Chapter 14 - The Woman Who Stayed
Isabella called Annie first.
No answer.
Calder had officers at Annie’s temporary address within minutes. Annie and Leo were safe inside. Leo’s backpack was missing because June had borrowed it to bring his extra clothes from the childcare center.
June wasn’t answering her phone.
“Celia took the bag to make you think she had Leo,” Calder said.
“Where’s June?”
“We’re looking.”
A second message arrived.
The marina. Twenty minutes.
Isabella showed Calder. She was already calling her team.
“You’re staying here,” Calder said.
“No. Celia wants me. If she sees police and I’m absent, she might hurt June.”
Calder considered that. Then she explained exactly how they would approach, where Isabella would stand, and what she should do if Celia moved toward her.
Mara objected. Isabella listened. She was frightened, but June had protected Leo before she knew who Isabella was. She would not leave her alone.
At the marina, rain blew sideways between the docked boats. Isabella stepped out beneath a bright security lamp. Calder and two officers stayed out of sight nearby.
Celia stood under the roof of a locked supply shed. June sat inside, visible through the window. Her wrists were tied, but she was awake.
“Come closer,” Celia called.
“I can hear you.”
“You brought them.”
“I brought myself.”
Celia gave a bitter laugh. “You always did think you could control every room.”
“You took my son.”
“I found him a home.”
“You told me he died.”
Celia’s face tightened. “Dante would have handed you everything once he was born. You would have changed the trust and cut me out.”
“I might have. You were stealing from the foundation.”
“You couldn’t prove it then.”
“I can now.”
Celia stepped toward her. “I built this family while you were still learning its name.”
“You used a baby to keep your money.”
For a moment, Celia looked directly at Isabella’s stomach. Isabella felt a rush of fear and held her ground.
“Open the shed,” she said. “Let June go.”
Celia reached into her coat. Calder called out from behind a boat, ordering her to show her hands.
Celia pulled out a key, not a weapon. She threw it into the water.
Then she ran.
An officer intercepted her near the end of the dock. Calder broke the shed lock and freed June. Isabella stayed with her until the ambulance arrived.
“I’m sorry about the bag,” June said through chattering teeth.
“Leo’s safe,” Isabella told her. “You’re safe.”
Celia was placed in a police car. As Calder closed the door, Celia leaned toward the window.
“You still don’t know who signed the first form,” she told Isabella.
Isabella felt the words settle in her chest.
“Whose signature is it?”
May you like
Celia smiled once.
“Ask the man who held your hand in the hospital.”
