Chapter 5: What Noah Remembered
I didn't let Special Agent Price leave without writing down her identification number.
She didn't seem concerned.
She slid the federal warrant into her briefcase, gave Collins a curt nod, and walked back to her sedan.
Before closing the door, she turned toward Noah.
The boy immediately hid behind his mother.
Price noticed.
Then she smiled.
It was the kind of smile people wore when they knew a secret nobody else could see.
The sedan pulled away.
Collins watched until it disappeared around the corner.
“I'm going to verify her credentials through an independent federal contact,” she said.
“Do you have one you trust?””
She hesitated.
“One.””
“Then call them.””
She walked several yards away and took out her phone.
I climbed into the ambulance beside Emily.
Noah sat against her shoulder, staring at the road through the open rear doors.
“Hey, buddy,” I said gently.
He didn't look at me.
“Did Agent Price scare you?””
He nodded.
“Why?””
His fingers tightened around the brass key.
“She was there that night.””
“What night?””
“The night Daddy disappeared.””
Emily closed her eyes.
“Sweetheart, you don't have to talk about that.””
“But he said I had to tell the truth.””
I moved closer, keeping my voice soft.
“Who's he?””
“Daddy.””
“What did he tell you?””
Noah stared at the key.
“That if the bad people came back, I had to tell the police what happened in the garage.””
Emily began to cry silently.
I waited.
Noah took a shaky breath.
“Daddy was putting things in a bag. Mommy was crying. Then someone knocked on the front door.””
“Who was it?””
“Miss Laura.””
I glanced toward Collins.
She was still on the phone, her back turned to us.
“Did you know her?””
“She used to come to our house. Daddy said she was a friend.””
“What happened when she arrived?””
Noah rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand.
“She told Daddy the police were coming. She said he had to leave right away.””
“And did he?””
“No. He said he needed to get Mommy and me first.””
Emily covered her mouth.
Noah continued.
“Then Mr. Vale came through the garage door.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“What did he do?””
“He was yelling. He said Daddy had stolen something that belonged to him.””
“Did your father have a gun?””
Noah shook his head.
“Mr. Vale did.””
Emily suddenly grabbed my sleeve.
“Please. Don't make him say any more.””
I looked at her.
“Emily, I need to know whether your husband is alive. This could help us find him.””
She stared at Noah, her face twisting with grief.
Then she nodded.
“Tell him, sweetheart.””
Noah took another breath.
“Daddy told me to hide in the laundry room. He said not to come out until Mommy called me.””
“Did you hear a gunshot?””
The boy nodded.
“One.””
“What happened next?””
“Mommy screamed.””
Emily began sobbing.
Noah leaned against her.
“I stayed in the laundry room because I was scared. Then Miss Laura opened the door. She told me Daddy had gone away.””
“Did you see your father after that?””
“No.””
“Did you see anyone take him?””
Noah hesitated.
Then he shook his head.
“But I saw blood on the floor.””
The ambulance suddenly felt too small.
I looked at Emily.
“Why didn't you tell the police?””
She wiped her cheeks.
“Because I didn't know who to trust. Laura told me that if I reported the shooting, Noah would be taken away from me. She said James had killed someone and that the police would blame me for helping him.””
“Did you believe her?””
“I believed that she could make it happen.””
“Why?””
Emily looked toward the road where Price's sedan had disappeared.
“Because Laura wasn't just an agent. She was the person who approved the identities in the witness-protection system. She had access to every record James was trying to expose.””
Collins returned to the ambulance.
“I spoke to a deputy U.S. marshal who worked with the real Laura Price. He confirmed her identity number, but he says she retired eighteen months ago.””
I turned toward Emily.
“You're certain the woman who came here was Laura Price?””
Emily nodded.
“I'm certain.””
Collins's expression hardened.
“Then someone has stolen a retired federal agent's credentials.””
“Or the agent never retired,” I said.
“No,” Collins replied.
“Either way, we have a serious problem.””
My phone vibrated again.
An incoming call from an unknown number.
I answered.
“Officer Bennett.””
A man's voice came through, distorted and breathless.
“Don't take the boy to the station.””
“Who is this?””
“Someone who wants him alive.””
“Where's James Carter?””
“Alive, for now.””
I stood so quickly that I struck my head against the ambulance ceiling.
“Where is he?””
“Get the key. Go to Unit 214. Don't bring Collins.””
The call ended.
I stared at the screen.
Collins noticed my expression.
“What happened?””
“Someone says James is alive.””
Emily gasped.
Noah lifted his head.
“Daddy?””
“I don't know, buddy.””
Collins held out her hand.
“Give me the phone.””
I did.
She studied the call log, then looked toward the industrial district.
“It's a trap.””
“Probably.””
“Then we don't go.””
“James might be alive.””
“And if Mercer wants us to believe that so we'll walk into a warehouse without backup?””
I looked at Noah.
He had begun crying quietly.
“Please,” he whispered.
“I want my daddy.””
I couldn't promise him that we'd find his father.
But I could promise him that we wouldn't stop looking.
I turned toward Collins.
“We take a separate vehicle. We establish surveillance from a distance. We don't enter until we confirm who's inside.””
She studied me for several seconds.
Then she nodded.
“Fine. But we do it my way.””
We arranged for Emily to be transported to a secure hospital room under an officer's protection. Before leaving, she caught my hand.
“There's something you need to know about James,” she said.
“What?””
“If he really is alive, he may not come willingly.””
“Why wouldn't he?””
Emily looked toward Noah.
“Because he believes our son is the reason Rebecca died.””
I frowned.
“That doesn't make sense.””
“It will when you find the ledger.””
She pressed a second piece of paper into my palm.
This one contained a series of numbers and a handwritten message.
*The truth is in the first recording.*
“What recording?””
Emily shook her head.
“James never told me. He only said that Rebecca left something behind before she died.””
I folded the paper and slipped it into my pocket.
Then I escorted Noah toward our patrol vehicle.
As we approached, he stopped.
“Officer Bennett?””
“Yeah, buddy?””
“If we find Daddy, will you tell him I didn't give the key away?””
I crouched beside him.
“Of course.””
He looked down at the brass key.
“I was going to give it to Miss Laura. She said she'd take me to him.””
My blood ran cold.
“When did she tell you that?””
“Before I ran away.””
I stared at him.
“Where?””
Noah pointed toward the street.
“She came to our house yesterday. She said Daddy was waiting at the blue door.””
I looked at Collins.
The blue door wasn't just a clue.
It was a promise someone had made to a seven-year-old child.
And whoever had made it knew exactly how to use his hope against him.
As we drove toward the warehouse district, Collins's phone rang.
She answered, listened, then turned to me.
“The hospital just called.””
“What happened?””
“Emily's room was empty.””
I slammed my foot against the brake.
“What?””
“The officer assigned to protect her was found unconscious. The room's window was locked from the inside.””
I stared at the road ahead.
Noah began to cry again.
Then Collins's phone rang a second time.
This time, she put it on speaker.
A woman's voice filled the car.
“Sergeant Collins, I have your witness.””
It was Laura Price.
“Come to the blue door,” she continued.
“Bring the boy, and I'll give Emily back.””
A pause.
Then she added, almost cheerfully:
May you like
“Come alone, or your sister's death will be the least of your regrets.””
The line went dead.
