Chapter 8 - THE WAREHOUSE
The police searched the warehouse.
We stayed outside.
Inside, they found boxes of documents.
Old photographs.
Hard drives.
Bank records.
And a wall covered with pictures of my family.
The person watching us had been building a file for years.
Then the police found a hidden room.
Inside was a desk.
On the desk was a laptop.
The screen was still on.
Rachel called me.
“You need to see this.”
I entered with my father.
The laptop showed a series of transactions.
The money came from Richard.
But the recipient wasn't a person.
It was a private security company.
The company had been hired to monitor me.
Who owned it?
Thomas.
My father's brother.
I looked at him.
“You?”
Thomas shook his head.
“I didn't authorize this.”
The police checked the records.
Someone had created a duplicate account using his identity.
Thomas stared at the screen.
“They framed me again.”
My father looked at the files.
“Who has access to Thomas's identity?”
Rachel turned pale.
“One person.”
“Who?”
She whispered:
“Daniel.”
I froze.
“Daniel?”
“He had access to company records.”
“But he's under investigation.”
“Yes.”
“Then how?”
Rachel opened another file.
Daniel had been released on bail.
He had disappeared.
My father immediately called the police.
But Daniel wasn't the mastermind.
He had been following instructions.
The laptop contained a video.
Daniel sat in a room.
Across from him was a woman.
I recognized her.
Madison's mother.
She was talking.
“You failed.”
Daniel looked terrified.
“I didn't know Emily would fight back.”
“She always was stubborn.”
“What happens now?”
“We move to Plan B.”
“What is Plan B?”
The woman leaned forward.
“Take the child.”
I felt the blood leave my face.
My father immediately grabbed my arm.
“My granddaughter.”
The video ended.
Rachel looked at me.
“We need to move her.”
I nodded.
My daughter was taken to a secure location.
Police surrounded the house.
The next morning, Daniel was arrested again.
He broke during questioning.
He confessed.
He told investigators where Madison's mother was staying.
She was arrested that afternoon.
But before being taken away, she said something to the officers.
“Emily doesn't understand.”
“What?”
“Her daughter isn't the target.”
The officer asked:
“Then who is?”
May you like
She smiled.
“Emily is.”
