Chapter 11 - DIANE'S NAME
The call had not actually come from Diane Hale.
It came from a prepaid phone registered using her identity.
Someone had also accessed an old Hale family account.
Brooks believed Victor had done it.
Cole wasn't convinced.
Victor had spent years hiding behind other people.
Using Diane's name felt personal.
Richard vanished less than thirty minutes after his release.
His car was found outside the courthouse.
Keys inside.
Phone on the seat.
No Richard.
Emily sat in the police station with Cole.
“I don't understand.”
Cole looked at her.
“Neither do I.”
“You think Dad is involved?”
“I think he knows more than he admitted.”
Emily stared at the floor.
“But you don't think he's working with Victor anymore.”
Cole shook his head.
“Not anymore.”
“Why?”
“Because scared men run differently from guilty men.”
Emily looked at him.
Cole continued.
“Your father sounded scared when he called me.”
Emily considered that.
Then Carol entered.
She had changed out of the robe.
She wore borrowed jeans and a police department sweatshirt.
For the first time, Emily looked at her without shock.
Carol sat across from them.
“Victor told me something.”
Cole leaned forward.
“What?”
“He said Richard ruined everything.”
“How?”
“Richard was supposed to convince Emily to sign guardianship paperwork voluntarily.”
Emily's face tightened.
Carol continued.
“But he couldn't.”
Cole remembered the scratches.
“What happened last night?”
Carol looked at Emily.
“Your father was trying to get you out.”
Emily stared at her.
“What?”
“When I arrived, Richard was furious.”
“He told me I had destroyed everything by coming.”
“Then he started shouting at you.”
Emily nodded.
“But when you tried to leave, he grabbed you.”
“Yes.”
Carol took a breath.
“Because Victor was outside.”
Silence.
Cole's expression changed.
“You saw him?”
Carol nodded.
“Across the street.”
Emily looked stunned.
“Dad was stopping me from walking outside?”
“I think so.”
Cole stood.
That didn't excuse Richard.
It didn't erase twenty-eight years of lies.
But it changed one important piece.
The scratches had not necessarily come from an attempt to imprison Emily.
They may have come from a panicked father trying to stop her from stepping into something worse.
Then Brooks rushed into the room.
“We found Richard.”
“Where?”
“County General.”
Emily stood.
“What happened?”
“He walked into the emergency department ten minutes ago.”
“Is he hurt?”
Brooks hesitated.
“He says Victor tried to kill him.”
Cole looked at Emily.
Then Brooks added something else.
“Richard says he knows where Victor is going next.”
Emily whispered.
“Where?”
May you like
Brooks looked directly at her.
“The hospital where you're planning to deliver your baby.”
