Chapter 11 - THE BLUE HERON
Police vehicles left through the front gate without sirens. I stayed with David, Teresa, and my mother in a small office overlooking the service road.
The wedding guests had been told the ceremony was canceled. Some left quietly. Others sent messages. I couldn’t bring myself to read them.
Victoria sat across the room, still in her gown, while an officer took her statement. She kept insisting she had never authorized Graham to take Leo.
I finally walked over.
“If you know anything about that building, tell them.”
“I told them about the showroom.”
“Tell them what you haven’t told me.”
She looked past me to my mother. “Graham said he could get us out of the loan if you bought the warehouse.”
“Us?”
“North Quay borrowed more than Owen told you. I signed a personal guarantee.”
“So you planned to use my money.”
“I planned to ask for help.”
“You tried to take it from Leo’s tablet.”
She shook her head. “I did open your archived files on it. I wanted to know what Graham had on you. But I didn’t request the wire.”
“Why use Leo’s tablet?”
“Because you never signed out of your account.”
She said it so plainly that I had to look away.
A detective entered with a map on his phone. “Ms. Hale, where is the back exit?”
Victoria pointed to a narrow lane behind the warehouse. “Here. It leads to a dock.”
“Any other way in?”
“A side door beside the loading bay. The lock sticks.”
The detective thanked her and stepped away.
“Julian,” she said, “I know what I said about Leo.”
“Yes.”
“I was angry. I was talking to Owen. I didn’t mean—”
“You made plans for his room. You wrote a schedule.”
“I thought I could change your mind.”
“You meant every word.”
She had no answer.
My phone rang. Graham again. The detective signaled for me to answer on speaker.
“You’re late,” Graham said.
“I need time to get the money.”
“You already called the bank.”
“Three million dollars takes more than a few minutes.”
A pause. Then Leo made a small sound in the background.
“Let me talk to him,” I said.
“He can’t talk.”
“Then hold the phone where he can hear me.”
The detective nodded.
I spoke softly. “Hey, buddy. It’s Dad. I’m here.”
Leo went quiet. My throat tightened.
A loud bang sounded through the call. Graham swore. Someone else shouted, “They’re at the loading bay!”
The line went dead.
I looked at the detective. His radio crackled.
May you like
“Officers inside,” a voice said. “Suspect moving toward the dock.”
Then another voice: “We have a child, but we can’t confirm identity.”
