Chapter 8
Daniel survived.
The bullet passed through his shoulder.
Police stormed the office less than a minute later.
But Marcus was already gone.
So was Ryan.
He'd escaped through an old service staircase, taking Ryan with him.
Madison was rescued.
She was brought to Baylor Medical Center, shaken and bruised but alive.
I went to see her that evening.
Dad objected.
I went anyway.
Two security guards followed me.
Madison's room had flowers everywhere.
Expensive flowers.
Perfect flowers.
She sat on the bed looking very small.
When I entered, she turned her face away.
Her mother stood near the window.
Mrs. Blake looked exhausted.
“Emily.”
“Can I talk to Madison?”
She hesitated.
Then nodded.
“I'll be outside.”
When the door closed, silence filled the room.
Madison picked at the blanket.
“You came to see if I'm okay?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
I sat in the chair.
“Because I wanted to.”
She laughed weakly.
“If someone dumped a bucket on me, I wouldn't visit them.”
“I know.”
That made her look at me.
Her eyes filled.
“You must hate me.”
“I hated you yesterday.”
She flinched.
“Today is complicated.”
Madison nodded.
“Marcus didn't make me pour the water.”
“I know.”
“He told me things about you. But I chose to do it.”
“I know that too.”
“I thought you were poor.”
The words sounded uglier in the hospital room.
She closed her eyes.
“I can't believe I'm saying that like it explains anything.”
“It doesn't.”
“I know.”
Tears slid down her cheeks.
“My mother says I should tell everyone Marcus manipulated me.”
“He did.”
“But that's not why I was cruel.”
I didn't respond.
Madison wiped her face.
“I've spent my whole life thinking money meant we were better.”
She gave a broken laugh.
“Then Marcus tied me to a chair and I kept thinking, none of it matters. My shoes cost nine hundred dollars and I was still tied to a chair.”
I almost smiled.
She noticed.
“You think that sounds stupid.”
“A little.”
She laughed.
Then winced because her lip was bruised.
“I deserved that.”
“No.”
I leaned forward.
“You deserved suspension. You deserved consequences. You didn't deserve to be kidnapped.”
She looked down.
After a moment she whispered, “Ryan saved me.”
My chest tightened.
“What happened?”
“When Marcus fired, Ryan shoved the desk toward him. It distracted him long enough for me to crawl away.”
“Then Marcus took Ryan.”
“Yes.”
She started crying again.
“He told Ryan that if he didn't cooperate, he'd go back and finish his father.”
I swallowed hard.
“Did Marcus say where he was taking him?”
“No.”
“Anything? A name? A place?”
Madison thought.
“He kept talking about his father.”
“Samuel?”
“Yes.”
“He said something strange.”
“What?”
“He told Ryan, ‘Your father gave mine a new life. Now you're going to help me find it.’”
I leaned forward.
“Find it?”
“That's what he said.”
I called Dad.
Within fifteen minutes, investigators were interviewing Madison again.
I stood in the hallway with Richard Blake.
He looked at me.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Coming here.”
I shrugged.
He stared through the glass at his daughter.
“I've failed her.”
I didn't know what to say.
He continued.
“I gave her everything I thought she'd need.”
“Except maybe someone telling her no.”
He looked at me.
I expected anger.
Instead he nodded.
“Exactly.”
My father arrived.
Richard turned toward him.
The two men regarded each other.
Yesterday they had been business rivals.
Today their children were tied together by a kidnapping.
Dad finally said, “How is she?”
“Alive.”
Richard's voice cracked.
“Thanks to your daughter's friend.”
Dad looked away.
Ryan.
The guilt was crushing him.
I knew because it was crushing me too.
If Ryan hadn't defended me in the cafeteria, would any of this have happened?
Dad seemed to read my face.
“Don't.”
“What?”
“Whatever you're blaming yourself for.”
I swallowed.
“He went there because I called him.”
“He went there because his father was involved in something dangerous and because Marcus manipulated everyone.”
“I told him about Daniel.”
“And Daniel is his father. You couldn't control what Ryan did next.”
I hated that adults were always so logical when logic did nothing to make feelings hurt less.
Dana approached.
“We have something.”
We followed her into an empty consultation room.
She placed a map on the table.
“Daniel gave police the identity he created for Samuel Vale.”
Dad stared.
“He remembered it?”
“He says he never forgot.”
“Name?”
“Thomas Vance.”
Dana pointed to a town.
“Daniel arranged documents and cash. The last address he had was in Broken Bow, Oklahoma.”
Richard frowned.
“That's four hours away.”
“Police checked.”
“And?”
“No Thomas Vance currently lives there.”
I felt my hope collapse.
Dana continued.
“But someone with that name bought property there thirteen years ago.”
Dad looked up.
“Before Catherine died?”
“Yes.”
“Then Samuel was planning his disappearance earlier.”
“Possibly.”
“What property?”
“A cabin and twenty acres.”
I stared at the map.
“Does he still own it?”
“No. Sold eight years ago.”
“To who?”
Dana's expression changed.
“A company called Red Hollow Holdings.”
Dad went still.
He knew it.
“What?”
Dana slid over another sheet.
“Red Hollow Holdings was created by Daniel Mitchell.”
I felt cold.
“So Ryan's father bought Samuel's cabin?”
“Through a shell company.”
“Why?”
“We need Daniel conscious enough to answer.”
My phone rang.
Unknown number.
Everyone froze.
Dad reached for it.
I shook my head and answered on speaker.
“Hello?”
Ryan's voice.
“Emily?”
My knees almost gave out.
“Ryan!”
“Don't talk loudly.”
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Where are you?”
“I don't know.”
In the background I heard wind.
Maybe a vehicle.
“Marcus has me in a truck.”
Dad motioned for Dana to trace the call.
Ryan continued.
“He thinks my dad knows where Samuel is.”
“Police are looking.”
“He wants the cabin.”
I stared at the map.
“The one in Broken Bow?”
Silence.
“How do you know?”
“We found it.”
Ryan exhaled shakily.
“Then you're ahead of him.”
“What does that mean?”
“He doesn't know exactly where it is. He found an old deed but part of the address is missing.”
I looked at Dana.
She immediately copied the address.
“Ryan, listen to me. Don't tell him.”
“I wasn't planning to.”
A sound came from his side.
Ryan lowered his voice.
“Emily, there's something else.”
“What?”
“I saw papers in Marcus's bag.”
“What papers?”
“Your mom's.”
My heartbeat jumped.
“What did they say?”
“Most of it was too fast. But there was a photograph.”
“Of who?”
“Your mom.”
He hesitated.
“With Samuel.”
“So?”
“Emily, it was dated two years after your mother died.”
Every person in the room stopped moving.
“That isn't possible.”
“I know.”
“Are you sure?”
“The date was printed on the back.”
Dad stepped closer.
“Ryan, what did the photograph show?”
Ryan recognized his voice.
“Mr. Carter?”
“Yes.”
Ryan breathed shakily.
“Mrs. Carter was standing beside Samuel Vale outside a diner.”
Dad's face turned gray.
“Where?”
“Broken Bow.”
I stared at him.
“Dad?”
He didn't answer.
Ryan whispered, “Someone's coming.”
“Ryan—”
“I have to go.”
“Wait!”
The line died.
I looked at Dad.
“My mother died six years ago.”
His voice barely worked.
“Yes.”
“Ryan says there is a photograph of her two years after that.”
“I heard him.”
“Then either the photograph is fake…”
May you like
Dad stared at the map of Oklahoma.
“…or I buried someone who wasn't your mother.”
