Vincent stopped hearing everything except my last three words.<\/p>\n
Leo is gone.<\/p>\n
For one second he stood in the abandoned Alton office with Elena bleeding beside him, police shouting down the corridor, and Richard somewhere beyond the building.<\/p>\n
Then the world narrowed to his son.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean gone?\u201d<\/p>\n
My voice shook through the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean he was here, and now he isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMinutes ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
His breathing changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m looking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPut Reeves on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vincent looked across the room.<\/p>\n
Reeves was helping Torres secure Elena.<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
He had brought the head of estate security away from the estate at exactly the wrong time.<\/p>\n
That realization hit hard enough to make him dizzy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho\u2019s there with you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDr. Shah. Mrs. Harper. Six guards.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSix?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how does a seven-year-old disappear?\u201d<\/p>\n
I heard the fury beneath his fear.<\/p>\n
So did everyone around him.<\/p>\n
I forced my own voice steadier.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to answer that. Right now Lucas is safe. I need you to stay where police can protect you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m coming home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVincent\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m coming home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Torres heard him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy son has been taken.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe window is open.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat still doesn\u2019t mean\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not finish that sentence.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice stopped the room.<\/p>\n
Torres stared at him.<\/p>\n
Then she changed tactics.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Richard escaped this building, leaving now may put you directly into whatever he planned.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vincent looked toward the doorway through which officers had chased him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s exactly why I\u2019m leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena, still pale from the graze wound, reached for his sleeve.<\/p>\n
\u201cListen to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vincent stared at the woman with his dead wife\u2019s face.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy son is missing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her expression hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know what Richard does when people panic. That\u2019s when he owns them.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words landed.<\/p>\n
Vincent hated them because they were true.<\/p>\n
I remained on speakerphone.<\/p>\n
\u201cVincent.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked back at the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need you to trust me for ten minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face tightened.<\/p>\n
That word.<\/p>\n
Trust.<\/p>\n
After everything, it had become almost cruel.<\/p>\n
Yet he said, \u201cTen.\u201d<\/p>\n
I ended the call and turned toward Lucas.<\/p>\n
He stood near the guest-room doorway with his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white.<\/p>\n
Dr. Shah had one hand on his shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me again,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Lucas shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI already did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLeo was sleeping.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I went to the bathroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor how long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne minute? Five?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe two.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you came back?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe window was open.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Leo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGone.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward the bed.<\/p>\n
The blanket was thrown back.<\/p>\n
No signs of struggle.<\/p>\n
No blood.<\/p>\n
No broken furniture.<\/p>\n
The window opened onto the rear garden.<\/p>\n
Outside, the lawn descended toward a line of trees and an old stone wall.<\/p>\n
A guard stood beneath the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny tracks?\u201d I called.<\/p>\n
\u201cPartial footprints.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAdult or child?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
Lucas heard.<\/p>\n
His face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said he might\u2019ve gone by himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe still might have stepped outside first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not what adult footprints means.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was right.<\/p>\n
I crouched in front of him.<\/p>\n
\u201cLucas, did Leo talk to anyone tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPhone? Tablet?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he say he heard something?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
I watched his eyes move away.<\/p>\n
\u201cLucas.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said Mom was outside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Shah and I looked at each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Dad left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it wasn\u2019t Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you think it was?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer sister.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did Leo see her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said she was by the trees.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
Elena had been at Alton.<\/p>\n
Unless Leo saw someone else.<\/p>\n
Someone who resembled her.<\/p>\n
Impossible.<\/p>\n
Unless Richard had prepared another deception.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you look?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucas nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw a woman.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart pounded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she look like?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly?\u201d<\/p>\n
He hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cKind of.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was different?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShorter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena\u2019s hair was shorter than Isabella\u2019s had been.<\/p>\n
But Elena could not have been at the estate and Alton simultaneously.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did the woman do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe waved.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Leo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he wave back?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told him she wasn\u2019t Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucas\u2019s lower lip trembled.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe got mad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said maybe Mom wasn\u2019t dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sentence hurt more than I expected.<\/p>\n
I put one hand on his arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t do anything wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI should\u2019ve told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did not lie to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should have.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you\u2019re seven. Adults were supposed to keep both of you safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Shah looked at me, but she understood.<\/p>\n
False reassurance would not help this child.<\/p>\n
A guard entered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found something.\u201d<\/p>\n
He held out a small plastic object.<\/p>\n
Leo\u2019s emergency medical bracelet.<\/p>\n
The band had been cut.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNear the wall.\u201d<\/p>\n
That meant someone did not simply lead him away.<\/p>\n
Someone removed identification.<\/p>\n
I felt cold all over.<\/p>\n
\u201cSearch beyond the wall.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlready doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs. Harper appeared in the hall.<\/p>\n
Her face was gray.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s another way out.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the old garden.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat way?\u201d<\/p>\n
She swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cService road.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere does it lead?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorth gate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe north gate is locked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt used to connect to a staff lane.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUsed to?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe gate was sealed years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan it still open?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked miserable.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course it could.<\/p>\n
Every part of this estate contained some forgotten door, old passage, or privilege that Richard had known better than the family who lived there.<\/p>\n
\u201cShow me.\u201d<\/p>\n
We ran.<\/p>\n
Lucas came after us.<\/p>\n
Dr. Shah caught him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know the path.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat path?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Lucas pointed toward the trees.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeo and I found it last summer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs. Harper stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a little door in the wall.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you tell anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Leo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho else knew you found it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucas thought.<\/p>\n
Then whispered, \u201cDr. Blake.\u201d<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
Every childhood detail had flowed toward one of Richard\u2019s channels.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you tell him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked what we did outside.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes for half a second.<\/p>\n
\u201cShow us.\u201d<\/p>\n
We moved fast.<\/p>\n
Two guards accompanied us.<\/p>\n
The stone wall rose behind an overgrown hedge.<\/p>\n
Lucas pushed branches aside and revealed a rusted iron gate barely three feet high.<\/p>\n
A child\u2019s secret passage.<\/p>\n
Except the lock had been cut.<\/p>\n
Recently.<\/p>\n
Beyond it lay a narrow trail.<\/p>\n
Fresh tire marks scarred the dirt.<\/p>\n
Motorcycle or small utility vehicle.<\/p>\n
One guard crouched.<\/p>\n
\u201cATV.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDirection?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorth.\u201d<\/p>\n
The old staff lane.<\/p>\n
We followed.<\/p>\n
Twenty yards in, we found Leo\u2019s slipper.<\/p>\n
Then nothing.<\/p>\n
No child.<\/p>\n
No vehicle.<\/p>\n
No Richard.<\/p>\n
The north gate stood open.<\/p>\n
The security chain had been severed.<\/p>\n
On the road outside, tire tracks vanished into gravel.<\/p>\n
I called Vincent again.<\/p>\n
This time I did not soften anything.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone took him.\u201d<\/p>\n
His silence lasted two seconds.<\/p>\n
Then, \u201cRichard?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas the woman Elena?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Elena was with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
His breathing sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did.<\/p>\n
The woman at the trees.<\/p>\n
The cut bracelet.<\/p>\n
The hidden gate.<\/p>\n
The ATV tracks.<\/p>\n
Lucas\u2019s admission.<\/p>\n
When I finished, he said, \u201cI\u2019m leaving Alton now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Torres took the phone from him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re moving too. Local units are closing roads.\u201d<\/p>\n
I heard doors slamming.<\/p>\n
Reeves was shouting coordinates.<\/p>\n
Elena said something in the background.<\/p>\n
Then Torres asked me, \u201cAny cameras on the north road?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Mrs. Harper.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne old traffic camera near the county turnoff.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPublic?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Torres ended the call and went to work.<\/p>\n
Back at the estate, the minutes became brutal.<\/p>\n
Lucas refused to sleep.<\/p>\n
He sat at the kitchen table wrapped in a blanket, answering every question police asked.<\/p>\n
What was Leo wearing?<\/p>\n
Gray pajamas.<\/p>\n
Blue socks.<\/p>\n
One slipper now missing.<\/p>\n
Did he have shoes?<\/p>\n
No.<\/p>\n
Coat?<\/p>\n
No.<\/p>\n
Medication?<\/p>\n
No.<\/p>\n
That last detail frightened Dr. Shah.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe can miss tonight,\u201d she said. \u201cBut depending on how long he\u2019s gone\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucas stared at her.<\/p>\n
She stopped.<\/p>\n
Another ten minutes passed.<\/p>\n
Then one of the guards rushed in.<\/p>\n
\u201cTraffic camera got something.\u201d<\/p>\n
We crowded around the monitor.<\/p>\n
At 10:43 p.m., a dark utility vehicle passed the county camera.<\/p>\n
Driver in cap and jacket.<\/p>\n
Passenger beside him.<\/p>\n
Small figure.<\/p>\n
Leo.<\/p>\n
He was awake.<\/p>\n
He appeared frightened.<\/p>\n
But he was not restrained.<\/p>\n
I leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s someone in back.\u201d<\/p>\n
The frame was blurry.<\/p>\n
A third figure.<\/p>\n
Adult.<\/p>\n
We enhanced the next still as much as possible.<\/p>\n
A face appeared through the rear window.<\/p>\n
Not Richard.<\/p>\n
Not Anton Vale.<\/p>\n
Mrs. Harper made a sound.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, God.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know him?\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cEthan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her son.<\/p>\n
The man she had claimed Richard framed for embezzlement.<\/p>\n
The son whose threatened prison sentence had kept her silent for years.<\/p>\n
Ethan Harper was in the vehicle with Leo.<\/p>\n
Mrs. Harper gripped the edge of the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWouldn\u2019t what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHurt a child.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Richard still have leverage over him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said he admitted the embezzlement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe served eighteen months.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere has he been since?\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared at the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorking odd jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor who?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer no longer satisfied anyone.<\/p>\n
Lucas spoke from behind us.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs. Harper turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucas pointed to Ethan\u2019s face.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came to the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLots of times.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs. Harper looked stunned.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLucas, Ethan has not been inside this house for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t come inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did you see him?\u201d<\/p>\n
The boy looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the woods.\u201d<\/p>\n
The adults went silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe brought things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat things?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBoxes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse spiked.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucas swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cDr. Blake.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Ethan had not simply been Richard\u2019s leverage.<\/p>\n
He had become part of the network.<\/p>\n
Maybe willingly.<\/p>\n
Maybe not.<\/p>\n
The front doors opened.<\/p>\n
Vincent entered with Torres, Reeves, and Elena.<\/p>\n
He crossed the room directly to Lucas.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is your brother?\u201d<\/p>\n
The boy burst into tears.<\/p>\n
Vincent dropped to his knees.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI should\u2019ve told Claire about the lady.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI should\u2019ve stopped him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are his brother, not his bodyguard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vincent pulled him close.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to bring him home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucas clung to him.<\/p>\n
Behind them, Elena stared at the frozen image of Ethan Harper.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that man.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs. Harper looked up sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena stepped closer to the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was at Alton.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d Torres asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYears ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFour.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vincent looked over.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe day Isabella died?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was there with Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs. Harper\u2019s face crumpled.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw him carrying cartridges.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room changed.<\/p>\n
Ethan had not merely helped recently.<\/p>\n
He had been involved from the beginning.<\/p>\n
Mrs. Harper shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. No, Richard forced him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe,\u201d Elena said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know my son.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena looked at her with painful gentleness.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo did Isabella.\u201d<\/p>\n
That broke something in Mrs. Harper.<\/p>\n
She sat down.<\/p>\n
Torres turned to Reeves.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrack Ethan\u2019s phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlready trying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo active device.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVehicle registration?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStolen plates.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vincent said, \u201cRichard planned this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Torres nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cLikely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew we\u2019d find Alton.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe used Elena to draw us there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t bring you there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. But he knew the message would.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd while we were all away,\u201d Reeves said, \u201csomeone took Leo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vincent stared at the traffic-camera image.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere would Ethan go?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs. Harper wiped her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vincent looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are done not knowing.\u201d<\/p>\n
She flinched.<\/p>\n
Then something changed in her expression.<\/p>\n
A memory.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had a place.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn old hunting cabin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis father\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNear Lake Waramaug.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reeves was already moving.<\/p>\n
Mrs. Harper grabbed his sleeve.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEthan hated Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Richard promised the embezzlement charge would disappear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo why keep working for him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her answer chilled us.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause after Ethan got out, Richard told him the only way to clear his name was to finish what Isabella started.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vincent stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena whispered, \u201cMaybe Ethan thinks Richard isn\u2019t the enemy.\u201d<\/p>\n
We all looked at her.<\/p>\n
She turned toward Vincent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if Richard convinced him you are?\u201d<\/p>\n
The possibility sharpened the danger.<\/p>\n
A bitter son.<\/p>\n
A ruined life.<\/p>\n
A wealthy family he had been told caused everything.<\/p>\n
A sick child connected to the man he blamed.<\/p>\n
Vincent\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet me to that cabin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Torres nodded.<\/p>\n
This time she did not argue.<\/p>\n
As everyone moved, Lucas caught my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
His face had gone pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI remembered what Leo said before he disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat the lady told him Dad killed Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vincent stopped hearing everything except my last three words. Leo is gone. For one second he stood in the abandoned Alton office with Elena bleeding beside him, police shouting down … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5873,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chapter-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5886"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5886\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5906,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5886\/revisions\/5906"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}