Chapter 13 - The Name on the Passport
Mark reached the hospital family room in six minutes.
Rosie’s blanket lay on the floor.
The stuffed rabbit had been torn open.
The rear service door stood ajar.
A security camera showed Diane wearing a county jacket and identification badge.
She walked beside Rosie while holding her hand.
Rosie did not appear to be struggling.
“Why did Rosie go with her?”
Caroline covered her mouth.
“Diane told her you were hurt.”
Mark stared at the screen.
“She used me to make Rosie obey.”
Detective Cole received an alert from the airport.
A passport belonging to a child named Rose Miller had been scanned at a private terminal.
The photograph belonged to Rosie.
A charter plane was scheduled to depart in forty minutes.
Mark and the police reached the terminal as the aircraft began moving.
Patrol vehicles blocked the runway.
The pilot shut down the engines.
Officers boarded.
Diane was not inside.
Rosie’s coat rested on one seat.
The flight attendant appeared confused.
“The grandmother and child never boarded.”
“Who gave you the passport?”
“A driver.”
“Describe him.”
The driver was one of Richard’s security employees.
He was arrested outside the terminal.
After twenty minutes of questioning, he admitted the airport had been a diversion.
Diane had taken Rosie south in a rented car.
Mark wanted to hit the wall.
Instead, he forced himself to think like his mother.
Diane did not want only money.
She wanted control.
She wanted to punish Mark for exposing her.
She would choose a place connected to Emily.
Laura searched the documents on Emily’s phone.
One property appeared repeatedly.
A small cottage on the coast had belonged to Emily’s father.
The cottage was included in Rosie’s trust.
Diane had tried to sell it twice.
The trust company had refused.
Mark showed the address to Detective Cole.
“It is three hours south.”
The police issued another alert.
Mark left with Detective Cole.
Halfway to the coast, Mark received a video message.
Diane sat in the cottage living room.
Rosie was beside her.
A locked chain circled the front door.
Diane smiled at the camera.
“You have always forced me to clean up your disasters.”
Rosie stared down at her hands.
“Release the accounts.”
“Withdraw every accusation.”
“Tell the police Bethany planned everything.”
“Then I will leave Rosie somewhere safe.”
Mark called her.
Diane answered.
“Let me speak to my daughter.”
“You do not make the rules.”
“You have lost.”
“You kidnapped her.”
“You helped Richard hide Emily’s death.”
“The recordings are with the police.”
For the first time, Diane’s confidence slipped.
“You are lying.”
“Emily recorded both of you.”
Diane looked away from the camera.
Rosie raised her head.
“Daddy?”
“I’m here, sweetheart.”
“I am coming.”
Diane grabbed the phone.
“You are not coming anywhere.”
“You should look outside.”
Diane moved toward the window.
Police vehicles were still more than an hour away.
Mark had lied.
Diane saw only the empty coastal road.
She smiled again.
“You still think anger makes you powerful.”
“No.”
Mark’s voice remained calm.
“My anger made me predictable.”
“You built your entire plan around it.”
“So I stopped reacting.”
“I started listening.”
Diane’s smile faded.
Mark continued.
“Rosie has been giving me clues since the dining room.”
“What clues?”
“She called the room under the stairs dark.”
“She drew the quarry.”
“She hid Emily’s phone in her rabbit.”
“That was Emily.”
“No.”
“Emily hid the phone in the rabbit years ago.”
“Rosie found it when you took her.”
“She turned it on.”
Mark watched Diane look toward the torn stuffed animal.
“The phone has been transmitting its location.”
Diane ended the call.
Detective Cole looked at the tracking screen.
The signal began moving away from the cottage.
“She is running.”
The location crossed the rear garden.
Then it stopped near the cliffs.
Mark’s phone rang again.
This time Rosie was crying.
“Daddy, Grandma says we are going to see Mommy.”
Wind roared through the speaker.
May you like
Mark looked at Detective Cole.
“The cliffs.”
