Chapter 6 - the wedding became a trap)
Daniel wanted to call every police agency in the state.
Aaron wanted him to pretend the photograph had worked.
They argued in the study until two in the morning.
"You want me to marry her?"
"No."
"You just said continue the wedding."
"I said make them believe you're willing."
Daniel looked at Rachel's photograph.
"She's terrified."
"And alive."
"For now."
"Which means whoever sent this wants something."
Daniel knew what.
The marriage.
The revised trust.
The final transfer Thomas had mentioned.
Vanessa's legal authority over Reed assets would increase only after marriage and after Daniel signed a scheduled restructuring document.
Thomas had arranged for that document to be signed Monday morning.
Two days away.
Daniel stared toward the dark garden.
"So we announce the ceremony is back on."
Aaron nodded.
"We watch who moves."
"And Sophie?"
"She goes somewhere safe."
Daniel turned.
"No."
Aaron frowned.
Daniel explained.
"If Sophie suddenly disappears from Blackwood, they'll know we're changing the plan."
"She's six."
"I'm not using her as bait."
"Then don't."
Aaron leaned forward.
"Let them see her in the villa during the day. Tonight she goes with deputies to a secure location."
Martha refused to leave Sophie's side.
Daniel was grateful.
At breakfast, Daniel told Vanessa the police believed Rachel had staged parts of her disappearance.
Vanessa stared at him.
"Why?"
"They found evidence she may have been investigating the family trust."
Vanessa's fork stopped.
Daniel continued.
"Maybe she wanted money."
"Rachel?"
"I don't know."
Vanessa studied him.
"And the photograph?"
Daniel lied.
"Police think it may have been prepared earlier."
Vanessa looked down.
A few seconds later, she reached across the table.
"Daniel."
He forced himself not to pull away.
"I know yesterday was horrible."
He said nothing.
"We can still fix this."
He stared at her hand over his.
"You still want to get married?"
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Of course I do."
Daniel wondered how many of those tears were real.
"Then tomorrow."
She blinked.
"What?"
"Small ceremony. Family only. Here."
Vanessa stared at him.
"Tomorrow?"
"If Rachel did this because she wanted to sabotage us, I won't let her."
For one second Vanessa looked almost relieved.
Then she leaned forward and kissed him.
Daniel felt nothing except nausea.
News spread that the wedding had been rescheduled privately.
Richard Hale returned to Blackwood before noon.
He hugged Daniel as though nothing had happened.
"This is the right decision."
Daniel smiled.
"I'm tired of chaos."
Richard nodded.
"Marriage requires knowing who deserves your trust."
Daniel nearly laughed at the irony.
Instead he asked about Thomas.
Richard's expression barely moved.
"I've called him several times."
"No answer?"
"No."
"Strange."
"Very."
Daniel watched Richard carefully.
"You've known him for years."
"Professionally."
"Eleanor thought you were close."
Richard smiled.
"Eleanor thought everyone was conspiring against her near the end."
Daniel felt his hands clench.
He forced them open.
Across the room, Sophie appeared beside Martha.
Richard saw her.
His smile faded.
Daniel noticed.
So did Sophie.
She hid behind Martha.
Richard left an hour later.
An undercover officer followed him.
He drove to Hale Strategic Holdings.
Stayed thirty minutes.
Then drove north.
Past the city.
Toward a rural district filled with private estates and abandoned industrial properties.
The officer followed at a distance.
Richard stopped at a gas station.
Then unexpectedly doubled back.
He had detected surveillance.
The officer withdrew.
But they had learned something.
Richard was nervous.
That evening Daniel examined Rachel's photograph again.
The room around her looked ordinary.
Gray wall.
Metal chair.
Wooden floor.
Newspaper.
Nothing distinctive.
Sophie walked into the study before leaving for the safe house.
She looked at the picture.
"Mommy."
Daniel knelt.
"We're going to bring her home."
Sophie touched the photograph.
Then she frowned.
"That's Grandma's chair."
Daniel looked at her.
"What?"
"The chair."
He studied it.
Plain wooden legs.
Curved back.
"Sophie, we've never seen that chair."
"Yes."
"Where?"
"At Grandma Eleanor's other house."
Daniel's heart stopped.
Eleanor had owned a small lakeside property forty miles north.
She had rarely used it after Daniel's grandfather died.
Daniel had almost forgotten it existed.
The property was held by a separate company.
Very few people knew about it.
Richard did.
Thomas did.
Daniel called Aaron.
Within twenty minutes, deputies were preparing to search the lake house.
Daniel insisted on going.
Aaron refused.
"If Rachel's there, the last thing we need is you arriving before we know who else is inside."
Daniel stayed.
The longest ninety minutes of his life followed.
At 9:17 p.m., Aaron called.
"No Rachel."
Daniel closed his eyes.
"But someone was there."
"What did you find?"
"The chair from the photograph."
Daniel stood.
"And?"
"Rope. Food containers. A blanket."
"When?"
"Recent."
"So they moved her."
"Looks like it."
Daniel punched the desk.
Aaron continued.
"We also found a burner phone."
"Anything on it?"
"One outgoing call this afternoon."
Daniel waited.
"To who?"
Aaron hesitated.
"Vanessa."
Daniel looked toward the hallway.
Vanessa was upstairs.
"When?"
"Eleven forty-two."
Daniel remembered.
At eleven forty-two Vanessa had left breakfast claiming she needed to speak with the florist.
He had watched her walk into the garden.
She had been gone six minutes.
Daniel whispered, "She spoke to whoever was holding Rachel."
"Maybe."
"No more maybe."
"We still need proof of what was said."
Daniel walked toward the door.
Aaron stopped him through the phone.
"Do not confront her."
Daniel halted.
"We have one advantage."
"What?"
"Vanessa thinks you're still marrying her tomorrow."
Daniel looked toward the staircase.
May you like
A strange calm came over him.
"Then maybe I should give her exactly what she wants."
