retired and living in Florida. He agreed to speak with her.
The conversation was heartbreaking. Vincent had spent twenty years believing his daughter committed suicide. Learning the truth destroyed him.
"James Harris took my little girl," Vincent said, sobbing. "Because I was trying to do my job. Because I was trying to stop him."
"I'm so sorry," Dr. Chen said.
"And my granddaughter," Vincent continued. "I have a granddaughter I've never met. Emma. Can I meet her?"
"Not yet," Dr. Chen said gently. "We need to tell her the truth first. Prepare her."
"I'll wait as long as necessary," Vincent said. "I've waited twenty years. I can wait longer."
But we couldn't wait much longer. Because that night, someone broke into Dr. Chen's hotel room and stole all her research files.
"Everything's gone," she told me frantically. "All my notes, all my evidence, everything."
"Did they hurt you?" I asked.
"No, I was out to dinner," Dr. Chen said. "But Anita, this means someone knows what we're investigating. Someone who doesn't want the truth to come out."
"Someone from the network," I said.
"But we thought the network was destroyed," Dr. Chen said.
"So did we," I replied grimly.
The next morning, I received a message from an unknown number.
Stop investigating Rachel Martinez. Stop looking for Emma Reeves. This is your only warning.
I showed it to Detective Morrison.
"The network isn't as dead as we thought," he said.
"What do we do?" I asked.
"We have two choices," Detective Morrison said. "We stop investigating and walk away. Or we keep going and accept that we're putting ourselves in danger."
I thought about Declan's warnings. About my family. About everything I'd built.
But I also thought about Rachel Martinez. About Emma Reeves. About justice.
"We keep going," I said.
Detective Morrison nodded. "I was hoping you'd say that. But Anita, we need protection. For you, for Dr. Chen, for Emma Reeves. These people are dangerous."
"I know," I said.
We arranged security. Police patrols. Monitoring. Everything we could think of.
But two days later, Dr. Chen was attacked in her hotel parking lot.
She survived, but barely. Broken ribs, a concussion, defensive wounds all over her arms.
"They wanted to scare us," Detective Morrison said at the hospital. "Message received."
Dr. Chen, despite her injuries, was defiant. "We can't stop now. Rachel deserves justice. Emma deserves the truth."
"Emma might also deserve to stay alive," I said quietly.
That's when Dr. Chen told us the final piece of the puzzle.
"I found out why James wanted Emma," she said from her hospital bed. "Rachel's father told me. Rachel's mother died when Rachel was young. From a rare genetic condition. It only affects women, and it's hereditary."
"What are you saying?" I asked.
"James Harris's first wife died from the same condition," Dr. Chen said. "The same rare genetic disorder. I think James believed that if he could study Emma, if he could understand the genetic component, he might be able to save someone."
"Save who?" Detective Morrison asked.
Dr. Chen looked at me. "Did James have any daughters?"
My heart stopped.
"No," I said. "He had two sons. Declan and Liam."
"Are you certain?" Dr. Chen pressed.
I thought back through everything I knew about James's life. His marriages. His children.
And then I remembered something Declan's mother had once said. About a pregnancy before Declan was born. About a baby girl who'd been stillborn.
Or had she?
"We need to talk to Declan's mother," I said urgently.
But when Detective Morrison called the nursing home where Declan's mother lived, we learned she'd died three months ago.
"Natural causes," the administrator said. "Her heart gave out."
Or had it?
Everything was connected. Everything led back to James Harris and his obsession with controlling life and death.
And somew
here in Seattle, Emma Reeves had no idea she was at the center of it all.
"We have to warn her," I said. "Now. Before whoever attacked Dr. Chen decides to go after Emma next."
Detective Morrison made the call. Arranged for Seattle police to put Emma under protective custody.
But when they arrived at her apartment, Emma Reeves was gone.