Chapter 6
"Send me that document."
I barely recognized my own voice.
David hesitated.
"Daniel, I think you should let the investigators handle this."
"Send it."
A minute later, the file appeared on my phone.
I opened it.
At the bottom was Alicia's signature.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
I had seen that handwriting thousands of times.
Birthday cards.
School permission slips.
Little notes she used to leave beside my morning coffee.
The signature looked close.
But it wasn't hers.
There was something wrong with the final letter.
Alicia always finished her name with a small upward curve.
This signature ended in a sharp line.
I called Agent Carter.
"Someone forged my wife's signature."
She asked me to forward the file.
Twenty minutes later, she called back.
"Where did you get this?"
"Vanessa's attorney sent it to mine."
"Don't contact Vanessa."
"I wasn't planning to."
"Mr. Bennett, this may be significant."
I stared at the document.
"Significant enough to find my wife?"
"We're following the evidence."
I wanted to scream.
But I knew she was doing her job.
Anger wouldn't help Alicia.
Evidence might.
Over the next two days, investigators questioned several people connected to the Whitmore Foundation.
David helped preserve the electronic records Vanessa had shared.
Marcus provided the video of Mercer entering my house.
Rachel gave a formal statement about Alicia's photograph and the envelope.
And Maya began receiving support from a child therapist recommended by Rachel.
I attended the first session with her.
The therapist, Dr. Helen Ward, was gentle and patient.
She didn't force Maya to discuss the wedding.
Instead, she invited her to draw.
Maya drew a house.
A little girl.
A man holding her hand.
Then a woman standing far away.
Dr. Ward asked, "Who is that?"
Maya whispered, "Mommy."
"And where is Mommy?"
Maya stared at the drawing.
"She's trying to come home."
I pressed my lips together.
Dr. Ward looked at me.
I knew what she was thinking.
My daughter had been waiting for three years.
And somehow, despite everything, she still believed in the woman who had once promised never to leave her.
That afternoon, Agent Carter called.
"We have a possible location."
I stood so quickly my chair fell backward.
"Where?"
"A private residence outside Savannah."
"Is Alicia there?"
"We have reason to believe Rebecca Sloan helped transfer a woman matching your wife's description to that property."
"Then go get her!"
"We're coordinating with local authorities."
I closed my eyes.
"Please."
"Daniel, listen carefully. We don't want anyone harmed because we moved too quickly."
I understood.
But understanding didn't make waiting easier.
That evening, Brooks arrived with another piece of news.
"Thomas Mercer has disappeared."
I stared at him.
"What?"
"His office is closed. His registered vehicles are gone. Investigators are looking for him."
"And Vanessa?"
"She's staying at her mother's house."
I almost laughed.
"Of course she is."
Brooks sat across from me.
"Daniel, there's something I've been meaning to ask."
"Go ahead."
"When Alicia disappeared, did she ever mention a woman named Celeste?"
I frowned.
"No."
"Think carefully."
I closed my eyes.
Then a memory surfaced.
Alicia sitting at the kitchen table.
Her laptop open.
A frustrated expression on her face.
She had been discussing a coworker who suddenly stopped coming to work.
"Celeste Morgan," I said slowly.
Brooks nodded.
"That's her."
"What happened to her?"
"She was a bookkeeper at Willow Creek."
I remembered.
"Alicia said Celeste was afraid of losing her job."
Brooks leaned forward.
"Celeste died in a car accident six weeks before Alicia vanished."
My stomach twisted.
"Another accident?"
"That's what the report says."
I looked at him.
"You don't believe it."
"I think it's worth another look."
He placed a photograph on the table.
Alicia and Celeste stood together in a parking lot.
Behind them was a black SUV.
My chest tightened.
The vehicle looked exactly like the one in the photograph Rachel had kept.
Brooks pointed toward the driver's seat.
"Recognize him?"
I leaned closer.
Thomas Mercer.
Even through the windshield, I recognized his face.
I leaned back.
"How long have you had this?"
"Only since yesterday. Celeste's brother found it in an old email account."
I stared at the photograph.
Two women.
Both investigating financial fraud.
One dead.
One missing.
And the same man nearby.
I felt the room growing smaller.
"Detective, are you telling me these people killed Celeste?"
"I'm telling you we have reason to investigate whether her death was connected."
My phone rang.
Agent Carter.
I answered immediately.
"Daniel, we've located Rebecca Sloan."
My heart hammered.
"Is she cooperating?"
"Yes."
"Does she know where Alicia is?"
"She says she does."
I closed my eyes.
"Tell me."
"Rebecca claims Alicia was held at Willow Creek under another name. After the facility closed, she was moved twice."
I could barely speak.
"And now?"
"Rebecca identified the Savannah property."
I gripped the edge of the table.
"Then Alicia is there."
"We're verifying it now."
Behind Carter, I heard another voice.
Then a pause.
"Daniel, I need to go. We'll call as soon as we can."
The line disconnected.
I stood motionless.
Brooks placed a hand on my shoulder.
"She's close."
I nodded.
But the next call came from someone else.
Vanessa.
I almost declined it.
Then I remembered Alicia's warning.
I answered and put the phone on speaker.
"Daniel."
Her voice sounded strained.
"What do you want?"
"I know you found the documents."
I said nothing.
"Please listen to me."
"Did you forge Alicia's signature?"
Silence.
"Vanessa."
"I didn't do it."
"Then who did?"
Another pause.
"My mother."
I felt cold.
"Where is Alicia?"
Vanessa began crying.
"I don't know exactly."
"Stop lying."
"I'm not!"
I heard a sharp noise behind her.
A door opening.
Then Evelyn's voice.
"Who are you talking to?"
Vanessa whispered, "Daniel, there's something you need to understand."
"What?"
"My mother wasn't planning to let Alicia go."
A chill ran down my spine.
"Vanessa, what are you saying?"
Her breathing quickened.
"She found out Alicia was talking to investigators. She thinks Alicia still has the original records."
Then Vanessa said something I would never forget.
"Daniel, if your people are going to that house, you need to get them there before my mother does."
The call ended.
I immediately dialed Agent Carter.
When she answered, I didn't bother with a greeting.
"Your team needs to move."
"Why?"
"Because Evelyn knows where Alicia is."
May you like
My voice cracked.
"And I think she's on her way to make sure my wife never tells anyone what happened."
