Chapter 6
For a moment, I thought I had misheard her.
"Daniel said what?"
Detective Brooks stepped inside the nursery.
"He filed an emergency statement alleging you've been unstable since your wife's supposed death."
I stared at her.
"That's a lie."
"I know what we've found so far."
I felt the anger rising.
"Then why are we talking about it?"
"Because whoever planned this is trying to turn the investigation against you."
I looked down at the envelope in my hand.
Daniel Price.
My attorney.
My father's former friend.
A man who had known me since college.
He had sat across from me after Elena's funeral and told me to sign papers I couldn't even read through my tears.
He had said he would protect Lily's future.
Now he was trying to take her from me.
I opened the envelope.
Inside were photocopies of foundation transactions, insurance documents, and handwritten notes.
The first page contained a message from Elena.
Marcus,
If you're reading this, something has happened to me.
Do not trust Adrian Cole, Vanessa Cole, or Daniel Price.
They have been stealing from the foundation and preparing fraudulent legal documents.
Most importantly, protect Lily.
I stopped reading.
My hands shook.
Brooks watched silently.
I continued.
Daniel has prepared paperwork that could give Vanessa control of Lily's trust if you are declared incapable of managing your affairs.
I have copies of his emails and the original signed documents.
Please believe me.
I would never abandon our daughter.
I pressed the letter against my chest.
She had known.
Before she disappeared, Elena had known something terrible was coming.
And I had missed every warning.
I remembered the arguments we'd had during the weeks before her supposed accident.
She had seemed distracted.
She stayed up late.
She locked her office door.
Sometimes she asked strange questions.
"Marcus, if something happened to me, who would you trust with Lily?"
I had laughed.
"Nothing's going to happen to you."
Now those words haunted me.
Brooks took photographs of the letter and carefully packaged the evidence.
"We need forensic copies of everything on that drive."
"How long?"
"We have people working immediately."
I looked at my watch.
5:08.
Less than an hour before Vanessa's deadline.
I grabbed Brooks's arm.
"My daughter is out there."
"I know."
"She's six years old."
"I know, Mr. Bennett."
My voice broke.
"She's already spent fourteen months without her mother."
Brooks held my gaze.
"And we're going to do everything possible to bring her back."
A technician connected the drive to a forensic workstation brought to the house.
The first folders appeared.
Foundation Accounts.
Legal Correspondence.
Medical Records.
Then another folder.
Security Archive.
The technician opened it.
Dozens of video files appeared.
I leaned closer.
The first recording showed Elena in her office.
She looked healthy.
Beautiful.
Alive.
She was speaking directly toward a small camera.
"If anything happens to me, this recording explains why."
My knees weakened.
Elena continued.
"Adrian Cole has been routing foundation money through fraudulent medical charities. Vanessa helped create the accounts, and Daniel Price approved the transfers."
She looked frightened.
"I confronted them yesterday. Daniel threatened to have Marcus declared unstable if I told anyone."
Her voice cracked.
"They want control of Lily's inheritance."
I couldn't breathe.
Then Elena leaned closer.
"And there is something Marcus doesn't know."
The recording glitched.
The screen froze.
The technician tried another copy.
It contained the same interruption.
I stared at the frozen image.
"What doesn't she want me to know?"
Brooks frowned.
"We'll examine the file."
I looked at the timestamp.
The recording had been made three days before Elena's supposed accident.
Three days.
For three days, she had been carrying fear I knew nothing about.
And I had been too busy preparing a business expansion to notice.
My phone vibrated.
A message from Vanessa.
FORTY MINUTES.
I looked at Brooks.
"We have to move."
She nodded.
"Rescue teams are positioning near the warehouse."
"But Vanessa said to come alone."
"She'll see you arrive alone."
I stared at her.
"You can't guarantee she won't hurt Lily."
"No one can guarantee that."
Her honesty terrified me.
"But we have trained negotiators, surveillance, and a plan to reduce the risk."
I forced myself to breathe.
"Tell me what to do."
Thirty minutes later, I was driving toward the old textile warehouse.
The flash drive in my pocket was a carefully prepared copy.
I wore a plain black shirt.
No jacket.
No visible equipment except the phone Vanessa expected me to carry.
Police units followed at a distance.
The warehouse stood at the edge of an abandoned industrial park.
My grandfather had owned it decades earlier.
Now its windows were broken.
Weeds grew through the parking lot.
The building looked empty.
I parked.
Stepped out.
And called Vanessa.
"I'm here."
A moment passed.
Then she answered.
"Come inside."
"Where's Lily?"
"Bring the drive."
I walked toward the entrance.
My footsteps echoed against the concrete.
Inside, sunlight streamed through broken windows.
Dust floated in the air.
I saw a chair near the center of the floor.
A pink bow lay beside it.
My stomach twisted.
"LILY!"
No answer.
I walked farther.
"Vanessa!"
A voice came from above.
"Stop there."
I looked up.
Vanessa stood on a steel walkway overlooking the warehouse floor.
Her hair was loose.
Her face looked exhausted.
She held a phone in one hand.
"Where's my daughter?"
She smiled.
"Still giving orders."
I reached into my pocket.
"I have the drive."
"Put it on the floor."
"Let me see Lily."
Vanessa stared at me.
Then she nodded toward a doorway behind her.
A man stepped out.
Adrian Cole.
He was holding Lily's hand.
My daughter began crying when she saw me.
"DADDY!"
I took a step forward.
Adrian pulled her back.
"Stay where you are."
I froze.
Lily sobbed.
"Please take me home!"
I looked at Vanessa.
"She's a child."
Vanessa's expression flickered.
For one second, I thought she might still have a conscience.
Then Adrian spoke.
"Hand over the drive."
I held it up.
"Let Lily come downstairs first."
Adrian smiled.
"You don't get to negotiate."
He reached into his jacket.
And pulled out a small black device.
A remote control.
He raised it toward the far wall.
A red light began blinking.
I looked around.
Several metal containers stood beneath the walkway.
Wires ran from them toward a locked storage room.
Adrian's smile widened.
"One wrong move, Marcus, and nobody leaves this building."
Then Lily screamed.
Because behind Adrian, another person had stepped onto the walkway.
May you like
Daniel Price.
And he was carrying a folder marked with my daughter's name.
