Chapter 50
FIFTY
Isabelle
Cops drag me from my bed in the middle of the night and as I climb into the back of a patrol car, I see Mia being questioned by a woman cop.
The detective who read me my rights is cool and professional.
He doesn’t care if I’m famous or not. To him I’m just a perpetrator.
We run the gauntlet through the paparazzi.
Cameras flash and I duck my head, covering my face with my hands.
I don’t know what’s happened to Linc. I’ve heard nothing since they took him and Alani away.
When we arrive at the police station two uniformed officers escort me inside through the throng of people crowding around the entrance.
I’ve already been searched and I detested having a man’s hands all over me.
I’m used to people staring at me so walking through the office doesn’t really concern me but it does when David Brunel meets me at an open door and we go inside.
“Where’s Linc? Is he okay? What’s happening? ”
“Sit down, Isabelle, we have a lot to discuss.” Brunel sits opposite me and picks up a pen beside a legal pad on the desk.
“I want you to forget all the fantasies and the lies that you’ve told over the years and tell me the truth about what happened the night that Mia was born.
You should be aware that Allison gave a flash drive to Alani.
It contained everything that Jenny discovered about the night you and Rachel Stackhouse gave birth to daughters.
They also discovered that the story you told about Barnes storming the hospital to kill Rachel was a complete fabrication.
They have reason to believe that Rachel was blackmailing you in the month before someone murdered her.
Since everyone was DNA tested, we believe we know some of the story but not the reason why.
” He stares at me with a serious expression.
“Was Rachel Stackhouse blackmailing you?”
I feel tears well and nod. “Yes, and I paid her but she kept coming back for more.”
“So, you killed her?” Brunel’s gaze doesn’t leave my face. “I’m your lawyer, I need to know the truth if I’m going to defend you.”
I shake my head. “I didn’t kill Rachel.” I think back to the last time I met her in some dive motel and gave her a wad of bills. “She’d kept her word for years but then she fell on hard times and thought I was an ATM. Yes, I wanted to kill her but I didn’t.”
“Why was she blackmailing you, Isabelle?” Brunel makes notes on the legal pad and then raises his eyes back to me. “I’d like to know the reason.”
I remember the night as if it were yesterday and my stomach cramps. “I did it for Linc but if he discovers the truth, he’d never understand.”
“Did what?” Brunel fixes me with a feral stare.
It’s almost a relief to tell him. “I swapped the babies.” I see his face tighten and need to explain.
“I’d told Linc I’d finished an affair but it went on longer than I admitted.
When I saw my baby girl, with blonde hair, I knew he’d take one look at her and know she wasn’t his.
Rachel’s baby was dark haired just like Linc, and she didn’t want her, so I made an agreement.
I paid her a ton of cash for her silence.
I kept paying her because Linc would divorce me if he found out and I’d be stuck with someone else’s baby to raise on my own—and you know Linc owns everything.
He gives me plenty of cash but we have a prenup. He’s never trusted me.”
“Who else knew about the swap?” Brunel makes more notes.
I shake my head. “No one.” I raise my chin.
“I told no one. Nobody saw me change the bands on the babies either. I stole some from the nurse’s station when she was away and replaced them on the babies and I kept Rachel’s baby beside my bed.
From that moment, she was my daughter and I cared for her.
Look at her now, she fits right in. Linc never suspected anything. ”
“Did you even care what happened to your real daughter?” He rubs his chin.
I shake my head. “She was going to a good home. I knew she’d be okay. I’ve never given her a second thought.”
“Really?” Brunel clears his throat. “Actually, you know her quite well.”
I swallow hard, trying to imagine who he could be talking about. “I’ve met her? No, that’s impossible.”
“She’s living with you.” He leans back, observing me. “Alani Fairchild is your daughter. The DNA tests confirm it.”