Chapter 9 - THE WOMAN WHO NEVER LEFT
The station became completely silent.
Everyone waited for Olivia to say the name.
But she didn't.
She just stared at the floor.
Detective Mason slammed his hand on the table.
“Olivia, we don’t have time.”
“She’ll kill me.”
Margaret stepped closer.
“She?”
Olivia looked up.
“Yes.”
The word shocked everyone.
“The person behind all of this is a woman.”
Emily whispered:
“Who?”
Olivia closed her eyes.
“Your mother.”
Emily froze.
“No.”
Margaret immediately moved closer.
“Don’t do this.”
Olivia shook her head.
“I’m not saying she wanted Daniel dead.”
“Then explain.”
Olivia took a deep breath.
“Years ago, Daniel and his wife discovered something about the company.”
“What?”
“Illegal financial deals.”
Margaret remembered the files.
“The Silver Project.”
Olivia nodded.
“They were going to report it.”
“But my mother disappeared.”
“Yes.”
“Because someone stopped her?”
Olivia looked at her.
“Yes.”
The room went quiet.
Margaret’s mind raced.
“But why would Daniel hide this from Emily?”
“Because he was protecting her.”
Olivia looked at the little girl.
“Your father spent years trying to find your mother.”
Emily’s eyes filled with tears.
“Then why did he tell everyone she left?”
“Because he knew someone was watching.”
Margaret felt sick.
The entire story had been backwards.
Daniel wasn’t hiding the truth.
He was protecting it.
Suddenly, Detective Mason received another alert.
He checked his phone.
Then his face changed.
“What now?”
He turned the screen around.
A security photo appeared.
A woman entering a private building.
Margaret looked closer.
Her breath stopped.
The woman in the picture...
Was Emily’s mother.
Alive.
Standing there.
Detective Mason whispered:
“We found her.”
Emily stared at the image.
“My mom…”
But then Margaret noticed something else.
The timestamp.
The photo was taken yesterday.
That meant one thing.
Emily’s mother had been alive all this time.
And she had been close.
Very close.
Then Margaret’s phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
She answered.
A woman’s voice spoke softly.
“Margaret.”
Her blood went cold.
“Who is this?”
A pause.
Then:
“I know you found the truth.”
Margaret couldn’t breathe.
The woman continued:
“But if you want Emily to see her mother again…”
Silence.
“You need to stop looking.”
The call ended.
Margaret looked at Detective Mason.
Everyone understood.
The person they were searching for...
Was no longer hiding.
May you like
She was watching them.
And now she had Emily.
