Chapter 5 - THE NIGHT THE EARTH MOVED
The county archive gave Ethan a contact number for a retired rescue worker named Paul Mercer.
Paul remembered the earthquake clearly. He had been among the first responders assigned to the community hall.
“I remember the mother,” he said over the phone. “She was found near the eastern wall. She had her arms around the child. Her back was against the beam.”
“Was she alive when you reached her?”
Paul was quiet.
“No. But the girl was. She was in a pocket of space between the floor and a collapsed support. The mother had turned herself around to cover her.”
Ethan closed his eyes.
“Did the girl say anything?”
“She kept asking for her mother. She was very small. Maybe a year old.”
“Where was she taken?”
“St. Agnes Hospital first. Then a temporary care center. There was confusion because the mother had no local relatives listed. The child was eventually placed with a woman who had volunteered during the relief effort.”
Ethan wrote down the details.
“Did the mother have anything with her?”
“A locket, I think. The hospital staff recorded it as personal property. It was returned with the child’s belongings.”
The silver locket.
Emily had kept it with her through every move. She had given it to Grace before she died, along with instructions to find Ethan if she ever needed him.
Ethan thanked Paul and ended the call.
He sat in the car for a long time.
Martin waited in the passenger seat.
“I should have told you,” the attorney said.
“Yes.”
“I know there is no excuse.”
“No.”
Martin looked out at the rain. “Your father believed he was preserving the family.”
Ethan turned toward him.
“My mother’s family? Emily’s family? My daughter? Which family was he preserving?”
Martin had no answer.
When Ethan returned to New York, Grace was waiting in the library with a picture she had drawn. It showed three people holding hands beneath a yellow sun. One was a tall man. One was a woman with long brown hair. The smallest figure wore a red dress.
“Is this us?” Ethan asked.
Grace nodded.
“That’s Mommy. That’s me. And that’s you.”
Ethan sat beside her.
“Can you tell me about the earthquake?”
Grace’s crayon stopped.
“I don’t remember everything.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I remember the floor shaking. Mommy picked me up. She put me under her coat.”
Her voice became smaller.
“She told me to close my eyes and count.”
Ethan waited.
“I counted to ten. Then I heard a big noise. Mommy was on top of me. I couldn't move.”
She touched the locket around her neck.
“When the men found me, Mommy wasn't talking.”
Ethan pulled her close.
“I'm sorry.”
Grace leaned against him.
“Mommy said you would be sad when you found out.”
He closed his eyes.
“She knew me better than I knew myself.”
Grace looked up. “Did you love her?”
Ethan’s answer came without hesitation.
“Yes.”
“Even when she left?”
“I never stopped loving her. I was just angry. I thought she had chosen to hurt me.”
“Did she love you?”
Ethan pressed his lips together.
“She loved you more than anything. And she loved me, too. I know that now.”
Grace considered this.
“Then why didn't you find us?”
The question was gentle, but it cut through him.
“Because I believed the wrong story. And because I didn't know where you were. I should have kept looking.”
Grace rested her head against his chest.
“Mommy said you were a good man. She said you would come if you knew.”
May you like
Ethan held her more tightly.
“I wish I had known.”
