“Ben is real,” Eli said when Mara showed him the drawing.

Naomi sat beside him in the police interview room.

“Where did you meet him?”

“At the red-door place.

Victor called him Ben, but he said that wasn’t his real name either.”

Cole turned toward Mara.

“Victor used the same name for children whose identities weren’t finished.”

Rachel held Sophie tightly.

“Then someone else is still out there.”

Mara spread Victor’s folders across the table.

One contained school photographs with dates and false surnames.

Cole pointed to a boy with sandy hair.

“That’s him.”

The label read BEN HALE, but a torn hospital bracelet had been taped inside.

Only three letters of the original surname remained: ROW.

Arthur pushed his reading glasses higher.

“Could it be Rowe?

Brown?

Morrow?”

Sophie tugged Naomi’s sleeve.

“Ben said he could see a water tower from his window.

It had a blue bird on it.”

Officer Ruiz opened a map.

“There’s an old feed mill north of town.

Its tower has a blue swallow.”

Mara stood.

“Ruiz, call it in.”

Cole caught her arm.

“Victor had a caretaker there named Silas.”

“Will he cooperate?”

“He obeys whoever pays him.”

At the feed mill, Silas blocked the entrance.

“You need a warrant.”

Mara held it up.

“We have one.”

“There’s no child here.”

A faint voice came from upstairs.

“Help!”

Naomi pushed past him before anyone could stop her.

Cole followed, and they found a boy locked inside a small office.

“My name is Jamie Morrow,” he said.

“Not Ben.”

Naomi wrapped her coat around his shoulders.

“Jamie, we’re taking you home.”

Silas backed toward the stairs.

Officer Ruiz blocked him.

“Victor said the boy’s parents were dangerous,” Silas protested.

Jamie pointed at him.

“He took my mum’s letters.”

Ruiz opened a cabinet and found a bundle tied with string.

Silas lowered his head.

“Victor paid me.”

“Then you can explain that payment downtown,” Mara said.

Outside, Cole watched Jamie run into his mother’s arms.

The woman sank to her knees, crying as she held her son’s face.

Naomi stood beside Cole.

“That should have been us fourteen years ago.”

He swallowed.

“I delivered Jamie’s file.”

“You also led us to him.”

“That doesn’t erase it.”

“No.

But telling the truth can stop it from happening again.”

Cole finally looked at her.

“Victor told me Peter stopped searching after one year.”

“Peter searched until his heart gave out.”

“He died believing I hated him?”

“He died with your school photograph beside his bed.”

Cole covered his face.

Naomi waited until he reached for her, then held him while his shoulders shook.

“I’m sorry, Mom.”

She tightened her arms around him.

“You came back.

That is where we begin.”

Mara approached quietly.

“The DNA result arrived.”

Cole stepped back but kept hold of Naomi’s hand.

“It confirms a parent-child match,” Mara said.

Naomi laughed through her tears.

Cole pressed his forehead to hers, and Arthur turned away to wipe his eyes.

A patrol car brought Victor past them on the way to his formal booking.

He saw the embrace through the window and demanded that the officer stop.

“You think she’ll forgive you?” Victor called to Cole.

“Tell her what you did in Albany.”

Cole’s grip loosened.

Naomi faced Victor.

“You don’t get to divide us again.”

Victor smiled behind the glass.

“She still doesn’t know why her husband died.”