Chapter 5 - THE CHILD VANISHES
Adrian reached the mansion in twelve minutes.
Rachel was waiting at the entrance.
She looked ready to collapse.
“Where was she?”
“In the kitchen.”
“Who was with her?”
“One of the catering staff.”
“Which one?”
“He’s gone.”
Adrian turned to security.
“Lock every gate.”
His head of security, Marcus Doyle, stepped forward.
“Already done.”
Adrian looked at him.
“What vehicles left?”
Marcus checked his tablet.
“One service SUV.”
“Damaged left taillight?”
Marcus slowly looked up.
“Yes.”
Adrian’s expression hardened.
“Who signed it out?”
Marcus hesitated.
“Your mother.”
Margaret appeared behind them.
“That’s ridiculous.”
Marcus showed the electronic log.
Her identification code.
Her authorization.
Her vehicle request.
Margaret shook her head.
“Someone used my credentials.”
Adrian stared at her.
“Where is Emma?”
“I don’t know.”
Rachel stepped toward Margaret.
“You better pray that’s true.”
Margaret recoiled.
“How dare you?”
Rachel’s grief exploded.
“That is my baby!”
The room fell silent.
For the first time, Margaret Westwood had no answer.
Adrian opened the security system.
Several cameras had gone offline six minutes before Emma disappeared.
Someone knew the mansion.
Someone knew the system.
Then Adrian noticed a figure on one surviving camera.
Madison.
Entering the west hallway.
Twenty minutes earlier.
She had been carrying a black coat.
Now she wasn’t.
“Where is Madison?”
Nobody answered.
Adrian ran upstairs.
Her guest suite was empty.
Her luggage was gone.
Natalie entered behind him.
“She ran.”
Adrian spotted a drawer left open.
Inside were airline tickets.
One-way.
Chicago to Montreal.
Departure in two hours.
Rachel appeared.
“You think she took Emma?”
Adrian saw something beneath the tickets.
A printed photograph.
Claire standing outside the boathouse.
Beside her was a man Adrian didn’t recognize.
The date on the photograph was two days before Claire’s death.
On the back, someone had written:
HE KNOWS WHO CUT THE BRAKE LINE.
Adrian handed it to Natalie.
“Who is that?”
Natalie stared.
Then her eyes widened.
“I’ve seen him before.”
“Where?”
“At Claire’s funeral.”
Adrian felt sick.
“Who is he?”
Natalie whispered:
“He was the police officer who told us Claire’s death was an accident.”
Adrian’s phone buzzed.
A video message.
Emma appeared on screen, crying inside a dark room.
Rachel screamed her name.
A gloved hand entered the frame and placed a knife on the table beside the child.
Then a voice said:
“Midnight.”
The camera moved closer to Emma.
“One recorder.”
A pause.
“One child.”
The video ended.
May you like
It was 10:47 p.m.
They had seventy-three minutes.
