Chapter 3 - The Visitor's Room
The drive to the maximum-security prison took nearly two hours, a suffocating journey through heavy rain. Mark sat in the back of the unmarked police cruiser, his eyes fixed on the window, his jaw clenched so tightly it looked ready to shatter. I had stayed behind at the hospital, fiercely guarding Lily’s door, flanked by two armed officers Vance had left behind for our protection.
When Mark and the detectives arrived at Bedford Hills, the atmosphere was thick with tension. The warden met them in the administrative block, holding a thick manila folder.
"We've verified her identity through fingerprints again just to be absolutely certain," the warden explained, leading them down a sterile, concrete corridor. "The woman in cell 42B is, without a doubt, the Elaine Mercer convicted of grand larceny and corporate embezzlement six months ago."
They were escorted into a private interrogation room rather than the standard visitation hall. A heavy steel table sat in the center, bolted to the floor. A few minutes later, the heavy door groaned open, and Elaine Mercer walked in, her ankles shackled, wearing a bright orange jumpsuit.
Mark gasped. Seeing her in person only deepened the nightmare. She looked exactly like the woman on the camera tape—the same high cheekbones, the same sharp, calculating eyes. The only difference was the prison jumpsuit and the lack of a surgical cap.
Elaine sat down, the chains rattling against the metal table. She looked at Mark, and for a fraction of a second, a flicker of genuine surprise crossed her face before it was instantly replaced by a mask of cold indifference.
"Mark," she said, her voice smooth and entirely devoid of the warmth she had displayed at our baby shower. "I didn't expect to see you here. Especially not with the NYPD."
"What did you do, Elaine?" Mark slammed his hands onto the table, leaning forward until he was inches from her face. "What did you do to my daughter?"
Elaine raised an eyebrow, a chillingly calm expression. "Your daughter? Little Lily? I haven't done anything to her. As you can see, I am currently enjoying the state's hospitality."
Detective Vance slammed the laptop onto the table and pushed play. The security footage from the hospital nursery filled the small screen. Elaine watched it, her eyes tracking the movements of the woman in the blue scrubs. When the woman on screen removed her mask and revealed Elaine’s exact face, the real Elaine didn't flinch. Instead, a slow, terrifying smile spread across her lips.
"She looks beautiful, doesn't she?" Elaine murmured.
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"Who is she?!" Mark roared, the guards stepping forward to restrain him. "Tell me who she is!"
Elaine leaned back, her chains clinking. "If I tell you, Mark, the game ends too quickly. Let's just say... family ties run much deeper than you think. And some debts can only be paid in blood."
