Chapter 17 - The Other Girl
Investigators traced Vanessa’s call to a phone she had purchased with cash. Her attorney said she would answer no further questions without a formal agreement. Naomi spent the night thinking about the words the girl who was supposed to take your place.
In Rosa’s original records, investigators found a second child scheduled for transfer under Lucy’s assigned number. Her name had been crossed out and replaced with a code. The child was approximately the same age and had survived the fire.
The name led to Emma Price, now a social worker in Pennsylvania. Emma agreed to speak on the condition that the meeting take place without cameras. She arrived with a notebook full of questions and a guarded smile.
“I was told my parents were dead,” Emma said. “Then I discovered somebody changed my birthday. I've spent most of my adult life trying to get one straight answer.”
Naomi showed her the copied record. Emma read it slowly. Her hands began to shake.
“Did they plan to give me your name?”
“I think so.”
“Then what happened?”
“Rosa took me out before they could.”
Emma was quiet a long time. “I used to hate the girl whose file was attached to mine. I thought she'd stolen the life that should have been mine.”
Naomi leaned forward. “You didn't lose your life because of me. Somebody else made those decisions.”
For the first time Emma’s expression softened.
They shared notes, addresses, and a promise not to let investigators turn either of them into a prop. Emma identified a former placement coordinator who had contacted her the previous year offering to correct her records for a payment.
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Emma asked to keep a copy of the amended record. She studied the paper as if it might suddenly change again. Naomi offered to sit with her while she called her relatives. Emma declined at first, then quietly asked whether Naomi could wait outside the door in case she needed someone.
The coordinator was scheduled to testify for the defense. When Maya checked his travel itinerary, she learned he had already booked a flight out of the country for the morning before trial.
