Chapter 6 - THE DAY LILY DISAPPEARED
Claire had never been afraid of the dark until the night Lily vanished from her bedroom.
At 2:13 a.m., she woke to a faint sound in the hallway.
She checked Lily's room.
The bed was empty.
The window stood open.
And the pink stuffed rabbit Lily slept with every night lay abandoned on the floor.
Claire screamed her daughter's name.
Within minutes, the townhouse filled with police officers.
Vincent arrived barefoot, wearing the same black shirt he'd worn to bed.
"Where is she?"
Claire could barely speak.
"She's gone."
Vincent took her shoulders.
"Look at me. We're going to find her."
For the first time since their separation, Claire let herself lean against him.
Not because she had forgiven him.
Because their daughter needed both parents.
Leo entered carrying a tablet.
"The exterior cameras show a delivery van leaving at 1:48."
"License plate?" Vincent demanded.
"Stolen."
Vincent turned to his men.
"Shut down every road out of the city."
Dana Brooks intervened.
"That could alert the kidnappers. We need to follow the evidence quietly."
Vincent's eyes flashed.
"Someone took my child."
"And if you start a war, they may decide she's no longer useful alive."
The words silenced him.
Claire gripped the edge of the table.
"Why would anyone want Lily?"
Dana looked at the notebook.
"Leverage. Your daughter is the fastest way to force you to surrender the trust."
Vincent turned toward Claire.
"Do you know where the records are?"
She shook her head.
"I gave everything to the investigator."
Dana nodded.
"Which means the kidnappers may believe Claire still possesses the original evidence."
A phone rang.
Everyone froze.
Vincent answered on speaker.
A distorted voice filled the room.
"Mr. Moretti. You've been enjoying your freedom. Now it's time to pay for it."
"Where's my daughter?"
"Safe. For now."
Claire covered her mouth.
"Please. She's four years old."
The voice laughed.
"Then you should have thought about that before opening old graves."
Vincent's expression became terrifyingly calm.
"What do you want?"
"The original trust ledger. And the woman who knows where Anthony hid the final account."
"Who?"
A pause.
"Your mother-in-law."
Claire went rigid.
"My mother is dead."
The voice replied, "Elizabeth Hayes isn't the woman I'm talking about."
A photograph arrived on Vincent's phone.
It showed an elderly woman sitting in a hospital garden.
Claire recognized her immediately.
Her maternal grandmother, Margaret Hayes, whom she had been told died when Claire was twelve.
Beneath the photograph was an address.
May you like
And one final message.
BRING THE LEDGER TO THE ABANDONED CHICAGO STOCKYARDS. COME ALONE, OR LILY NEVER COMES HOME.
