Chapter 1: The Name on the Radio
Chapter 1: The Name on the Radio
Luke froze the moment the paramedic spoke into his radio.
"Dispatch, confirm identity match on Daniel Mercer."
Luke's eyes widened.
"My name isn't Daniel," he snapped.
The paramedic didn't answer. Instead, he kept Luke's wrist pinned to the counter while his partner rushed Addie into the ambulance.
I climbed inside with my daughter, holding her tiny hand as she struggled to catch her breath.
The emergency physician later told me we had arrived just in time. Had treatment been delayed a few more minutes, the outcome could have been very different.
As Addie slept in her hospital bed, Detective Sarah Collins introduced herself.
"We need to ask you a few questions about your husband."
I shook my head.
"I don't understand."
She slid a faded photograph across the table.
The man standing in the picture looked exactly like Luke—only younger.
The caption beneath the photo read:
Daniel Mercer.
Reported missing eight years ago after being questioned in connection with the death of a seven-year-old boy who suffered a fatal asthma attack.
My heart sank.
May you like
Luke had never told me he had another name.
Or another life.
