Chapter 7: The Price of a Father's Fear
Detective Harris dropped his radio.
For several seconds, he simply stared at it, as if refusing to believe what he had heard.
Then he reached for his phone.
His hands were shaking.
"Call my wife," he whispered.
I shook my head.
"Don't.""
He looked at me angrily.
"That's my wife!""
"And someone just told you to come alone with a little girl. You think they'll let you speak to her?""
He grabbed my jacket.
"You don't understand. They know where she is.""
"Then we need to find out who has her.""
Harris pushed past me and walked toward the kitchen.
Lily immediately hid behind Maggie.
"Where is he going?"" she whispered.
"He's scared," I answered.
She looked toward the front windows.
"So am I.""
That sentence hurt more than anything Daniel had said.
I crouched beside her.
"Listen to me. Nobody is taking you anywhere tonight. I promise.""
She studied my face.
Then she signed.
*PROMISE?*
I nodded.
*PROMISE.*
Behind us, Harris was arguing on the phone.
"Pick up, Linda! Come on!""
A moment later, he slammed his fist against the counter.
"No answer.""
Maggie approached him.
"Detective, when did you last speak to your wife?""
"An hour ago.""
"Did she say where she was going?""
"She was taking Grace's old clothes to her sister's house.""
His voice broke.
"She always does that. Every Thursday.""
I looked at the clock.
9:46 p.m.
"What's her sister's address?""
Harris gave it to me.
I called 911 and requested officers to check the property. Then I asked for confirmation that the responding units were not connected to the county department.
The dispatcher hesitated.
"Sir, we cannot guarantee that.""
"Then contact the state highway patrol.""
Harris looked at me.
"You're bringing outsiders into this?""
"Your local department has a leak.""
He looked down.
"I know.""
That was the first honest thing he'd said all night.
Maggie placed a fresh cup of coffee in front of him.
"Drink something, detective.""
"I don't want coffee.""
"Neither did my husband when he was dying. I gave him some anyway.""
Harris stared at her.
She softened.
"Your wife needs you thinking clearly.""
He finally took the cup.
Then his phone vibrated.
A photograph appeared.
Linda Harris was sitting in the driver's seat of her car. Her hands were tied. A strip of tape covered her mouth.
Behind her was a familiar white wall.
Harris nearly dropped the phone.
"That's the farmhouse.""
I looked at the picture.
A narrow window.
Three vertical cracks in the plaster.
And something hanging on the wall behind her.
A framed picture of a red bicycle.
I remembered Lily mentioning a bicycle.
"Do you recognize that room?"" I asked.
Lily approached.
She stared at the photograph.
Then she signed rapidly.
I translated.
"She says it's the upstairs room. The one where they keep the children before moving them.""
Harris looked at her.
"Have you seen my daughter there?""
Lily nodded.
"Is Grace alive?""
Another nod.
Harris covered his face.
Then Lily added something.
I watched her hands.
*SHE HAS A SECRET.*
"What secret?""
Lily looked toward the front door.
"Grace knows where they keep the keys.""
Harris stood.
"Then we go there now.""
I stopped him.
"Not without a plan.""
He looked ready to explode.
"My wife is in that building!""
"And there are seven children inside. If we rush in blindly, we could get all of them killed.""
He stared at me.
For a moment, I thought he might hit me.
Then he slowly sat down.
"Tell me what to do.""
I looked at Maggie.
"Can you keep Lily here with the doors locked?""
Maggie nodded.
"Of course.""
Lily grabbed my sleeve.
"You're leaving?""
"Just for a little while.""
She shook her head.
"Don't go.""
I knelt.
"Sweetheart, I need to help the other children.""
She looked at the bracelet on her wrist.
Then she removed it.
"Take this.""
I accepted it.
"Why?""
She pointed to the engraved number.
"Grace has the other part.""
I turned the bracelet over.
There was something engraved on the inside that I hadn't noticed before.
A small sequence of letters.
*R-17.*
Harris stared at it.
"That's not a bracelet number.""
"What is it?""
He swallowed.
"That's a property designation.""
"Where?""
He looked toward the photograph.
"An abandoned residential treatment facility outside Broken Arrow.""
I studied the image again.
The farmhouse might have been a temporary holding location.
But the children were probably being kept somewhere else.
Harris suddenly received another message.
This time, it was a voice recording.
A woman's frightened voice whispered:
"Michael, if you can hear this, don't bring Lily. They know everything. They know about the bracelets. They know about the storage unit.""
Harris played it again.
Then the voice said something else.
"Daniel isn't in charge. The person signing the transfers is someone you trust.""
The recording ended.
Harris slowly lowered his phone.
I asked the obvious question.
"Who has access to those transfer documents?""
He looked at me.
His lips moved.
But he didn't speak.
May you like
Then, finally, he whispered:
"The county sheriff.""
